The Premier League is sticking with the Saturday 3pm TV blackout, though they are set to increase the number of matches shown each season by 70.

LONDON, ENGLAND: Fans show their support during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on September 24, 2023. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND: Fans show their support during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on September 24, 2023. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

The Premier League are set to make some changes to the live broadcasting of matches from 2025, with the tender process for the next round of rights to be completed by the end of 2023.

The BBC report that 270 of the 380 games every season will now be broadcast live in the UK, as opposed to the 200 currently shown.

But the Saturday 3pm blackout will remain in place for this next rights cycle, lasting from 2025/26 until 2028/29.

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta celebrates their victory on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium in London on October 8, 2023. Arsenal won the game 1-0. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal’s Spanish manager Mikel Arteta celebrates their victory on the pitch after the English Premier League football match between Arsenal and Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium in London on October 8, 2023. Arsenal won the game 1-0. (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)

The main bit of good news is that every 2pm Sunday kick-off will be televised.

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Teams playing in Europe often have their games moved to Sunday to ease fixture congestion, but the current system didn’t allow for those matches to then be televised.

The Premier League are expecting a significant increase in value on their last £5bn domestic TV rights deal, which expires at the end of 2024/25.

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 24: Arsenal fans celebrate their sides first goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on September 24, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND: Arsenal fans celebrate their side’s first goal during the Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspur at Emirates Stadium on September 24, 2023. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

As it stands, Sky have four rights packages (128 matches), TNT Sports have two packages (52 matches), and Amazon have one package (20 matches).

But Martyn Ziegler reports that the new rights cycle will combine packages into five, instead of seven.

One of those five packages will involve being able to show all 10 matches on the final day of the season live on TV.

There will also be five midweek rounds per season where all 10 matches are shown.

The increase in the number of matches shown should go down well with fans, but the fact that there will still be 110 games not televised every season until 2029 is likely to be less popular.

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