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Episode 258: The 3PM blackout
119 Plays16 days ago
Southampton – An old law that makes thousands of peoples weekends far less convenient. Is it time to do away with it?
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Transcript
Introduction and Host Welcome
00:00:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello and welcome back to the Daily Southampton, part of the Global Sports Podcast Network. My name is Greg Elliott and as always today, joined by my good friend and wonderful co-host, Zach Ingo Finch.
00:00:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
How you doing, mate?
00:00:28
Zak
How you doing, mate?
00:00:30
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah, I'm doing good. Look, we are a we're in a nice and rare lull.
Origins of the 3pm Blackout Rule
00:00:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
A little break from all of the football. No mid-week game for Saints this week.
00:00:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
And so we've got some time to talk about something in football that's <unk>s not entirely Saints related. But, I mean, it is a huge talking point. And that is the 3pm blackout rule and the consequences of such.
00:00:58
Global Sports Podcast Network
So it's going to be a nice fun episode, Zach. I'm looking forward to it. ah Right. let's Let's start at the start. Right. Why is there a 3pm blackout rule?
00:01:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
And when did it start? So it originated in the 1960s when Burnley chairman Bob Lord encouraged the EFL to oppose television coverage of 3pm Saturday matches. He wanted to protect attendances at lower league games and encourage fans to go to matches in person rather than stay at home and watch higher profile games on TV.
00:01:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
The policy has since been adopted by the Premier League, the Scottish Premier League, EFL and the Scottish PFL. Uh, only the FA Cup final, which traditionally kicked off at three o'clock is technically allowed to be shown in broadcast.
00:01:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Uh, obviously now they changed that to kick off later for international ones is anyway. Uh, and yeah, it still applies. So, uh,
00:01:53
Zak
It was a bit of a break during COVID, if I remember rightly right.
Critique of the Blackout Rule and Fan Limitations
00:01:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah, there was a a short break, uh, when they were played behind close goals because they couldn't get fans out there, but, um, but,
00:02:03
Zak
um um Interesting. So fans that can't attend get to watch it because but only if there's a...
00:02:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
Since...
00:02:10
Zak
button I have lots of opinions, but my first opinion, Greg, is of course. Of course it was Burnley. Yeah.
00:02:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
you
00:02:19
Zak
yeah Ruining it for the every everyone. There's a lot around it. And as somebody that can't get the games all the time for multiple reasons, like financials, one of them, I really um really dislike the idea...
00:02:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
you
00:02:38
Zak
that there should be an expectation on fans all the time to be able to spend pretty much all of their money to go to games, to eat food, to, you know, catch travel there.
00:02:52
Zak
It's not just the game. It's basically hours of the day set aside the whole of the day to go to the game. And then if you do not go to the game or you do not consume football in the way that is deemed to be quote unquote true, you are not quote unquote a true fan.
00:03:12
Zak
There are tons of opinions I have on the fact that, you know, the financials is just just the biggest one, right? But there are things like people that struggle to get out. You've got people with disabilities, you have people with mental health issues and all that kind of stuff that it's not easy to go in person to games all the time.
Ticket Availability and Fan Impact
00:03:33
Zak
Right.
00:03:34
Zak
And also you've got the away fixtures where if you can't get to the away fixture, you then can't watch it. you don't have to kind of catch up. And I know
00:03:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
and that's that's not just like a physical limitation right like there are less away tickets than home tickets like 30 000 people go to st mary's every week and you know we get 1500 2000 sometimes up to 3000 away tickets that's that's a disproportionate amount of people that are not going to be able to do that and
00:03:45
Zak
that's what I mean.
00:04:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
you know the the idea that those people all of a sudden decide to go to a lower league game instead is is absolute nonsense.
00:04:15
Zak
people
00:04:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
I don't even think... Genuinely, if you had to put a percentage on it, it's got to be less than 2% people that do that. of people that do that
00:04:22
Zak
it For me, it's like, it's one of those things as well that obviously the online safety acts came in but in the out in the UK recently. not getting into that minefield, but my point is day one, people found a workaround, right?
00:04:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hmm.
00:04:39
Zak
Day one.
00:04:39
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:04:40
Zak
It didn't take long. They haven't closed that loophole. That is where you're at with it not being broadcast at 3pm in the UK, right? People will find loopholes. I'm not saying you should go out and find those loopholes, but those loopholes exist.
