According to the latest reports, Premier League owners have begun informally looking into the possibility of removing the 3pm Saturday match ban rule.

Currently, under UEFA regulations, television broadcasters in England and Scotland are not allowed to broadcast matches between 2:45 p.m. and 5:15 p.m., which also affects matches on the continent.

The current ban on broadcasting will remain in force until 2029 due to the upcoming tender for domestic TV rights for 2025-29.

However, Premier League owners and investors, particularly from the United States, are reportedly eager to make changes to maximize the potential of televised revenues.

American owners of Chelsea and Manchester United have shown a keen interest in changing the current rules, which they believe would increase the value of their clubs.

Currently, Premier League rights holders outside the U.K. are authorized to broadcast all 380 matches this season, and the next round of tenders will offer viewers living in the U.K. the right to broadcast 250 and 270 matches live, which would mean an increase in the number of matches from the current 200, but would still fall far short of the number of matches that international viewers would be able to watch.

The Premier League is concerned about the impact the removal of the ban would have on stadium attendances and some revenues, but many key supporters argue that ticket availability is so limited that fans have no choice but to watch live matches.

The idea of an 'embargo' was first mooted in the 1960s by Bournemouth FC chairman Bob Lauder in an attempt to attract more spectators to live matches. However, many have pointed to the Bundesliga as a good example of a stadium that is still packed on matchdays, despite the fact that every game can be watched at home.

So what does the 3pm Saturday ban mean?

By scheduling the majority of English matches at 3pm on Saturdays, soccer clubs can continue to attract large crowds to their stadiums without reducing their income.

Under Article 48 of the UEFA statutes, each soccer association has the right to decide to ban the transmission of soccer matches in their region for 2.5 hours on Saturdays and Sundays. Since the ban has been in place, England and Scotland have been applying it to the 2:45pm to 5:15pm time slot on Saturdays.

As a result, no broadcaster is currently allowed to show La Liga matches, which usually start at 3:15 p.m., while viewers of Serie A matches must tune in within 15 minutes of the start of the first half. The only time this was changed was in the early days of the New Crown Pneumonia epidemic, when fans were unable to watch matches, and matches were scheduled at different times to ensure that fans were still able to watch as much soccer as possible during difficult times.