Arsenal’s chief commercial officer Juliet Slot believes women’s football should be exempt from the 3pm broadcast blackout.
Article 48 of UEFA’s statutes allows member associations to select a two-and-a-half-hour weekend slot where live football cannot be televised. The FA, in conjunction with broadcasters, selected Saturdays between 2.45pm and 5.15pm to protect stadium attendances.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters confirmed on Thursday that the top flight had no intention of changing article 48 “in the near term”.
Speaking at the Financial Times’ Business of Football summit, Slot called for the women’s game to be exempt from the rule to “attract a new audience”.
“I think the women’s game needs an opportunity to be catapulted, to be given the opportunity to make more money,” said Slot. “Slightly controversially I would say I think we should be exempted from article 48.
“We should be allowed to show our games at 2 o’clock in the afternoon and have broadcasters show them. That will drive the revenue significantly from the broadcasters. It will allow us to attract a new audience in.
“If you look at the broadcast audience, a lot of the people who watch it on television are people who also enjoy the men’s game. So you’re not cannibalising…
