Premier League chief confirms talks to end Saturday 3pm TV blackout

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has confirmed that discussions regarding the abolition of the traditional Saturday 3pm television blackout in England will take place within the next 18 months.

Currently, top-flight and English Football League matches played between 14:45 and 17:15 GMT on Saturdays cannot be broadcast live on domestic television.

The longstanding restriction was originally enforced by the Football Association in the 1960s to protect matchday ticket sales across the lower tiers of the football pyramid.

However, the upcoming domestic television rights cycle, which begins ahead of the 2029-30 campaign, presents a realistic window to formally remove the broadcasting ban.

Decision requires agreement across English football

Speaking to talkSPORT, the league’s top official admitted that progress is being made towards making all domestic fixtures available for live broadcast.

“Yes, but it’s not just us involved in the decision about Article 48,” Masters stated.

“It’s us, the EFL and the FA. We’ve got to take that decision at some point in the future about whether things are going to change.”

“I’d say in about 18 months’ time we’ll come back to that decision about whether Article 48 should remain or not.”

Testing ground for new broadcast models

These latest comments arrive shortly after the governing body launched a dedicated direct-to-consumer streaming platform in Singapore.

The new regional service will broadcast all 380 top-flight matches live while providing uninterrupted 24-hour coverage for subscribers.

Industry experts believe this international trial could serve as a direct blueprint for a future football streaming product in the United Kingdom.

Such a comprehensive service would inherently require the complete removal of the Saturday afternoon blackout to function effectively in the domestic market.