EFL 3pm kick offs

[MarkC1978]

Hi All,

Has Sky or the EFL announced how many 3 p.m. kick-offs there will be this season, or was the opening weekend the only one?

If it has been announced, any direction to where would be appreciated.

Thanks

[caesarome]

I'm not sure there has been such an announcement but it might be that when there is an international break so there are no games in the Premier or Champuonship leagues then there games in Leagues one and two might be shown at 3pm but it is a little early to know if something like this will happen.

[MarkC1978]

Thanks for the reply.
I couldn't find an announcement, but I assumed, given the size of the change and what it means to the local teams for people who can't get to the matches, there would be an idea of how many there are and when. 

Maybe they are still working it out?

[caesarome]

The site to keep an eye on is this one but at present I can't see any 3pm games as it looks like there will be more 12.30 starts instead:

https://www.skysports.com/watch/football-on-sky

[SKY1992bf · Accepted solution]

@MarkC1978 , @caesarome  Is correct  

Last weekend was an exception to the 3pm Saturday blackout out rule because the premier league had not commenced 

moving forward the rule applies with no Saturday 3pm kickoff allowed to be televised the only exception being international breaks 

as for international breaks the new efl deal allows for all league one and two matches to be screened during the breaks 

all tv picks have been announced upto and including the final match round before the fa cup 3rd round weekend 

[n1ckarla]

Why are no 3pm games allowed to be televised?

[SKY1992bf]

@n1ckarla  See

Article 48 blocked hours 

The English and Scottish FA's enforce this rule between 2:45 and 5:15 on Saturdays 

[n1ckarla]

Slightly off topic, but is this to get people going to the stadiums or something?

[nolte]

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@n1ckarla wrote:

Slightly off topic, but is this to get people going to the stadiums or something?

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Basically

https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-67626040

[d2h]

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@n1ckarla wrote:

Slightly off topic, but is this to get people going to the stadiums or something?

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@n1ckarla 

It's never been tested in the real world but has been followed for over 60 years now - the rule was brought about many decades before football on TV meaningfully increased in number. 

The new Premier League contract commences next year, which will see a further increase in TV matches being made available. Once that contract nears completion and the rights go out to tender, I would be surprised if the tender isn't offering all 380 matches to commence with the 2030 cycle. 

The EFL were prepared to scrap it for this current deal but Sky weren't keen, hence their agreement for a big increase in matches but stopping short of blanket coverage. There's also regular reports that Premier League chairmen are increasingly voicing their wishes for all matches to be televised. It will happen and is now just a case of 'when'. 

[n1ckarla]

I've never got into premier league football but with it being the first day thought I would watch it and see if I could. I couldn't believe that all there was were some people sat behind a desk reporting on what they could see. I wondered what was going on so googled it, which led me here.

[MarkC1978]

Thank you, and everyone else.

[TimmyBGood]

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@n1ckarla wrote:

Slightly off topic, but is this to get people going to the stadiums or something?

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3pm "blackout"

In the 1960s, Burnley chairman Bob Lord successfully convinced fellow Football League chairmen that televised matches on a Saturday afternoon would have a negative effect on the attendances of other Football League games that were not being televised and as a result reduce their financial income.

As a result, the FA, Premier League and Football League do not permit English matches to be televised live between 14:45 and 17:15 on a Saturday within the United Kingdom.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_football_on_television