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Premier League announce traditional 3pm TV blackout to be lifted

talksport.com, 23 April 2023, 08:20
The Premier League is set to break the 3pm TV blackout rule for Manchester City's rearranged clash against Leeds in May.

The match comes before the Citizen's Champions League semi-final first leg tie with Real Madrid, and has been moved from Sunday 7 May to Saturday 6 May to help preparations.

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Broadcasting the match would usually infringe on the Saturday 3pm 'blackout rule' also known as Article 48, which was created to protect lower league attendances.

The rule has stood since the 1960s to protect the majority of Football League matches that take place on Saturday afternoons.

But on May 6, there aren't any lower league matches scheduled, opening up a space for the game at the Etihad Stadium to remain on Sky Sports.

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The usual Saturday 12:30pm slot was available, but the league does not want to clash with the King's Coronation taking place at the same time.

A statement from the Premier League read: "With Manchester City visiting Real Madrid in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday 9 May, their home match with Leeds United has moved from Sunday 7 May to 15:00 BST on Saturday 6 May.

"The match will remain live on Sky Sports in the UK, subject to further consultation with relevant stakeholders regarding Article 48.

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"The usual Saturday 12:30 BST UK live broadcast slot has been avoided so as not to clash with the King's Coronation.

"A later kick-off is not possible due to police resourcing."

The Football Supporters' Association hit out at the move and said they would oppose any increase in matches on TV.

A spokesman said: "This game should never have been chosen for a Sunday 2pm slot in the first place — it was entirely predictable that Manchester City would progress in Europe, necessitating further domestic fixture changes thanks to TV.

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"These 'conditional picks' are an ongoing, fundamental problem which neither football nor broadcasters show any appetite to fix. TV comes first and fans are expected to dance to its tune.

"Football should put matchgoers first, ahead of the demands of TV executives. We support the blackout and oppose any increase in the number of matches for TV."

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