00:04:57
Zak
And that means that people will use them. And that's why I think it's done from a financial perspective to think that people, you know, if if they had the ability to actually watch all of them, I'm sure people would probably pay slightly more money.
00:05:10
Zak
So there's just a lot of, It just seems very outdated. And like when you've got Prince William coming out and being mad about it, you know, it's just a bit, I just don't really understand a need in modern society for that to happen.
00:05:24
Global Sports Podcast Network
think
00:05:26
Zak
You know?
Cultural and Legal Implications of the Blackout
00:05:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
You'd think of all people Prince William could afford a dodgy fire stick, you know?
00:05:33
Zak
he's probably got a virtual private network at his home. They'll show whatever he asks.
00:05:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:05:38
Zak
It's not going to be him that gets in trouble at the end of the day, is it? And this is the other thing is that they they go after the criminals as opposed to, you know, the fact that that that this will be one of the main reasons that people will have these, you know, these use these sort of workarounds, right? it's not It's not just about the fact that there's an a astronomical cost with Sky and going to the games, but say a lot of people make the decision to...
00:06:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
Oh yeah, Sky. Let's not forget, it's not just Sky, right? If you're in the World of War Premier League, it's Sky, TNT, Amazon Prime.
00:06:06
Zak
nice Sky, TNT...
00:06:11
Global Sports Podcast Network
You know, we're lucky in the championship now that most of the games are broadcast on Sky, but there's also still other services they're or you're forced to pay £5 Saints player for an audio feed, or you know, there's ITV as well.
00:06:11
Zak
yeah
00:06:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
At least that's free, I suppose, but
00:06:29
Zak
It just, we we ultimately, one of the reasons we we know is that it's it's all about ands all of that money, right And that's a big part of the problem.
00:06:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
hmm
00:06:39
Zak
And I've already been stung a couple of times with having to sort my life out around the fact they moved all the fixtures to 12pm. and you know that's that's That's even like with you having a season ticket.
00:06:50
Zak
know I don't have a season ticket. I go as and when I can go and when I can afford to. And I think that part of it is just not talked about enough. And it's the again, it's the it's the the way they've managed to almost create a culture where fans will turn on each other for not making the commitment financially and effort to go out when realistically they're the ones that are sat there bringing in all the money.
00:07:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
Mm-hmm.
00:07:15
Zak
But if the original point of it was to make people, instead of watching it on TV, go to watch their local team, I don't think that's happened. I don't think that that is a thing that takes place. I feel like if you suddenly go, oh, the the season ticket deal for Eastleigh is really good, like you were talking about earlier.
00:07:35
Zak
Or, you know, in my case, Tottenham started really rising through the ranks recently, right? Like, you know, part thanks to former Saints Charlie Austin.
00:07:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
hmm
00:07:43
Zak
There you go. as There's a... There's a little Saints reference for you there. But, like, they're they're now getting into the National League. Like, they're National League South. That's crazy. And, like, I'd love to go see them play a little bit more. But it's it's not going to be one of those things where, like, their games are all over the place anyway, as are most games nowadays. It's not necessarily all at 3pm.
00:08:03
Zak
But it's just the idea that that's why I can't watch it, because I should be going to watch Eastleigh instead. it's just, I think it's it's just a bit insulting, isn't it? it's it's and It's a really, it's like a really good archaic law. like Like, you know, when those like town centers have laws where it's like, and if you had a chicken crow at 6pm in the morning, that means you're legally allowed to shoot the the priest. And it's like, people like, what? And it turns out no one's looked at like a had two hundred, 200 years. And technically that is still a law.
00:08:35
Zak
But with this, it's something that everybody actively talks about. Everybody actively knows. And I just think that it's a bit, I think that like, how much do we want to be fleeced and how, and the fact that you're making it almost just, I know that there's a lot of points and a lot of them aren't, are ah ah completely untangential, but what I don't understand Greg is why can sit in my house and not be able to watch my team on television at 3 PM.
Local vs International Access Disparities
00:09:04
Zak
Right. and I live a couple of miles away from St Mary's, I know there'll be arguments as that I should just go to the game myself et cetera, cetera. But somebody in like France can, or America can, anywhere else can. And also when they do it, it costs them 40 quid for the year to get every single Premier League game.
00:09:22
Zak
Whereas it' because it's in the UK, I'm supposed to then pay what, like 250 quid. But I know we'll probably do a break around this time. So I'll take a breath and let you have some opinions, Greg.
