The English Football League has scheduled 25 matches across the Championship, League One and League Two to kick off at 15:00 BST on Saturday, all being broadcast live on Sky Sports. This is unusual because the traditional '3pm blackout' normally blocks live TV coverage for matches played between 14:45 and 17:15.

The blackout rule originates from UEFA’s Article 48, which allows a nation’s association to designate 'blocked hours' for domestic broadcasts. The Football Association enforces this at the request of the Premier League and EFL, but only when at least 50% of matches in the top two divisions are played simultaneously—requiring a minimum of 11 matches in England.

This weekend, only six Championship matches start at 15:00, so Article 48 is not triggered, permitting the 25 matches to be shown. Nine League One and ten League Two fixtures also share the slot, all streaming on Sky Sports. When the Premier League returns on the weekend of 22-23 August, the 3pm blackout will resume.

England’s use of Article 48 will be reassessed during the next television rights cycle, currently set to run through the end of the 2028-29 season. The temporary exemption highlights how scheduling and broadcasting rules can shift based on match timing and league participation.