Sky Sports’ managing director Jonathan Licht has called for the Saturday 3pm blackout to be lifted to help stop illegal streams of Premier League football matches.
In Sky’s new broadcast deal, which kicks off tomorrow and runs for the next four years, the 3pm blackout remains in place.
But Licht told The Times that there is are “lot of conversations” around the blackout, adding that it has been a “point for piracy coming into this market from various places”.
Licht described piracy as a “very serious issue, there’s a real concern that despite the illegality and the links to organised crime that it is being normalised”.
He added: “That’s dangerous for everyone in the industry, dangerous for rights-holders—we have seen some of the problems in France and the value there. A lot of that has been put down to broadcasters or new entrants saying they can’t get the right side of that. That has been very value-destructive. I don’t think anyone wants to see that happen in this market.”
Licht said broadcasters are starting to see engagement from “big tech” about the problem, but “we think there should be more. They should understand their responsibilities. They want to be part of the future of rights, sports relationships. They really need to step up into that space.”
The 3pm blackout has been in place since the 1960s and originally aimed to encourage fans to attend lower league matches.
