Scottish Premiership makes first UK move to remove Saturday 3pm broadcast blackout

The Scottish Premiership has made the first move in what is expected to be a coordinated attempt by the UK’s domestic leagues to remove the Saturday afternoon broadcast blackout by inviting bids to televise all of its matches in the next rights cycle from 2029.

A tender document issued by the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) last week is understood to have given broadcasters an option to bid for live rights to all matches, including games kicking off at 3pm on Saturdays, the broadcast of which is currently prohibited under Article 48 of Uefa’s statutes.

The Guardian revealed last year that the Premier League and English Football League were eager for the blackout to be lifted because they have concluded that selling more matches to broadcasters is the best way…