Why are EFL matches at 3pm on Saturday being shown on TV?

What the report says

BBC Sport explains why a batch of EFL fixtures kicking off at 3pm BST on Saturday are being shown live in the UK despite the usual ‘3pm blackout’. The matches span the Championship, League One and League Two, and BBC says 25 games in total will be televised by Sky Sports.

The key point is that the blackout is linked to UEFA Article 48, which allows national associations to set blocked hours for domestic broadcasts. In England, the Football Association applies that rule at the request of the Premier League and the English Football League. However, BBC says it only takes effect when at least 50% of matches in a country’s top two divisions are played at the same time. With the Premier League not playing this weekend and only six Championship games starting at 3pm, that threshold is not met.

BBC says the blackout will return when the Premier League resumes on the weekend of 22-23 August. It also notes that England’s use of Article 48 will be reviewed when the next TV rights cycle is set, with the current arrangement running through the end of the 2028-29 season. The explanation matters because the blackout has long shaped when English football can be shown domestically and how fans access lower-league matches.