What's in the Weekend Boxset?

The broadcasting blackout that sees live coverage of football prohibited during certain hours, is a UEFA regulation that is only implemented in England, Scotland and Montenegro. Imposed in the 1960s after lobbying form the then Burnley Chairman, renowned media-hater Bob Lord, the embargo is widely seen in the UK as something that protects gate revenue for lower league and non-league clubs.

Earlier this season, streaming service Eleven Sports fell foul of the authorities when it decided to bust the Saturday 3pm embargo with coverage of La Liga and Serie A fixtures during the banned hours. Describing the ban as out-dated and going on to suggest that it actively encouraged piracy, the channel, owned by Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani, has since complied with the regulations. This meant if English based fans of La Liga wanted to see the Madrid derby last Saturday they would have had to do it via an illegal stream.

With Bundesliga, Serie A and La Liga matches all blocked out on Saturday afternoon is the danger of promoting piracy outweighed by the benefit to lower league clubs? Do fans really make a choice between going to a League Two match or watching an Italian match on their laptops?

For more information on the podcast and links related to the subjects discussed, check out the Show Notes on our blog.

What's in the Weekend Boxset?

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