One of the biggest matches in the world won’t be shown on British TV because of restrictions on broadcasting live fixtures.
Fans are raging after discovering that Stoke’s mammoth clash with Sunderland Barcelona’s renewal of the most famous rivalry in world football with Real Madrid has fallen foul of the Saturday midday restrictions on televised matches.
The first Clasico of the season kicks off at 3.15pm British time on Saturday, December 3 – so unless there is an ungodly amount of stoppage time, the whole game will fall between the window in which live football is banned on British TV.
As agreed by the FA, Premier League and Football League, live football cannot be shown on TV anywhere in the UK between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on a Saturday in order to encourage football fans to attend live games at this time.
And that restriction doesn’t only apply to games taking part on the British Isles, a fact which has not escaped fans around the country as this isn’t the first time that British-based viewers have missed out on some Clasico action.
Unsurprisingly, they didn’t take the news too well.
I understand the British broadcasting rule for 3pms so attendance isn't affected. But applying it to games such as the El Clasico in Spain 🙃
— Elliot Hackney (@ElliotHackney) October 12, 2016
I hear your boyfriend is raging that the Clasico is scheduled during the TV blackout
— Duncan McKay (@DuncMcKay) October 12, 2016
First El Clasico of the year won't be broadcasted in England!!! Is this some sort of sick twisted attempt at humour?!!
— Josh Legg (@JoshLegg91) October 12, 2016
Ffs El Clasico will be played at 3.15pm so it won't be on Sky 😐😐😐😐😐 stupid 3pm rule
— A (@w_aneta) October 12, 2016
Sorry lads, we won't be seeing El Clasico because we NEED to see Bournemouth play Hull. Ronaldo? SNODGRASS.
— Simon (@SYeeles) October 12, 2016
While La Liga appear to have scheduled the game specifically to cut into the Premier League’s share of worldwide viewers, some had a more…eh…creative reason for the clash.
https://twitter.com/BuffaloWills/status/786149541905072128
But where there’s a will, there’s a way. And that’s especially true on the internet.
It didn’t take long for would-be-viewers to fashion a pretty straight forward plan to circumvent the broadcasting rules.
El Clasico on 3rd of December at 3.15pm meaning Sky can't show it. World's most watched game will have to be accessed through a stream!
— Robbie Dunne (@robbiejdunne) October 12, 2016
Only bad thing about El Clasico is watching it on 360p rather than 4K.
— The 48 (@Je_suis_Gemeaux) October 12, 2016
Our outdated broadcast rules and Tebas the twat means the 1st Clasico of the season won't be shown live on UK tv, dodgy stream it'll be then
— Jim (@_ElJim) October 12, 2016
