The Premier League has agreed to a record-breaking domestic television deal with Sky Sports and TNT, with a growing sense that the blackout rules could end soon
Armchair football fans got a glimpse into the future of last weekend after two games were broadcast live on television during the power outage at 3pm on Saturday.
The Scottish Football Association applied to resolve the ban to show that Motherwell’s Aberdeen 1-0 win in the League Cup. Motherwell touted the fact that fans can watch it live in Premier Sports.
Premier Sports was also able to show live coverage of Real Madrid’s 2-0 victory over Espanyol, which began at 3:15pm in the UK. La Liga confirmed to check Mirror Sport with Mirror Sport that the Real Madrid game was shown as two exceptions were given to a blackout dating back to the 1960s.
Originally designed to stop fans from staying at home rather than playing football, but it was only regularly lifted during the community pandemic.
But more and more experts believe it could be scrapped after this year’s four-year television contract, which began this summer. The Premier League has agreed to a new record £6.7 billion domestic television deal for Sky and TNT to showcase up to 270 live games in the season.
read more: Aston Villa is being killed by PSR – and they should worry about Unai Emery
Sky’s Deal is already moving in that direction as it covers a minimum of 215 games that offer the option to view games live every Sunday. Additionally, on the final day of each season, all 10 games can be broadcast in new regular slots, including 8pm on Saturdays.
If a new Mega deal is a big valuation and subscription hit, I feel it will be a path to even more games.
If 50% of equipment in the top two divisions are expected to kick off at 3pm, a blackout will be enforced.
The Premier League, Scottish Premiership, English Football League (EFL), Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL), FA Cup, and Scotland Cup will affect TV coverage on Saturday afternoons.
Matches from foreign leagues such as La Liga and Serie A will also not be available to view live between 14:45 and 17:15 on Saturdays. That’s why last Saturday was a key moment – even if it was under the radar.
The EFL kicked off a week earlier than the Premier League, allowing them to see all the games over the opening weekend. They also sparked debate over whether the blackout should be lifted.
The game is being rejected, as more and more people are being refusing to push them into copyright infringement and “dangerous sticks” to watch top flight matches, and there is growing belief that blackouts will be the next time.
Many London High Streets are flooded with barbers and barbers who illegally show the game every Saturday, a continuing battle between Sky and the Premier League.
The Premier League has a clear link to organized crime through copyright infringement and insists on regular legal action through courts against illegal streamers.
Even Prince William, an avid Aston Villa fan, added weight to the opinion that it is wrong for foreign fans to be able to watch the game, but English fans can’t.
Earlier this year, Prince William said:
“The biggest thing at home is trying to find it on TV, obviously because the blackout at 3pm on Saturday is frustrating.
“But it’s really annoying to not yet be able to watch my team’s Premier League matches in this country yet, but I can always go abroad and watch the game.”
Join the new WhatsApp community and receive a daily amount of mirror football content. We also treat community members with special offers, promotions and advertising. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, you can read the privacy notice.
Sky Sports Discount Premier League and EFL Packages
£49
£35
Sky
Get the deal here
Sky has significantly reduced the prices of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundles ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving its members to £336, and offering over 1,400 live matches in the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League matches next season, showing an even greater increase of up to 100.
