The FA are considering DROPPING the 3pm blackout for FA Cup fixtures from 2025
The FA are considering CANCELING Saturday’s 3pm TV blackout for the FA Cup as they look to boost revenue from the competition, with broadcast giants on the prowl to snap up the rights.
- The blackout has been in effect since the 1960s largely to protect attendance
- Its continued presence has come under increasing strain in recent years.
- The FA consideration comes amid the EFL’s invitation to broadcasters to bid for its rights.
The FA is considering removing the Saturday 3pm TV blackout for FA Cup matches from 2025 in a bid to increase the value of competition TV rights.
The Premier League remains in favor of keeping its matches off TV on Saturday afternoons, while the EFL has yet to decide on the controversial issue despite inviting broadcasters to bid on 3pm matches. :00 hours in its television rights auction as of 2024/25. that is currently taking place.
It is also understood that the FA are open to removing the blackout for their own competition, however, in the belief that selling more matches would generate higher revenue, which is passed on to the clubs and the grassroots game.
Under the current four-year deal with the BBC and ITV, a maximum of eight FA Cup ties in each round were broadcast live this season, with just four on weekends due to blackout restrictions, which prevent any coverage. television between 2:45 pm and 5:15 pm on Saturdays.
The FA is considering lifting the 3pm blackout for FA Cup matches from 2025 to try to increase the television value of the competition.
The FA Cup is paralyzed by the same 3pm blackout rules on Saturdays as the leagues.
English soccer rules stipulate that no live action can be shown on television between 2:45 and 5:15 on Saturdays.
The FA will start negotiations with broadcasters this summer for the next rights cycle which starts in 2025/26, with Wembley executives convinced they will get a much better deal if 3pm matches can be sold. the blackout invites offers from the new generation of streaming services in addition to traditional broadcasters, which would increase the price.
Lower division clubs are likely to welcome the move as it would lead to increases in prize money and appearance money, which they believe is currently too biased towards the big clubs reaching the later stages. .
Lifting the blackout just for the FA Cup would be far less damaging to English football than if the Premier League or EFL removed it, as FA Cup ties have only been held on five weekends each year since the first round itself.
DAZN has launched an offer to buy the live TV rights to every EFL match from 2024-25
The Premier League’s support for the blackout is based on its belief that televising only half of its top-flight matches increases its value, as well as a desire to preserve the crowd-selling model and protect live attendance.
Significantly, current Premier League rights holders Sky Sports and BT Sport are also in favor of keeping the blackout.
With 1,656 games each season compared to 380 in the Premier League, the EFL is exploring an alternative model and has received offers from various broadcast companies, including DAZN and Viaplay, but has yet to make a decision on how to proceed.
Its current deal with Sky Sports allows 138 games to be broadcast live each year, plus the end-of-season play-offs.