Scottish football could pave way for 3pm TV blackout to end
Summary
The Scottish Professional Football League is inviting broadcasters to propose coverage for the 2029-30 season onward, including the option to show every match live. That could open the way to end Scotland’s Saturday 3pm blackout, but the clubs must approve any deal, and a change in Scotland would not automatically apply elsewhere in the UK.Key Facts
- The SPFL says it is flexible about how many games a broadcaster may show under its next deal, which begins in 2029-30.
- The tender allows broadcasters to propose live coverage of all matches, including Saturday afternoon games.
- Uefa Article 48 lets leagues ban live broadcasts at specific times if at least half of matches in a country’s top two divisions are played simultaneously.
- The current UK blackout runs from 2:45pm to 5:15pm on Saturdays.
- Under the current deal, Sky Sports can show up to 60 Scottish Premiership matches a season and Premier Sports up to 22 of the league’s 228 games.
- The Cymru Premier removed its blackout in the summer and adopted a streaming model for all matches.
- The Scottish Premiership’s 12 clubs would decide whether to accept a deal; at least eight votes are needed for approval.
- The Premier League, EFL and SPFL broadcast deals all end after the 2028-29 season, creating an opportunity for the leagues to discuss the blackout together.
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