Scottish football has taken the first tentative steps toward ending one of the sport’s most famous traditions. The SPFL is now seeking offers for its next broadcast cycle — and the long-standing 3pm television blackout could be on the chopping block.
Scottish Premiership action (Credits: SPFL)
The blackout currently bans live TV coverage of matches between 2:45pm and 5:15pm on Saturdays. But as the SPFL tenders rights for the 2029-30 season onwards, BBC Sport understands broadcasters could be invited to bid for all matches live — including Saturday afternoon kick-offs.
What Is the 3pm Blackout?
The blackout was introduced over fears that televised 3pm games would hurt match attendances — not just at the clubs playing, but right down the divisions to non-league level. In the UK, 3pm remains the traditional default kick-off time across the leagues.
Today, the UK is the only country in Europe still enforcing it. Other leagues stagger their kick-off times so their top divisions never play half their matches at once, making the blackout unenforceable under UEFA rules.
Why Scottish Football Wants to Scrap It
Critics argue the blackout now strangles streaming revenue, especially for lower-league clubs forced to keep every game offline on Saturday afternoons. The Cymru Premier in Wales already ditched the blackout this summer in favor of streaming every match.
The SPFL’s tender is built for maximum flexibility: broadcasters can propose any live coverage package they want, provided they don’t seek to impose Article 48 of UEFA’s statutes — the rule that permits the blackout in the first place.
What Happens Next?
Any deal needs approval from eight of the Premiership’s 12 clubs, and it’s far from certain the Saturday 3pm games will be included. Under current terms, only 36% of the 228 top-flight matches are shown live (Sky Sports has up to 60, Premier Sports up to 22).
Timing is everything: the rights deals for the Premier League, EFL and SPFL all end in 2028-29, giving all leagues a unique chance to reach a consensus. In August, Premier League chief executive Richard Masters signaled the direction of travel was toward ending the blackout — but stressed any decision was 18 months away and would be taken with the EFL and FA.
If Scotland moves first, England, Wales and Northern Ireland won’t automatically follow. But the first crack in the blackout may have just appeared.
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Source: BBC Sport — read the full story there.