Glasgow giants Celtic and Rangers could be on the verge of securing a game-changing financial windfall, with former football chief executive Keith Wyness confirming that a radical plan to abolish the historic Saturday 3pm television blackout in Scotland is gathering serious momentum behind closed doors.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Aberdeen CEO and elite football consultant revealed that scrapping the controversial broadcasting ban could immediately inject an extra £15 million annually into the Scottish Premiership.
With the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) preparing to renegotiate its domestic broadcast rights ahead of the 2029-30 campaign, executives are officially weighing up whether to make Scotland the first region in the United Kingdom to tear up the traditional 3pm TV ban.
”It’s Ridiculous”: Wyness Exposes Shocking Scottish TV Deal Deficit
Under the current SPFL broadcast arrangement, Scottish clubs split a modest £30 million per year—a figure Wyness described as absurdly low when compared to the vast sums generated by top-flight leagues across Europe.
Wyness explained that lifting the Saturday afternoon blackout would transform the league’s television inventory into a premium asset, driving up bidding competition among international and domestic broadcasters:
“The TV deal in Scotland, believe it or not, is only about £30m. It’s ridiculous in terms of the whole amount. Probably less than one club in the Premier League is getting from their broadcast deal.
“I think if you got rid of the 3pm situation, then I think you might be getting it up to £45m. So it’s a significant increase in terms of things, which would be a decent chunk for each of the clubs.
“I think they’ve got to go for it. The superpower of the Scottish league is that, per capita of population, it’s the best-attended league in Europe… I don’t think that’s going to go away because of the blackout.”
Scotland as the Premier League’s “Trial Run”
Former Manchester City financial advisor Stefan Borson echoed Wyness’ sentiments, stating that the UK’s outdated broadcasting laws must finally be modernized.
Borson highlighted that ending the 3pm blackout in Scotland could serve as a high-stakes test case for the English Premier League, allowing broadcast executives to measure the exact impact on stadium attendance before attempting a similar move south of the border:
- Attendance Security: With Scotland boasting the highest per-capita matchday attendance in European football, experts believe die-hard fan culture will prevent matchday gates from dropping.
- Closing the Wealth Gap: An extra £15m influx would provide critical European transfer muscle for Celtic and Rangers while offering game-changing revenue to rest of the Scottish pyramid.
- UK Alignment: The UK remains the only major European football jurisdiction still enforcing a Saturday afternoon TV blackout.
A New Financial Era for Scottish Football
If the SPFL hierarchy votes to push ahead with the proposal, the multi-million-pound surge could fundamentally alter the financial landscape of Scottish football.
For Celtic and Rangers—both desperate to close the revenue gap on European competitors—destroying the 3pm blackout isn’t just a broadcast upgrade; it is the ultimate key to unlocking long-term financial dominance.
