Glenn Coleman
Feb 20, 2024 - 10:05

Man City vs Brentford, Liverpool vs Luton: Why these matches are not on UK TV

"Two of the Premier League's top three will be involved in games that will not be on UK TV."

Liverpool has 13 games left in the Premier League, but to clinch the title, they will need to win 12 of them. This is the focus of the It's All Kicking Off podcast, hosted by Dominic King. The podcast discusses the rearranged midweek games involving two of the top three Premier League teams, Manchester City and Liverpool. These games will not be available for live broadcast to UK viewers.

On Tuesday night, Manchester City will play against Brentford, while on Wednesday, Luton Town will play against Liverpool. Both of these games will not be televised in the UK. This is despite Manchester City's game against Brentford being initially postponed due to the Club World Cup commitments of Pep Guardiola's side.

Manchester City has had a game in hand compared to other teams since winning the global tournament at the end of 2023. Their match against Brentford was televised earlier this month, but the reverse fixture was not selected for TV broadcast, and will not be available in the UK.

Liverpool's game against Luton Town was originally scheduled for Saturday at 3pm, but was moved after the team reached the Carabao Cup final at Wembley on Sunday. The game was rescheduled to Wednesday to prevent further fixture congestion, but it was never planned to be shown on UK TV as it was initially penned in for the 3pm blackout.

The 3pm blackout is in place to encourage fans to attend live matches and support lower league teams, ensuring they have a better chance of earning revenue. This rule was introduced in the 1960s to prevent a negative impact on attendance figures at lower league games. The decision to extend the 3pm blackout until 2029 was confirmed with a new TV deal back in December, sparking arguments among fans.

Overall, the rearranged games and the blackout rule have caused confusion and frustration among football fans, particularly in the UK. Despite the perplexity and bustiness of the situation, these games will not be available for live broadcast to UK viewers, leaving many fans disappointed.