As per Premier League chief executive Richard Masters, the Saturday 3pm TV blackout in the UK will not end anytime soon.
The rule means that football matches are not allowed to be broadcast in the UK on a Saturday between 2.45pm and 5.15pm, mostly to encourage higher attendance figures in stadiums across the country.
According to Article 48 of UEFA’s Statutes, member nations are entitled to select a two-and-a-half-hour weekend slot where live football is banned from being shown on television – and English football’s top division looks set to keep the ban for the foreseeable future.
“We’ve been proponents of Article 48 for the entire Premier League, and I don’t see that changing in the near term,” Premier League CEO Richard Masters told the Financial Times Business of Football Summit.
Still, an increased push from fans of Premier League clubs – many of whom already spend a fair amount of money on monthly subscriptions for football TV channels – means that pressure to scrap the blackout will not go away.
It is worth noting, however, that the English Football League (EFL) is eager to remove the ban, with the body that runs the second, third and fourth tiers of the country’s football system reportedly ready to abolish the blackout as early as next season.
That said, the EFL would need to obtain approval from both the English Football Association (FA) and UEFA in order to remove the 3pm ban, which could be tricky.
Elsewhere, DAZN chief executive Shay Segev has expressed his views on the blackout, stating that he sees the ban as relatively outdated. Segev also described the unavailability of televised 3pm Premier League matches as a “lost opportunity”.
Despite rising pressure from fans, governing bodies and organisations alike, the 3pm Premier League TV blackout looks set to stay.
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