Sources: Premier League bends the rules for Leeds United – behind-the-scenes plot revealed-
The Premier League’s decision to broadcast Man City’s game against Leeds United is not indicative of a long-term plan to scrap the Saturday 3.00pm blackout, sources have told Football Insider.
Next Saturday’s (6 May) clash at the Etihad has been moved to the 3.00pm slot so as not to clash with King Charles III’s coronation.
It will be the first time in years that the blackout, which has been in place since the 1960s, will have been broken.
The EFL meanwhile is considering applying to permanently end the blackout in a bid to extract maximum value from its next TV rights sale.
Sources have previously told this site that it is “just a matter of time” before the broadcast embargo is ended by the EFL, whether that be in time for the next rights cycle – which begins in 2024-25 – or the one following that.
But it is also understood that the Premier League’s public commitment to protecting the blackout, which is in place to protect attendance across the pyramid, is genuine.
That remains the case despite the fact that it is being temporarily lifted for Leeds’ visit to City next month.
Opinion is split among supporters, some of whom believe the blackout is anachronistic and others who predict that its abolition will lead to a fall in the number of match-going fans.
City face rivals for the league title Arsenal as well as Fulham before they host Leeds at the Etihad next Saturday.
Meanwhile, the West Yorkshire side, who are 16th in the Premier League with six matches remaining, take on Leicester City and Bournemouth.
In other news, Big update on Wilfried Gnonto’s Leeds United future