DAZN’s bid to end EFL Saturday blackout

DAZN have launched a bid to broadcast all 1,656 EFL games a season from 2024-25, in a move that would end the Saturday 3pm blackout.

The EFL want around £200million a year for their next rights deal, which has led them to explore radical alternatives, including ending the blackout which has stood since the 1960s. The current £119m-a-year deal with Sky Sports is for just 138 live games each season. It features two Championship matches each weekend, so fans of clubs in League One and League Two rarely see their sides play. Last season, 26 EFL clubs were not on TV at all. The EFL believe there is greater demand for watching their clubs on a regular basis. DAZN, the London-based streaming service, have indicated a willingness to share games with other broadcasters. Sky Sports, BT Sport and Swedish company Viaplay are also understood to have lodged bids with the EFL, who are seeking a terrestrial partner, with ITV the front-runners. Given the number of matches available, the rights offering has been split into more than 20 packages.

The EFL would have to lobby the FA to drop the blackout, and the FA would need an exemption from UEFA. The blackout only applies when half of Premier League and Championship matches kick off at 3pm on a Saturday, however, so shifting half the programme would also enable all games to be televised.

The blackout will be lifted for the FA Cup semi-final between Manchester City and Sheffield United on Saturday, April 22 because of police advice. The match will kick off at Wembley at 4.45pm, in breach of the 2.45-5.15pm blackout, as the police felt the FA’s suggested time of 5.30pm was too late.