The new tender process for Football League TV rights has left the door open to showing Saturday afternoon matches
Despite recent news that the English Football League (EFL) might be about to do away with the famous 3pm blackout, reports suggest that the Premier League is unlikely to follow suit.
The EFL has caused a stir with the launching of its new TV rights tender process, which could see Football League games televised during the previously forbidden window of 2.45-5.15 on Saturday afternoons.
The process is welcoming bidders to submit proposals to acquire EFL broadcasting rights, while not dictating how many and which games would be available to air. This is a step away from the previous model which made it clear that games during the 3pm blackout window would not be available for purchase.
Interested parties must submit their proposals to the EFL by 5pm on November 21, before the league makes a final decision. The new rights holder will win the rights to EFL matches from 2024 onwards.
According to sources, the EFL is hoping to double its current TV rights revenue of £119m per year, which it earns from its existing partnership with Sky Sports.
It is rumoured that live streaming platform DAZN is currently the "frontrunner" to win the tender, but the EFL is also said to be interested in working with Amazon, Apple, Netflix, BT Sport, Sky Sports and several other potential partners.
The Premier League to respect the 3pm blackout
Nonetheless, the English top flight is not said to be keen on following the EFL's lead on the issue of the 3pm blackout. UK-based fans of Premier League clubs are currently not able to watch their teams during the restricted 2.45-5.15pm window on Saturdays, and that is not expected to change, even in light of this blockbuster news from the EFL.
The Premier League has long been in support of the blackout and member clubs are unlikely to scrap it for fear of alienating their supporters. The Football Supporters' Association (FSA) has once again aired its grievances over the possibility of the blackout going away.
Kevin Miles, Chief Executive of the FSA said:
“The UK’s footballing ecosystem is the envy of the world, with matchday attendances running all the way down to non-league and grassroots that dwarf those of elite level games in many other countries.
“Removing the blackout would have dramatic consequences for the pyramid, many unforeseen, which is why FSA members up and down the pyramid have strongly resisted any relaxation of this protection.”
Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Masters, met with fan representatives only last year to discuss the issue, one which seems to be a recurring hot potato every season. During that meeting, he also stated that he expected the league to “continue to back the protected window given its overall protections and benefits for the domestic game”.
Reasons to back the blackout
While many British EPL fans will decry the fact that supporters across the world can enjoy every Premier League game of the season and they can't, they should be careful what they wish for.
It may be somewhat farcical to have a situation in which Cristiano Ronaldo's homecoming second debut for Manchester United is watched by millions around the globe, but not by a single Mancbester United fan in the UK, but this is a price which must be paid for the stability of the pyramid from top to bottom.
Not only are there concerns about damaging attendance figures, something which the English pyramid is rightly proud of and one of the main factors which makes it so appealing to a global audience, but there are also other potential financial ramifications.
Several Premier League clubs have quietly expressed doubts that removing the window will bring them greater financial rewards, despite that surely being the promise behind any move in that direction, and some even fear that showing more matches could saturate the product further and damage their TV rights value.
The EFL looking to "evolve and innovate"
Ben Wright, Chief Commercial Officer at the EFL, said of this new tender process:
“With 54 per cent of the UK population watching EFL football on television each year and a global audience of more than 400 million, it’s an exciting time to be going to market for the league’s broadcast rights."
“Whilst the appetite for EFL football remains stronger than ever, we want to grow this audience further. We are inviting proposals from organisations that can enhance and develop the league’s offering, taking a new and innovative approach to how people consume EFL content. Alongside the EFL’s rich tradition and distinguished history there is a desire to evolve, grow and innovate in order to grow our audience further and we’re looking for a partner or partners who share that vision.”
This latest move from the EFL is the clearest sign we've seen of their appetite to scrap the blackout, but it is by no means the first time the subject has been raised. The blackout was temporarily scrapped for the EFL and Premier League during the coronavirus pandemic. When stadiums were closed and empty during lockdowns, leagues scrambled to make more games available to watch at home.
This made sense at the time as it helped to generate more revenue for the leagues and clubs, gave the fans the opportunity to watch matches and a healthy distraction from the trauma of the pandemic, and did not negatively affect attendances, as there were none.
While many would have thought the matter closed after English football returned to normal, fans returned to stadiums and the 3pm blackout was reinstated, some saw that the issue could come up again in the near future.
EFL Chairman, Rick Parry, foreshadowed this new push to cancel the blackout around a year ago:
“I don’t see [an end to the blackout] as being essential. Having said that, I don’t necessarily rule it out. We are almost unique in Europe now in having a blackout period. I’m not presuming that it goes, but equally, if we’re looking at streaming, at new technologies and new broadcasters, we will probably have to be open-minded in terms of scheduling.”
There is still no guarantee that the EFL will do away with the blackout from 2024, but given the nature of this new tender process, it certainly looks more likely than ever. Nonetheless, fans of Premier League clubs may still need to go to the ground to see their beloved teams, at least for a little while longer.
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