00:09:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yes. I've got plenty of opinions, but you're right. Let's take a break and have a message from our partners at Bionique.
Comparison with NFL Game Accessibility
00:10:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay, and we're back. Yeah, you're right, on unlike several topics, right? And I like to try and think of it on the different scale, not just localised to Saints, right? But my wife's a Liverpool fan, right? And you know we live miles away.
00:10:33
Global Sports Podcast Network
However, we you know we've gone up to Anfield to watch ah Liverpool game. However, getting the tickets for that was an absolute nightmare, right?
00:10:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like, there are teams that struggle with this problem, you know, especially these big touristy teams. Why should their fans, who are, you know, have been fans for a long time but are getting priced out of games, all of a sudden not be able to watch their team's games in the same way? Like, it's...
00:11:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's absolutely madness to me that it's a rule.
00:11:07
Zak
Because...
00:11:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
i want to I want to take maybe an unpopular opinion here and take an example of something that NFL does really well, right?
00:11:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
is this exact problem, right? If you can watch the game on these different feeds, and they still have games that are exclusive to certain networks, but also they have their own thing.
00:11:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
And it's not just live games, right? Like, if if a game's on at 3 o'clock and you aren't able to watch it There is no way that I can go back and find a Saints game from three days ago i and watch the full 90 minutes of it if I wanted to.
00:11:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
Which is, you know, there are definitely situations, especially recording this podcast, where that would be really helpful.
00:11:51
Zak
Really hopeful.
00:11:52
Global Sports Podcast Network
Right?
00:11:53
Zak
oil
00:11:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
think but And it it's crazy. Why isn't that just a service that you can pay? Even if you were charging top dollar for that service, right? If you were charging £150 a month for the ability to scroll through, and even if it's not live at 3pm, just like watch back the full 90 minutes of games, from even if it's just the last week, right? People would pay that.
00:12:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
Why isn't that something that's on offer? It feels like they're missing so many, you know, there's there's the side of it where, as a consumer, you're feeling fleeced by not being able to do it.
00:12:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
And also the side of it of, they could make so much more money with these very simple, offering these simple services, right? And if you you price it right, no one's going to complain about it.
00:12:41
Zak
I think the problem is if they've got if they got piracy problems now and that service was offered, people would just run those previous games on a loop and also get people to pirate it, right?
00:12:52
Zak
And people would also just pirate it. That's one of the issues you've got there. But second of all is the fact, Greg, that the the intercomplexities of these business-to-business relations, right, and the the ultimate...
00:13:07
Zak
it's just all about money. It's, it's all where it is. It's the fact that if it was the premier league release their own thing and what would be the need for sky? What would be the need for TNT? They'd s sink overnight.
00:13:19
Zak
And they would, why would you have sky sports?
00:13:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
But like that that's what I'm saying. But that's what I'm saying. That's what NFL does really well because they still have these massive TV deals with CBS and yeah ESPN that have their exclusive coverage of certain NFL games.
00:13:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
But they also have their app where they have, you know, Red Zone where you can watch all of the games or, know, you know some of the games live
Proposal for a Unified Streaming Service
00:13:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
that aren't on these specialised networks, and also but you can watch back the full games after a certain exclusivity period.
00:13:50
Zak
Thank
00:13:53
Global Sports Podcast Network
like you know oh You can only watch it on ESPN for three days, but then like the the really extended highlights and the full game are available from the Monday morning for you to watch, for you to watch your team. It just seems crazy to me that of all of the bad...
00:14:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
ideas that we bring in from American sports that this isn't, you know, this feels like the user friendliest one and we haven't like approached this and gone, it's a really good idea.
00:14:21
Zak
Yeah, you're you're right. Like, hey, let's a half-time interview somebody who who clearly doesn't want to be interviewed, but let's ignore all of these these useful things about it and Yeah, no, you're right.
00:14:32
Zak
and i just ah ah It's because it's not being driven by logic. If it was being by driven by logic, this 3pm blackout rule wouldn't exist because everybody everybody knows that it doesn't stop people from attending lower league matches.
00:14:47
Zak
And everybody knows that people will figure out a way to watch the match one reason another. And they can lock up and shut down as many people ah as as they think they're running these fire sticks sort of for scams or whatever.
00:14:59
Zak
That isn't going to stop somebody from operating a private network out of their their bedroom in, insert country that isn't in the UK here, right?
