New Premier League TV deals see Saturday 3 pm match ban remain in place until 2029
The new Premier League TV rights deal was announced recently, and one of the key decisions made was to keep the Saturday 3 pm TV ban in place.
🚨BREAKING🚨: Sky Sports agree new Premier League rights deal
Sky Sports to show 70% more matches – a record 215 games – in a new four year-deal from 2025/26.
More Premier League action than any other broadcaster, with at least four matches every week. pic.twitter.com/Q9ye5w9Vzj
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) December 4, 2023
While the Premier League is not a concern of Vale fans at this moment in time, the 3 pm ban is of interest to the stakeholders of the club. It’s been fiercely debated in the hierarchy of English football, with plenty arguing for and against. But ultimately, the Premier League was against it, so it remains in place until at least 2029.
The Premier League brand is continuing to deliver
On the surface, it would appear that the Premier League are trying to protect their brand. And who can blame them? It’s not broken. So why fix it?
As things stand, Premier League clubs are amongst the biggest in Europe. Manchester City is the current Champions League holder and the betting favourite to win the trophy again in 2024. In the latest Champions League winner odds, City are just 2/1 to win this season’s Champions League. The team did contend with some poor results in the recent Premier League. But they are still in most pundits’ football tips to be in the final of European football’s elite club competition at Wembley next June.
Where does this leave Port Vale?
At the moment, the Premier League are still debating what their new deal to clubs down the football pyramid will be. The new TV deal could further complicate matters, as the clubs now know they have a different financial situation in the next few years.
But that aside, is the blackout good for Vale? From a purely financial perspective, would the club benefit from a larger payout from the Premier League if they could sell the rights to 3 pm kick-offs on Saturday? In the short term, that answer would probably be yes.
Vale Park under the lights 😍 pic.twitter.com/dRWcbqzBgx
— Port Vale FC (@OfficialPVFC) November 28, 2023
Vale fans are just that. They’re not going to stay at home and watch Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace instead of going to Vale Park. Gate receipts would probably remain the same, and Vale would benefit from a potentially larger payout from the Premier League.
But opponents of removing the 3 pm ban would argue that this is a short-term view. It could lose Port Vale their next generation of fans, as kids will grow up watching matches on the television at 3 pm on a Saturday, and won’t feel motivated to head to Vale Park on a cold January afternoon.
Change looks inevitable
The truth will not be known until the genie is released from the bottle. Eventually, the 3 pm blackout will probably be lifted as times change and viewing habits evolve. And as has been the case for years now, lower-league clubs will have to adapt.
What effect the lower league clubs could actually have on the ban is yet to be shown. Premier League CEO Richard Masters was quoted, saying he wants to keep the ban in place. So while the Premier League retains the view that the ban helps protect the brand, it’s not going to change.
But the way we consume sport is changing at an alarmingly fast rate. And who knows what the landscape will look like the next time the TV deal is negotiated. But for now, we stay as we are.