American EPL investors want to scrap 3pm blackout & televise ALL 380 games

There is a growing clamour among Premier League clubs, including the owners of Chelsea and Manchester United, to scrap the Saturday 3pm ‘blackout’ that prevents games in that slot being screened live domestically, according to sources with knowledge of the clubs’ thinking.

The blackout will remain in place until 2029 under the terms of the 2025-29 domestic rights sales that will imminently go out to tender. But from 2029, an increasing number of top-flight clubs, already believed to be a majority, want all 380 Premier League games to be shown live in the UK.

As things stand, that number is 200 this season, and will rise to between 250 and 270 per season in the 2025-29 cycle.

In The Money has learnt that informal discussions are taking place among club officials in favour of making the change, with the drive being led by US-based investors.

Sources close to Chelsea have revealed owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital are among those in favour of ending the blackout. They believe there are opportunities to increase broadcast revenue, and in turn the value of their clubs as assets.

The top-flight’s domestic TV deal is worth £5billion over three years after the previous contract agreed in 2018 was extended without an auction during the pandemic.

The Premier League hope for a significant increase on the annual income in the next four-year cycle. Sources close to Manchester United’s owners, the Glazer family, also believe that club’s value could increase significantly as a result of the ban being lifted.

Premier League owners are discussing a big push to make the change among themselves. The plan is to consider any fears from stakeholders in the game, while ramping up the pressure over the next couple of years in a bid to