Reports that English football could abandon the long-held 3pm blackout broadcasting rule have received a mixed response from fans and sports stakeholders.
Introduced in 1960, the rule prohibits any games taking place at 3pm on a Saturday from being broadcast live on UK television. As most games take place at this time, this prevents the vast majority of fixtures from being shown to a domestic British audience.
According to The Times, the rule will likely be scrapped after the 2028/29 season when the next media rights cycle is renewed. It seems the desire to do this is driven in part by the significant number of people who illegally stream Premier League matches.
Should the rule be scrapped it will present a huge opportunity for media outlets first and foremost. The Premier League’s main broadcast partner, Sky Sports, could be expected to win the lion share of rights.
However, when the next media rights cycle goes up for tender, there could be room for other broadcasters to get involved under the scope of a joint broadcast deal, including TNT Sports or maybe even some free-to-air coverage on the BBC and ITV, if the Premier League and English Football League (EFL) look to maximise on the record £6.7bn it accumulated for its agreed rights deal last year. .
Other possible contenders could be Amazon Prime Video and DAZN. Amazon has already broadcast a few Premier League games but will not be part of the next rights deal DAZN meanwhile has built up its profile in English football by securing the rights to the National League system earlier this year.
More TV exposure would not only mean that clubs, particularly those in the Premier League, but could maximise revenue from media rights as well. Wider coverage could also provide leagues a reason to up premiums on advertising and sponsorship, at a time when revenue generation has become more important than ever due to Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Some fans and observers have welcomed the potential end to the blackout, viewing it as an archaic rule which does not fit the modern English football system. Taking to social media and speaking to media outlets, fans have expressed discontent with the current model which sees all fixtures made available to overseas viewers but very few to domestic ones.
Others see it as potentially being a big moment for women’s football – something the Women’s Super League (WSL) has highlighted previously. Speaking to the BBC, a WSL Chelsea fan described removing the blackout as ‘a good opportunity for us to reach a different audience, to put women’s football front and centre’.
Not everyone is convinced though. Some stakeholders in lower league clubs argue that removing the blackout could deal a significant blow to these teams, many of whom rely on matchday attendance as a key source of revenue.
On the other hand, this viewpoint could be underestimating the loyalty some lower league fans have for their clubs. English football clubs often have a lot of history behind them and have strong connections to local communities, building up study fanbases despite the absence of on-pitch success.
As none of us have a crystal ball, we cannot say for certain whether attendances at Stockport County, Salford City and Altrincham FC, for example, will drop if locals have the option to watch 3pm games at nearby Manchester City or United at home or in a pub instead.
It will ultimately be a waiting game to see if the FA opts to drop the 3pm blackout in its next rights renewal – and this is ultimately only the subject of media speculation right now.
