The first Clasico of the 2023/24 season is not available for broadcast in the United Kingdom.
La Liga table-toppers Real Madrid travel to the Olympic Stadium in Montjuic to take on fierce rivals Barcelona this Saturday in one of the weekend’s most anticipated matches. Carlo Ancelotti’s men head to Catalonia looking to open up a four-point gap on their rivals.
Fans from across the world will be tuning in, but those in the UK will not be able to watch the game on TV.
This Saturday’s Clasico kicks off at 15:15 BST (16:15 local time), meaning it falls within the UK’s football blackout – it is currently prohibited in the UK to show live football between 14:45 and 17:15. As such, Barcelona vs Real Madrid will not be available for viewing.
Keegan Pierce, the managing director for La Liga in the UK & Republic or Ireland, said: “We’re disappointed that British fans cannot watch El Clasico this weekend, due to the UK’s self-imposed Saturday 3pm blackout rule.
“While we fully support measures to promote attendance up and down the pyramid, we believe the blackout should be limited to televising of domestic football, not overseas competitions, who have no voice nor vote in the matter. This is a topic we look forward to discussing with football stakeholders in the UK during the coming months.”
This is not the first time that the blackout has prevented fans from watching El Clasico, at least in part. In October 2014, UK fans missed the first 15 minutes of Real Madrid’s 3-1 win – in which Luis Suarez made his Barcelona debut after leaving Liverpool – as it kicked off at 17:00 BST. Host broadcaster Sky Sports had a reporter giving live updates until the time passed to allow them to begin showing footage of the match.
The blackout is designed to ensure that clubs – mostly from lower tiers – are able to attract supporters for the standard 15:00 kick-off slot on Saturdays without fear of them being drawn away by top-level matches shown on TV.
Article 48 of the UEFA Statutes decrees that associations can designate a set period of 2.5 hours on Saturdays and Sundays during which to prohibit matches from being broadcast.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, these restrictions were lifted as fans were unable to attend matches in stadiums and kick-offs were spread apart to ensure that people were able to watch as many games as possible.
There is a possibility that the blackout could be removed in the future.
Earlier this month, a report from Daily Mail’s In The Money stated that Chelsea and Manchester United’s US owners are interested in changing the current legislation.
The current blackout agreement runs until 2029, owing to the terms and conditions set out for the most recent domestic television rights process that is due to go to tender.
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