Scottish Premiership TV rights 2029 plan targets Saturday 3pm blackout
The Scottish Premiership has taken the first step towards a possible major change in UK football broadcasting. Its next rights cycle could include live coverage of every match from 2029.
The Scottish Premiership TV rights 2029 process has opened the door to a major shift in how domestic football is shown in the UK. The Scottish Premiership has invited bids to televise all of its matches in the next rights cycle from 2029, including games played at 3pm on Saturdays.
The move is the first step in what is expected to become a coordinated attempt by the UK’s domestic leagues to remove the Saturday afternoon broadcast blackout. That restriction currently prevents live broadcast of matches kicking off at 3pm on Saturdays under Article 48 of Uefa’s statutes.
SPFL tender offers option for all matches
A tender document issued last week by the Scottish Professional Football League is understood to have given broadcasters the option to bid for live rights to every Scottish Premiership match.
That option includes fixtures kicking off at 3pm on Saturdays, the time slot at the centre of the long-running broadcast restriction in the UK. If taken up in the next rights cycle from 2029, it would represent a significant change in the way Scottish top-flight football is packaged for television.
The Scottish Premiership has therefore made the first formal move in a process that could reshape domestic football rights across the UK. The tender does not only concern more live matches; it also places the Saturday afternoon blackout directly into the next round of broadcast negotiations.
Why the Saturday 3pm blackout matters
The broadcast of football matches kicking off at 3pm on Saturdays is currently prohibited under Article 48 of Uefa’s statutes. The rule has long defined what can and cannot be shown live during the traditional Saturday afternoon slot in the UK.
Because the Scottish Premiership’s new rights process includes an option for Saturday 3pm games, it is tied directly to the wider debate over whether the blackout should remain in place. The article states that the UK’s domestic leagues are expected to co-ordinate the move to end the blackout.
That means the SPFL’s tender is not being viewed as an isolated Scottish football matter. It sits within a broader UK-wide effort that could affect how domestic league football is sold and scheduled for television in future rights cycles.
What broadcasters can bid for
The tender document is understood to allow broadcasters to bid for live rights to all Scottish Premiership matches from 2029. The key change is the inclusion of an option that covers every match, rather than excluding games in the protected Saturday afternoon window.
- Competition: Scottish Premiership
- Rights cycle: From 2029
- Key slot: Saturday 3pm kick-offs
- Current restriction: Article 48 of Uefa’s statutes
The invitation for bids does not in itself remove the blackout. However, by including Saturday 3pm fixtures as part of the possible live rights package, the Scottish Premiership has positioned its next broadcast deal at the centre of the debate.
What happens next
The immediate next step is the bidding process for the Scottish Premiership’s next rights cycle from 2029. Broadcasters now have the option to consider packages that would include live coverage of all matches, including Saturday 3pm games.
Any wider change to the blackout would depend on the expected coordination among the UK’s domestic leagues and the restrictions currently set out under Uefa’s Article 48. For now, the Scottish Premiership has made the first move towards a possible new era for live domestic football on television.