Since the 1960s, football fans in the UK have been familiar with the 3 pm blackout, originally enforced to boost stadium attendance and encourage fans to attend lower-league fixtures. However, with the growing inaccessibility to these 3 pm fixtures and the fact that the UK is the only country that follows this rule, it has become somewhat of a relic.
For years, fans have pushed for this rule to be removed, but MPs are reluctant. But now there is a possible way to remove it, but only for Women's Football. MPs have called for the removal of the 3 pm Saturday TV blackout for women's football, in hopes that it would increase viewership and encourage new fans, possibly fans of the men's game, to watch it, especially if it is on Sky Sports, a platform they likely already have.
A report released by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee (CMS Committee), which examines government policy, spending and administration across sport and physical activity in England, includes the most high-profile recommendation: to remove the restriction. The restriction currently prevents live broadcasting of football matches kicking off between approximately 2:45 pm and 5:15 pm on Saturday. This broadcast restriction is only on those within the UK, so those outside the country, where the game is actually played, can watch with ease. While its original purpose seems somewhat redundant now, as more people are simply choosing to watch illegal streams of the game, the rule was implemented to get people to lower-league games.
This rule was originally designed to protect match attendance in the men’s game, not the women's. The CMS Committee argues that evidence submitted in the inquiry shows that broadcast visibility directly increases girls’ inspiration and motivation to take part in sports.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Dame Caroline Dinenage, Chair of the CMS Committee, said: “We think the 3 pm TV blackout should go. The proposal is that the blackout… should be used to show women’s games on free-to-air TV.”
With this in mind, the only games that could be shown are those on the BBC (or Channel 4 with the FA Cup) if it has to be free-to-air.
This recommendation was not a new concept. Back in July 2023, former Lioness Karen Carney published her report, “Raising the bar,” reframing the opportunity in women's football, and the presenter echoed the benefits of women's football being broadcast during this blackout time. The FA has also acknowledged the potential benefits of giving women’s football a regular, protected broadcast spot.
A similar idea, echoed for years about this rule in the men's game, is evident in this report: the women's game is being unintentionally restricted by rules designed for a different era. Similar to the men's era, when fans could actually get tickets before ticket-touting companies and upselling. Despite the women's game having somewhat separate fanbases (I am personally a fan of both) and a different commercial dynamic from the men's game. It is not a one-size-fits-all scenario, and ultimately, I personally feel the rule should be removed completely; clubs should be fined for every ticket available for their games on ticket-touting websites, and a person with a club should receive financial benefits for ticket touting. I am looking at you, Todd Bohey.
The committee believes lifting the blackout could: increase visibility of women’s football, inspire more girls to play, improve access for families unable to attend matches, and strengthen the women’s football ecosystem without harming attendance.
By targeting the resurrection of outdated broadcasts, MPs are making the case that structural changes are the key to unlocking participation in the sport.
I personally feel the overhaul of the 3 pm kick is long overdue; it is the last country in Europe to apply the rule under which the transmission of live football in a territory can be prohibited for “two and a half hours on a Saturday or a Sunday”. It applies in an English league context when 50% of Premier League and Championship matches are scheduled for Saturday at 3 pm.
But the UK government is generally reluctant to scrap the old-age rule for the men's game, as it seeks to protect the football pyramid. So it seems very unlikely they will scrap the rule until the current Premier League TV deal is over in 2029. With many senior figures within the top tiers indicating that the backout is “up for debate” and may not serve the next rights cycle. Critics, including some MPs and broadcasters, argue that the blackout is now "draconian" and "outdated," as it drives fans toward illegal streaming services to watch their teams.
If they can remove it from women's football, hopefully, it would encourage more men's fans to watch the women's game and help grow a more diverse audience.
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