November 2: The SPFL has invited national broadcasters to bid for the rights to show all Scottish Premiership matches live from 2029 to 2030, including Saturday 3pm kick-offs, taking the first formal step in the UK to end the traditional blackout.
Closed bars watch football on TV between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on Saturdays. It is allowed under Article 48 of UEFA’s statutes, which allows national associations to protect a window when at least half of the matches in the top two divisions are played at the same time.
Several European leagues have dropped similar restrictions with the staggered launch, but the UK has kept it.
Only 36% of Premiership games are currently televised, with Sky Sports showing up to 60 per season and Premier Sports up to 22. The new tender would make all 228 available.
The rights deals for the Premier League, EFL and SPFL expire at the end of 2028-29, and Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said in August that the direction of travel was towards ending the blackout. Scotland moving first could set the pattern for the rest of the UK.
There is no guarantee it will happen. The final decision rests with the 12 Premier League clubs, with eight having to vote in favor of any deal. Clubs could still reject a deal that includes Saturday 3pm games.
The blackout was designed to protect attendances, particularly further down the pyramid, where clubs fear live top-flight games will draw fans away from their own grounds. Opponents argue that it holds back broadcast revenue and has failed to keep pace with how people watch it now, with illegal streaming widely used to fill the gap.
For a league that has long felt undervalued compared to similar-sized competitions in Europe, putting every game on the market is an attempt to raise the price.
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