The death of the 3pm kick-off: More TV games next season will see even fewer matches played in the traditional Saturday timeslot… and as broadcast deals bring in more money, they’re likely to fall even more

The West Ham fans that shuffled into Molineux on Saturday must have looked at their Wolves counterparts with a sense of bemusement and wonder. Here were supporters clunking through the turnstiles to watch their team play a Premier League match at home on a Saturday at… a quick glance down at the watch… 3pm.

It’s an experience alien to the Hammers fans. David Moyes‘s side have played just two league matches at the London Stadium in the traditional Saturday 3pm slot and haven’t done so since September 30 – 190 days ago.

That’s partly the price to pay for their European exploits. After romping into the Europa League quarter-finals on Thursday nights, West Ham have played 11 games at 2pm on a Sunday.

‘Hammers fans have all but forgotten what football on a Saturday afternoon is like,’ Chris Wheal of the West Ham United Supporters’ Trust said. ‘Mainly it’s down to our runaway success in Europe. We know we are champions of Europe and we aim to be adding to the trophy cabinet this year. Every Thursday night game bumps our Saturday fixture to Sunday, so partly we’re victims of our own success.

‘But broadcasting has played the most divisive role, with changes often announced too late and evening matches too inconvenient and at short notice. Away fans often get the worst of it – with games finishing after the last train home has left.

Hammers supporters (above) would have looked at their Wolves counterparts in bemusement

‘The broadcasting ban on showing footy on TV at 3pm on Saturday is meant to enable fans not at a game to go and watch another local match, perhaps a Championship club or non-League side. But how many do? 

‘All Premier League matches are shown live everywhere else in the world except here. With only 3,000 away tickets available, most Irons fans will have been on a dodgy firestick or VPN watching us at Wolves on Saturday, on one of our rare 3pm Saturday kick-offs.’

Mail Sport has analysed every Premier League kick-off time this season and can reveal it’s Liverpool whose fans are most denied the traditional life of a football supporter. Like West Ham, the Reds have had just two home league games this season in the 3pm Saturday slot. But unlike the Hammers who have had eight games home and away at that time, Jurgen Klopp’s side have had three.

Klopp has made no secret of his frustration, especially when it comes to moving his Saturday kick-offs into the early lunchtime TV slot. In November, Klopp complained that the decision to move Liverpool’s trip to Manchester City to 12.30pm after an international break must have been made by ‘people who cannot feel football’.

Back in 2020, Klopp argued with BT presenter Des Kelly about how often his side were shunted into the early slot.

Liverpool, like West Ham, have had just two home league games in the 3pm Saturday slot

Jurgen Klopp argued with Des Kelly (left) about his side being shunted into the early kick-off

Liverpool have played five games in the Saturday lunchtime slot this season. Title rivals Arsenal have played there twice – if you include their game against Forest that was delayed until 1pm. Man City played in the slot for the third time on Saturday against Crystal Palace.

Kevin De Bruyne isn’t a fan either. ‘Now that we won I like it but I don’t like the early kick-off.’

Premier League football, however much we wish to cling to the purity of its traditions, has changed and will keep changing. So far, there have been 27 different kick-offs for Premier League matches this season. They span all seven days of the week, including seven different times on a Tuesday ranging from 12.30 in the afternoon to 8.15 at night.

That’s about to stretch further on Sunday, too, when Sheffield United face Chelsea at 5.30pm and Tottenham take on Forest at 6pm in two brand new Sunday slots.

Blades fans have been flung around the schedule more than any other. Sunday will be their 15th different time slot for what is their 31st match of the season.

Saturday at 3pm is still the most-used slot with 35 per cent of matches taking place at the classic time but that’s a number that keeps falling. Only six years ago it was higher than 40 per cent and 20 years ago higher than 50 per cent with an all-time Premier League high of 66 per cent in 1998-99.

Kevin De Bruyne admitted he does not like lunchtime games after Man City beat Crystal Palace

As TV deals bring in more cash, the number of matches in the 3pm slot is likely to fall further

As the television deals bring in more cash, we’ll likely see it fall even more. The new £6.7billion deal means more matches to be aired than ever before.

The number of live games shown will increase to at least 267 per season, up from around 200 this term. From next season onwards, all matches played outside the traditional Saturday 3pm slot will be shown live.

The Saturday 3pm blackout, however, remains protected so no games at that time can be shown on television in the UK. It’s there to encourage fans to provide crucial gates to lower league matches at that time instead of tuning in to big teams on the box.

But in the modern digital age, it’s odd that these games can be seen on television in almost every country around the world apart from the one in which it’s being played.

For now, though, it’s safe. At least until the deal ends in 2029. After that, who knows.