A 64-year long football tradition could be abolished by the end of this decade. 

Since 1960, there has been a television blackout preventing 3pm Saturday afternoon kick-offs from being shown live in the United Kingdom. 

That's meant broadcasters such as BBC Sport, Sky Sports, Premier Sports and others have had to move fixtures out of that window should they want them transmitted to their audiences.

Many of Celtic and Rangers' Scottish Premiership games are often switched to Saturday evening or Sunday's as a result. 

It's long been said that the blackout, which came into place after Burnley chairman Bob Lord successfully argued that televised football matches that clashed with the traditional Saturday 3pm kick-off time may have a negative impact on attendances, is outdated and some modernisation of the rule was required. 

These days, UEFA Article 48 prohibits the broadcast of live matches between the hours of 2.45pm and 5.15pm on a Saturday, with England and Scotland currently the only two countries in Europe who voluntarily sign up to adhere to the restriction.

Now reports on Monday suggest that this situation might shift by the start of the 2029-30 season, as there are rising concerns across the English Premier League regarding the financial details of the new TV contract.

There is an increasing consensus that the best way to boost revenue is by broadcasting more matches. Consequently, Scottish football may also adapt to this trend as more fans gravitate towards illegal streaming services.

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The latest TV deal for English football, covering the period from 2025 to 2029, is valued at approximately £6.7billion.

This breaks down to an annual sum of £1.675bn, which is slightly lower than the £1.713bn secured in the 2015 agreement for the 2016 to 2019 seasons.

Starting next season, every Premier League match that doesn’t kick off at 3pm will be available for viewing on television.

Additionally, the EFL's new agreement, effective this season, will see over 1,000 matches broadcast annually on Sky Sports.

Whereas, in Scotland, an additional 20 Scottish Premiership matches are available for live viewing on subscription television from this season.

Premier Sports has secured a five-year deal to broadcast these games, complementing their existing coverage of the Scottish Cup and League Cup.

They share broadcasting rights with Sky Sports, which currently airs up to 60 matches each season under a contract extending to 2029.

Meanwhile, the BBC continues to provide free-to-air coverage of Scottish Championship and League 1 matches, along with live radio broadcasts and highlights of the top-flight.