Scottish Premiership Initiates Changes to Saturday Match Broadcast Rules

The Scottish Premiership has taken a significant step that could reshape the broadcasting landscape for football in the UK. By inviting bids for match rights in its next rights cycle starting from 2029, the league is aiming to eliminate the long-standing Saturday afternoon broadcast blackout.

New Opportunities for Broadcasters

Last week, the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) issued a tender document, signaling its intention to allow broadcasters to bid for the rights to all matches, including those starting at 3pm on Saturdays. Currently, live broadcasting of these matches is prohibited under UEFA's Article 48 regulations, which restricts domestic broadcasts during certain hours.

Shift in Broadcasting Strategy

This development comes on the heels of a growing consensus among UK leagues, including the Premier League and English Football League (EFL), about the necessity to lift the blackout. Reports suggest that these leagues view the sale of additional match broadcasting rights as a vital avenue for increasing revenue.

The SPFL's invitation allows bidders the option to propose bids that would forgo the blackout hours mandated by Article 48. Sources indicate that after 2029, the likelihood of the four British Football Associations applying these restrictions seems minimal.

The Current Broadcasting Landscape

At present, UK broadcasters are banned from airing live football matches from 2:45pm to 5:15pm on Saturdays. This rule is designed to protect a significant block of fixtures in the top two divisions, which generally occur during that timeframe. However, exceptions exist, allowing 3pm kick-offs to be televised during FA Cup weekends and bank holiday weekends in December.

The UK stands as the sole European country still enforcing Article 48, which provides football associations the power to restrict live match broadcasts during specified times. While the application of this rule falls to the English, Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish Football Associations, they are expected to align their decisions with the interests of the clubs.

Future Considerations

Currently, broadcasters can show a significant number of matches across various leagues: up to 270 from the Premier League, 1,059 from the EFL, and 82 from the Scottish Premiership, which together account for about 35% of all fixtures in a season.

In August, Richard Masters, the chief executive of the Premier League, mentioned that discussions regarding the lifting of Article 48 are ongoing. He stated, “We’ve got to take that decision at some point in the future about whether things are going to change.” He highlighted that this would need to be addressed before the upcoming domestic processes for the EFL and Premier League, indicating that a key decision regarding Article 48 could emerge in about 18 months.