sports
December 25, 2025
Premier League and EFL to hold talks over ending Saturday 3pm blackout
Leagues eager to sell all games in next rights cycle

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TL;DR
- Premier League and EFL will meet early next year to discuss ending the 3pm Saturday blackout.
- The UK is the last European country with this broadcast restriction.
- The goal is to sell all games to domestic broadcasters to boost revenue.
- Current contracts expire at the end of the 2028-29 season, with auctions planned for 2027.
- The EFL's current deal with Sky Sports is worth £935m over five years.
- The Premier League's domestic deal is worth a record £6.7bn over four years, but real-terms value has declined.
- US owners of Premier League clubs have advocated for broadcasting every game.
- The blackout is governed by Uefa's Article 48, which restricts live transmissions for two and a half hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
- The FA is unlikely to object to the blackout being dropped.
- Lifting the blackout could negatively affect match attendances and may prompt compensation claims from Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales.
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