The Guardian reports that the Premier League and EFL are planning to meet in early 2026 to discuss the possibility of allowing Saturday 3pm kick-offs. England is the only European country still in place with blackouts, but both governing bodies are keen to promote more matches to other broadcasters.
Despite still having several years left in the Premier League and EFL’s current rights cycle, they hope to reach an agreement before the next bid. The EFL will broadcast 1,059 matches on domestic television this season, mainly on Sky Sports, while the Premier League will broadcast a record 270 matches.
This figure has increased for the latter as this campaign sees all Sunday kick-offs take place at 2pm, many of which feature teams participating in the Europa League, which is now available to watch. However, it was decided that the only way to generate more revenue was to sell all the games.
The EFL plans to bring it to market in just over 12 months, despite the current contract not expiring until summer 2029. The Premier League auction is expected to take place later this year. Sky Sports currently holds exclusive rights to the EFL, which allows them to broadcast 1,059 matches across the Championship, League One and League Two, as well as the Carabao Cup and EFL Trophy.
That figure could jump towards 2,000 if an agreement is reached to lift power outage restrictions. Meanwhile, the Premier League is facing a decline in the value of media rights and is considering selling the rights to broadcast all matches. This came despite signing record deals worth £6.7bn over four years with Sky Sports and TNT Sports.
This partnership added an additional year to the contract, increasing the number of games shown but resulting in a decrease in value compared to the previous 2022-2025 cycle. The blackout is based on Article 48 of the UEFA Statutes, which allows for the banning of live football broadcasts within an area for “two and a half hours on a Saturday or Sunday.”
The provision will come into effect if 50 per cent of Premier League and Championship matches are scheduled for Saturday at 3pm. The FA is also involved in the issue and is unlikely to oppose the implementation of Article 48, having previously sought to exempt the Women’s Super League from the blackout. However, this was blocked on legal grounds by the Premier League and EFL.
There are many other considerations when it comes to lifting the power outage, and spectator numbers are likely to be affected as more matches are available on TV. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are all affected by power outages, which could lead to demands for compensation from those leagues as well.
