Table of Contents
- What is the 3pm blackout?
- When was the 3pm blackout introduced?
- Is it time for the 3pm blackout to end?
- Our verdict on the 3pm blackout in soccer
The UK is the only country in Europe to have a 3pm blackout – a restriction on when live soccer can be broadcast live. But what exactly is the blackout, when was it introduced, and is it time for it to end? Let’s take a closer look.
What is the 3pm blackout?
Sometimes referred to simply as the “football blackout” the 3pm blackout is a blanket ban on live televised soccer in the United Kingdom. As a result, TV stations are not permitted to show any live professional soccer between 2.45pm and 5.15pm every Saturday.
When was the 3pm blackout introduced?
The 3pm blackout has been in place in the UK since the 1960s. Initially, chairmen of Football League clubs came together and agreed that showing any live soccer on TV at 3pm – the time that the vast majority of matches kicked off – would be detrimental to attendances at soccer stadiums around the country.
The theory goes that if there’s a blockbuster clash at 3pm – say Man City v Arsenal – and it’s broadcast live on television, fans of lower league teams would prefer to stay at home to watch it, rather than venture out to support their local teams.
To be fair, there’s merit in this assumption and attendances probably would be affected if big soccer matches were to be broadcast at 3pm on a Saturday.
Attendances are dwindling in the lower leagues in the UK anyway, so permitting live soccer matches at this time every Saturday for the first time in 60 years could wreak havoc to the soccer pyramid in the UK. But that’s just one side of the argument. Is it time for the 3pm blackout to end?
Is it time for the 3pm blackout to end?
Interestingly, research has shown that most soccer fans in the UK would continue attending their local team’s matches, regardless of whether or not a seemingly better game was televised at 3pm on a Saturday.
This suggests, then, that the 3pm blackout may not be serving the purpose that it was initially brought in for.
If you look at EPL broadcasting schedules, there’s nearly always a live match on at 12.30/12.45pm on a Saturday, followed by one that kicks off at 5.30pm. Since 2019/20, the EPL has also sometimes shown live soccer matches at 7.45pm on a Saturday – a newly introduced KO time.
With so much live soccer already broadcast in the UK, it begs the question – would showing live soccer at 3pm on a Saturday really change anything?
If you support your local team and watch them at 3pm most Saturdays throughout the season, the chances are that you don’t get to see much of the lunchtime or tea-time kick-offs, as you’re traveling to and from the stadium.
Therefore, I don’t necessarily think showing another match at 3pm is going to change things for the vast majority of loyal soccer fans up and down the country.
However, the risk is that it could influence the thousands of neutral fans that attend various soccer matches throughout the UK each week.
Rather than heading out to watch Walsall in the English League Two, a neutral might opt to sit and watch Aston Villa on TV if their match is broadcast live from 3pm.
Of course, it’s impossible to predict how the removal of the 3pm blackout would alter the actions and intentions of fans in the UK, but it’s perhaps not worth the risk, given that many clubs are struggling to fill their stadiums as it is.
Our verdict on the 3pm blackout in soccer
The 3pm blackout in English soccer has been in place since the 1960s and many people feel that it’s time to do away with it.
But given that it could have a negative impact on the attendance levels at lower league soccer teams, others think it’s too much of a risk.
At SKH, we all think that there’s nothing better than watching your local team! Heading out to watch live soccer is better than streaming or watching soccer on TV – there’s no question about it.
So, if removing the 3pm blackout might lead to the shrinking of attendances at soccer grounds throughout the UK, we think it should be left as it is. At least for now.
Are you keen to watch some more live soccer? Check out some of our destination pieces where our writers head out to random grounds around the world to watch live soccer matches, from Kampala to Augsburg!