The Premier League are refusing to get rid of the 3pm TV blackout even as the The EFL consider making all their matches available for broadcast from 2024/25.
The EFL are targeting a major increase to their current £119m-a-year contract with Sky, hoping to earn £200m-a-year by luring Facebook, Netflix, Google, Apple, and Amazon into joining Sky Sports and BT Sport in bidding.
As the EFL courts proposals, they are reportedly making it clear they are willing to get rid of the Saturday blackout so that every game can be televised.
In order to make that happen, the EFL will also need to lobby the FA to apply to UEFA for an exemption.
As it stands, English football matches cannot be broadcast on live television in the UK between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on a Saturday. That system has been in place since the 1960s to encourage supporters to attend matches in person.
As the blackout only applies when 50% of Premier League and Championship matches are due to kick off at 3pm on Saturday, moving half of the fixtures would also allow all games to be televised.
That could have a knock-on effect for the Premier League, who could then also televise their 3pm games, but the Premier League are not interested as a piece in Thursday’s Daily Telegraph shows:
Only two Premier League games are due to kick-off at 3pm on Saturday this weekend.
That means out of the 20 teams in the division, UK fans of every side except Fulham, Bournemouth, Wolves, and Forest will be able to legally watch their side play this round of matches live.