00:15:09
Zak
And people are going to use that to get around it and they're going to be annoyed because the stream quality is going to be bad. But again, people will do that. But if there was a legal way for people to watch all matches at 3pm, they would probably pay it. And and you're right, you'd probably feel a bit fleeced and it would be frustrating and piracy, regardless, would still be an issue.
00:15:30
Zak
But again, it's just a bit obscene.
00:15:32
Global Sports Podcast Network
It would be less of an issue, right, though, because... I always think of it that piracy is ah ah side effect of inconvenience, right?
00:15:41
Zak
Yeah, pretty much.
00:15:42
Global Sports Podcast Network
Like, if few you provide someone to the option to pay for a better experience at a much more convenient way... They're going to, nine times out of ten, choose the path of least resistance. And if that's paying a nominal fee to do it, that's probably the path they choose.
00:16:00
Global Sports Podcast Network
And the people that don't choose that path are going to... You're not going to get their money anyway. They're going to be piring it one way or the other, right?
00:16:06
Zak
and Exactly.
Consumer Behavior and Piracy Analogy
00:16:06
Zak
things Exactly.
00:16:07
Global Sports Podcast Network
So...
00:16:07
Zak
Like the same thing happens in video games all the time. So obviously I'm a big nerd. Uh, anyone that's listened to this podcast for a significant amount of time or even with a short period of time has probably already established that a part of that is, you know, part of that is game piracy has always been a big thing. Right.
00:16:22
Zak
a lot of the times there are people that just get a matter what, but then you get a large percentage of people that pirate because of silly reasons like they've they've installed things like DRM, digital rights management, stuff like that. So they're like, I'm not giving money to this company. They might have a moral a thing against the company for whatever reason.
00:16:40
Zak
then There's some people you're never going to change from pirating. But again, a lot of it is also, i don't have 40 quid this month to buy this game, but I want to play it. And I think this is where it is in footwear. There's a lot of people that can't afford to watch it that want to watch it.
00:16:51
Zak
It's another big part of it. But you you make that legal path, it will certainly reduce it. It'll increase the revenue of these companies.
00:16:57
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah
00:16:59
Zak
And it stops everyone from feeling a bit gross about it all the time anyway. it's just I just don't understand how we can live in a modern society and not have a a modern way to consume sport that doesn't feel ridiculous. like it's It's the crapification of products in general, right? This is not just... it's is not just it's not just exclusive to sport.
00:17:22
Zak
It's exclusive to, you know, it's, it it's, it's, and you see it with the fact that Netflix wants, was the big streaming giant with everything on it. And now you have to have 30 different streaming services. The fact you have to have 30 different streaming services. But again, as you, I just pointed out, if you just had one, that's like Premier League, pay a hundred pound a year.
00:17:37
Zak
Or what if, or as you said, like 60 quid a month, people would pay it because you could watch every single thing.
00:17:41
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:17:43
Zak
You could also watch it back. You could record it and it may be it's that it's on a delay, it comes two or three days after, so these rights can still exist.
00:17:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
I would...
00:17:50
Zak
There's so many ideas, and the fact that like we're two blokes that don't hugely know what we're talking about, about a lot of things, mate, to be honest, but the fact that we come with these ideas and go why are you not doing this?
00:17:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
I am...
00:18:00
Zak
And I feel like the answer to all of them is, wow, Sky pay us too much money not to. just I feel like, give me an argument for keeping the blackout.
00:18:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah.
00:18:09
Zak
That's where I'm at, because I don't see it.
00:18:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Yeah. Yeah.
Conclusion and Sponsor Message
00:18:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
All right. Well, look, maybe we'll have a little think and see if we can come up with those arguments. But first, a message from our partners at Zencaster. Here at the Global Sports Podcast Network, we spent a lot of time selecting our delivery platform and Zencaster came out the clear winner.
00:18:28
Global Sports Podcast Network
With 4K video recording from your phone and AI editing that automatically removes all those ums and ahs, it's super easy to start podcast that sounds great and is delivered efficiently. If you're ready to tell your story, check out the link in the show description and learn more about Zencaster.
00:18:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
Alright mate, with that brief interlude, got any points for I can't, genuinely, I can't think of any. like Like, especially in such an information-driven age, if Saints are playing away from home, I'm probably at least following the scores on my phone through an app, minimum, right? Like, or and some sort of text-based reporting, absolute minimum, regardless of the scenario.