Ending 3pm blackout will help combat piracy, says Sky Sports

Sky Sports chiefs believe that lifting the Saturday 3pm TV blackout could reduce piracy of Premier League matches.

The broadcaster has unveiled its plan for the huge increase in the number of live Premier League matches they will show this season, and Sky’s managing director, Jonathan Licht, suggested the “direction of travel” could see the end of the Saturday afternoon blackout.

There will be 215 live matches on Sky compared with 128 last season, with a further 52 on TNT Sport. It means all games not kicking off at 3pm on Saturdays will be broadcast live. The first game of the new season, Liverpool v Bournemouth, will be shown on Sky at 8pm on Friday.

Sky have added Mark Chapman to their line-up of Premier League presenters, along with Kelly Cates and David Jones. Chapman and Cates are also two of the trio of presenters of the BBC’s Match of the Day along with Gabby Logan.

A new Sunday evening show called Extra Time, presented by Jamie Carragher, is being launched and, faced with the prospect of showing up to four Sunday 2pm matches at the same time, Sky will have a programme called Multiview, which will move from ground to ground to cover all the goals and key moments.

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The Saturday 3pm blackout, once common across Europe but now unique to the UK, will remain in force for the next four-year TV deal, which starts this week. It was introduced as a measure to protect attendances at matches and participation in amateur football.

Sky Sports have added Chapman to their line-up of Premier League presenters RICHARD SELLERS/PA WIRE

Licht said there was pressure for change and that making all games available to broadcasters could reduce piracy. The use of illegal software and devices that can be plugged into TVs means Saturday afternoon games are still watched widely in Britain.

“There’s clearly a direction of travel, or lots of conversation about Saturday 3pm. I think that will perhaps increase — this is day one of a new four-year cycle,” he said. “We are very pleased with the increase in volume and the choice that [we] will bring to fans. We are not at 380 Premier League games, but it is a conversation that is coming, that’s for sure.”

Licht said he hoped more games would mean “less piracy”, adding: “It’s fair to say that Saturday 3pm has been a point for piracy coming into this market from various places. Piracy is a very serious issue, there’s a real concern that despite the illegality and the links to organised crime that it is being normalised.

“That’s dangerous for everyone in the industry, dangerous for rights-holders — we have seen some of the problems in France and the value there. A lot of that has been put down to broadcasters or new entrants saying they can’t get the right side of that. That has been very value-destructive. I don’t think anyone wants to see that happen in this market.”

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Licht said the streaming platforms were finally beginning to respond to concerns they are facilitating piracy. “We are seeing the start of engagement from big tech, we think there should be more. They should understand their responsibilities. They want to be part of the future of rights, sports relationships. They really need to step up into that space.”

Gary Neville, who will continue as a Sky pundit along with Micah Richards and Roy Keane, agreed the pressure was building to scrap the Saturday 3pm blackout.

“When you go to different parts of the world, obviously you can watch every game of football in the Premier League, and it’s getting to that point now, where fans want to watch every single game,” he said.

Keane has signed up with Sky for another season despite two incidents at Arsenal and Ipswich Town in recent years in which he was confronted by fans. Licht said: “It’s our responsibility to make sure that we don’t expose any of our team to those sorts of incidents. There were conversations that we had immediately, and he was back with us following the weekend. He loves being part of the big games and we hope that will long continue.”

Sky said that on weekends after midweek European fixtures, it would have “Supersized Super Sundays”, with up to four matches shown simultaneously at 2pm and then another at 4.30pm.

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The Multiview programme will take inspiration from the NFL’s RedZone, which follows the action from match to match. One presenter will navigate the viewer around games that are taking place at the same time. Sky is also looking at using a similar programme for its coverage of the Women’s Super League. Licht said Sky will also give detailed consideration about whether to bid against TNT Sports for Uefa’s 2027-2030 Champions League rights, which are due to go out for tender later this autumn.

“We will do all the work and we’ll see whether it makes sense,” he added. “Clearly, it’s a very good competition.”

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