Crystal Palace owner Parish backs Premier League 3pm TV blackout
Co-owner of Crystal Palace Steve Parish has come out to bat in favour of the 3pm Premier League blackout as the England top flight gets set to increase the number of games on TV.
The Premier League will see all non-3pm kick offs broadcast live with the number of matches available to purchase rising from 200 to 270.
But there has been criticism over the lack of television coverage for Saturday afternoon games with foreign broadcasters able to show the 3pm kick-offs.
“I think it is exciting, particularly for fans,” Premier League club owner Parish told the Leaders in Sport conference in London on Thursday.
Good for the Premier League
“I think mostly the decision on keeping the 3pm kick-offs off the television. It is good for participation, very good for attendances in the lower leagues and culturally very important.
“But allowing for all of the other games to be on [is good], it is very frustrating for supporters when a game gets displaced, it is a big game and there has already been a lesser game picked for television, and that big game isn’t on.
“I think increasing the number of games is by a positive amount and the packages have been constructed in a way that should create good and healthy competition which is what Ofcom and the consumers want so it is an exciting moment.
“It is a difficult period where you have the streamers battling but personally I think it is going to land. Creating the streaming platform for one sport is very difficult, so they’ll end up in some kind of bundle to make it pay.
“There is room for a bundle, something you think of as your base TV project. I am very enthusiastic.”
The 270 Premier League matches are to be sold in five different packages, each consisting of between 42 and 65 games per season.
No single broadcaster is allowed to hold more than four packages, and it is expected that Sky and TNT Sports will continue to share most of the fixtures.