The FA are weighing up whether to rid of the Saturday 3pm blackout when it comes to FA Cup matches.
The move, which wouldn't be implemented until 2025, would be done in an attempt to hike the value of the competition's TV rights with streaming services expected to rival traditional broadcasters for the games, which could lead to a bidding war that would prove advantageous to the governing body.
Kick-off times and the subsequent coverage is a hot topic currently with illegal streaming on the rise as fans look to follow their teams, regardless of their kick-off time. The Premier League are still in favour of keeping their matches off the TV whilst the EFL are undecided.
The FA, according to the Daily Mail, are open to axing the blackout as they believe they could generate greater revenue, which would be filtered down to the grassroots. The current four-year deal means that eight matches across each round can be aired on BBC and ITV.
Only four of those games can be shown at weekends due to the blackout restrictions, which prevent any television coverage between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on Saturdays. A change to the television schedule will cause far less hassle than it would with the Premier League given that FA Cup matches only occupy five weekends across the season's calendar.
The FA will head to the negotiation table as they look to discuss the matter with broadcasters this summer for the next rights cycle beginning in 2025-26. Clubs lower down the football pyramid are likely to welcome the move as it would lead to increases in prize and appearance money, which they feel is currently too heavily weighted in favour of the big sides who make the latter stages of the tournament.
The Premier League do not share the same view as the FA and maintain that continuing with the blackout adds greater value to their matches whilst also maintaining stadium attendances. Current rights holders Sky and BT are also in favour of 3pm games remaining off the TV.
England's top flight has 380 matches per season, whilst the EFL has 1,656 games at their disposal, which is why they are exploring other avenues when it comes to live coverage. They've received bids from the likes of DAZN and Viaplay but haven't made any decision yet.
EFL chief Rick Parry has said previously: "We are almost unique in Europe now in having a blackout period. I'm not presuming that it goes, but equally, if we're looking at streaming, at new new technologies and broadcasters, we will probably have to be open-minded in terms of scheduling."
