Premier League chief gives major update on 3pm blackout after fan outrage that Man Utd and Arsenal games weren’t on TV
PREMIER LEAGUE chief Richard Masters has revealed that he is NOT planning to scrap the 3pm blackout.
Fans have been left frustrated in recent weeks by their inability to watch key matches.
The EFL are considering scrapping the blackout ahead of their next rights deal, as they aim to raise their TV revenue from £119million a year to £200m.
But Prem chief Richard Masters has ruled out following suit – despite potential interest from streaming services Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
The Premier League adhere to Article 48 – a Uefa law that enables member nations to block games from being televised for a two-and a-half-hour period each weekend.
In England matches are prohibited from being aired between 2:45pm and 5:15pm.
Scotland and Montenegro are the only other Uefa nations to adhere to Article 48.
On the issue, Masters said: “We’ve been proponents of Article 48 for the entire period of the Premier League and I don’t see that changing in the near term.”
The Prem’s next TV deal will be valid between 2025 and 2028.
Matches are primarily broadcast between Sky Sports and BT Sport – with Prime Video also possessing the rights to games from two matchdays per season in recent years.
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Fans recently fumed when Man United’s mid-week clash with Leeds wasn’t shown.
While Arsenal’s 4-0 win over Everton and Liverpool’s 2-0 Wolves triumph weren’t shown in the UK on Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, FA Cup matches were being broadcast on ITV and the BBC.