Premier League upholds 3pm blackout rule despite holiday exemptions
The Premier League has been granted special permission to broadcast matches during the traditional Saturday 3pm television blackout on two dates this festive season; however, the league will not use these exemptions, reports BritPanorama.
Exemptions for December 27 and January 3 permit live UK coverage of fixtures scheduled during the normally protected 2.45pm to 5.15pm window.
Despite this unprecedented opportunity to screen additional festive football, Premier League officials have confirmed their commitment to the longstanding blackout rule, which has been a cornerstone of English football broadcasting since the mid-1980s.
This regulation prohibits live television coverage of matches during Saturday afternoons, aiming primarily to safeguard attendance figures at lower-division fixtures. The current situation ensures that supporters are not tempted to stay home watching Premier League matches instead of attending live games at local grounds.
At the Leaders football conference in early October, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters affirmed the league’s dedication to maintaining the blackout rule: “We are committed to it for the foreseeable future and it’s not a decision that we make, it’s done in conjunction with other football bodies, the EFL and the FA.”
The exemption process requires UEFA ratification of requests submitted by the FA before each season begins. These requests emerge from consultations with various football stakeholders, including the EFL, FA Cup organisers, the Women’s Super League, and the Premier League itself.
UEFA’s Article 48 governs these “blocked hours,” necessitating evidence that at least half of the fixtures in the top two divisions or national cup competitions kick off at 3pm on Saturdays. Typically, this threshold stands at eleven concurrent matches across the Premier League and the Championship.
The recent exemption requests for December 27 and January 3 did not originate from Premier League headquarters but rather were possibly sought by other football bodies to maintain flexibility during the congested festive schedule. The league’s stance reflects both contractual obligations and philosophical principles concerning fan attendance.
Current broadcasting agreements with Sky Sports and TNT Sports, structured through 2029, allocate specific match slots and quantities to each broadcaster, making mid-cycle alterations commercially complex.
As fans prepare for the festive fixtures, the steadfast adherence to the blackout underscores a commitment to grassroots football, highlighting the delicate balance between television revenues and the health of live attendance in England’s football ecosystem.
