The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) is offering broadcasters the opportunity to broadcast every single one of its matches live in a move that could end the traditional 3pm blackout that prevents live soccer from airing on UK television on Saturday afternoons.
The league, which represents the top four divisions of Scottish soccer, has issued a tender for its next media cycle which begins with the 2029/30 season. Its current deal with Sky Sports is worth UK£150 million (US$162 million) over a four-year period, with the pay-TV broadcaster airing up to 60 fixtures a year.
The SPFL has a secondary deal with Premier Sports to broadcast 22 live games a season, while clubs have the freedom to stream selected matches on a pay-per-view basis provided they do not coincide with the blackout, which lasts from 2.45pm until 5.15pm.
However, the SPFL has said it is “flexible” about how many matches it makes available to broadcasters in its next deal. Given only 36 per cent of top-flight matches are available to watch in the UK, increasing this inventory would potentially increase revenue and choice for viewers whilst expanding the reach of the competition.
Such flexibility doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the blackout is a foregone conclusion. Bidders have been invited to make proposals to the league, meaning they could decide not to opt for a model that includes the 3pm fixtures. Alternatively, the SPFL could move all its Premiership matches away from the traditional timeslot to avoid getting involved in any political discussions about removing the restrictions.
Supporters of the blackout argue the blackout is necessary to protect attendances at lower league fixtures. However, opponents believe the measure is an anachronism that limits consumer choice and that the absence of a legal means to watch 3pm kick-offs leads to piracy. Foreign leagues have also criticised the measure, arguing that it diminishes the appeal of their competitions if they are scheduled at the same time.
England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are the only countries in Europe that adhere to Uefa Article 48, the mechanism that enforces the blackout.
However senior figures believe the measure is unlikely to last much longer and could be abolished as soon as the end of the current cycle. Indeed, every game in England’s top five men’s divisions and the top two women’s divisions is available to watch outside of the period covered by the blackout.
The provision was maintained in the league’s most recent broadcast contracts with Sky Sports and TNT Sports, worth a combined UK£6.7 billion (US$8.5 billion) over four years between 2025/26 and 2028/29. However, this was achieved by handing Sky the rights to any fixture that was not scheduled for 3pm on a Saturday or available on TNT Sports.
This means a minimum of 270 Premier Leagues are available to watch legally on British screens. Releasing the final 110 contests would allow the league to extract more revenue from its existing partners or potentially attract a new player to the table, such as a global streaming platform.
Any move to scrap the blackout would require the cooperation of the English Football League (EFL), which itself has previously indicated it could seek to end the stipulation. However in its most recent television contract it instead opted to move more fixtures outside the traditional Saturday window to drive up the value of its rights. Its current deal with Sky Sports is worth UK£935 million (US$1.2 billion) and expires at the end of the 2028/29 campaign.
The EFL has reportedly shown analysis that the changes have not had a significant impact on attendances when compared to the previous season. However, it has been suggested that the end of the blackout could cost EFL clubs up to UK£37 million (US$46.8 million) in revenue, a figure which would have to be offset by future media deals.
The FA had pushed for women’s games to be exempt from the 3pm blackout, but this was blocked by the Premier League and EFL who believed there was no legal route for selective application. It is also understood there is lukewarm appetite from the WSL’s broadcast partners.
The SPFL’s willingness to be flexible is one thing, but broadcast appetite is another. In previous seasons Sky has not taken up its full allocation of fixtures, much to the chagrin of clubs and viewers.
There is also the question of who will shoulder additional production costs and how games would be distributed. Fans might also resent the loss of the traditional timeslot, and some clubs might fear the economic impact of such a move given the dominance of the two Glasgow clubs, Celtic and Rangers.
While most Old Firm matches are selected for television, live 3pm kick-offs on television could have a negative impact on attendances – perhaps to an even greater extent than south of the border.
A potential solution could be to move even more fixtures outside of the blackout window so that the 50 per cent threshold doesn’t apply, or so that the legislation doesn’t come into effect.
The Welsh Premier League (WPL) now schedules the majority of its matches on Friday nights with every game available on its direct-to-consumer (DTC) service. Selected fixtures are transmitted by Welsh language broadcaster S4C outside of the UK-wide blackout.
The 3pm blackout has been a perennial source of debate, often exposing schisms between matchgoing supporters and armchair fans. The Premier League has said it is committed to the blackout beyond its current cycle. But if the SPFL goes ahead, there will be one less reason for England to continue.
