The SPFL has reportedly offered to end the 3pm Saturday TV blackout as part of the next Scottish Premiership broadcast deal. League chiefs have given broadcasters the option to bid for live rights to all matches in the next domestic cycle from 2029-30, according to Sport Business.
Current broadcast arrangements
Earlier this month, league football officials launched the search for their next UK TV deal as the current agreement with Sky ticks down. Sky currently holds the rights to show up to 60 top-flight games a season, which expire at the end of the 2028/29 season. Premier Sports can broadcast a further 22 games.
The SPFL is now preparing for the next round of negotiations, which will begin from the 2029/30 campaign. If the league receives a satisfactory offer, this would include matches played at 15:00 on Saturdays.
Historic change to blackout rule
Any such deal would mark a historic deviation from the blackout rule that has been in place since 1960. UEFA's article 48 states that the 3pm blackout applies when 50 per cent of games in the top two divisions kick off at 3pm on a Saturday.
England, Ireland and Scotland are currently the only three countries in Europe that voluntarily adhere to the restriction, which is designed to protect attendances at lower league clubs. The report claims the SPFL is "confident" the SFA, Irish FA and English FA will no longer apply blocked hours in their territories from 2029-30 onwards. It is noted that the SFA is "unlikely" to stand in the way of an "acceptable" deal to keep the rule alive.
Origin and impact of the blackout
The rule was set in place by Burnley chairman Bob Lord, who convinced fellow Football League chairmen that televised matches on Saturday afternoons would negatively impact attendance at lower league games. He argued that if Manchester United were to play Liverpool on Saturday at 3pm, fans of lower division teams would instead watch the match on television rather than attend the match of the team they supported, reducing financial income for lower league football.
More than 40 years on, the rule remains in place. The agreement means that 2.5 hours per Saturday and Sunday is set aside during which games cannot be broadcast locally. This is between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on Saturdays, applicable within the UK and Ireland. Foreign matches are also affected by the blackout – a broadcaster would not show the first 15 minutes of a match in La Liga that kicks off at 5pm UK time, for example.
