"Under the terms of the blackout, matches played between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on Saturday cannot be broadcast live in the UK. This applies to all matches from the Premier League to the depths of non-league, and to matches played abroad. If you want to watch live football on TV at 3pm on Saturdays, the UK is not the place to do it."
"The idea behind the blackout, which dates back to the 1960s, is to protect attendances at matches, not least in the lower leagues. Saturdays during men's international breaks tend to be exempted and there are other requests that are made and cleared by the European governing body, but the two Saturdays in the festive period were not proposed by the Premier League, according to The Athletic."
UEFA ratified a rare exemption allowing Premier League fixtures to be eligible for broadcast on Saturday 27 December and Saturday 3 January despite the usual 3pm blackout. The Saturday blackout bars live UK broadcasts between 14:45 and 17:15 to protect match attendances across all levels, including matches played abroad. The Premier League will not take up the option to televise 3pm Saturday games during the festive period. Requests for the exemption did not originate from Premier League officials, and other football bodies sought the dates to retain broadcasting flexibility. Festive fixtures remain to be scheduled.
Read at www.fourfourtwo.com
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