Sheffield United: Paul Heckingbottom on the 3pm blackout and The Blades' position on TV deals
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It emerged earlier this week that members of the English Football League could soon be asked to investigate the possibility of allowing matches to be screened live during the primetime slot before its current agreement with Sky Sports expires at the end of the 2023/24 season.
Heckingbottom has recently spoken of the need to protect the sports traditions, such as promotion and relegation, in response to a series of questions from The Star. Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s game against Blackpool, he recognised some clubs with their own extensive in-house media operations could feel “short changed” by the practice of preventing them from striking their own bespoke deals. But he warned those minded to change how negotiations with companies such as SKY and BT are handled must ensure measures are in place to protect those further down the pyramid if they eventually get their way.
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Hide AdAlthough the proposal to consider ending the 3pm ban does not refer explicitly to collective bargaining, Heckingbottom admitted it could turn out to be the thin end of a very controversial wedge, saying: “It would open it up for the end of that, I could see that unfolding. I don’t know what protections are in place. The Premier League for example does its own negotiations and then that filters down to everyone else, through the EFL with money being given. EPPP (The Elite Player Performance Plan, which established a hierarchy of academies and fixed transfer fees between them) was involved in that.
“I know different people will look at this through different lenses. There will be clubs out there who think they can do better. There could be lots of different ways to go about this. The EFL, for example, might do a deal which is the best they can get. But they might pacify some (clubs) by allowing them to market their own games after a certain base level (payment) is given.”
“It would change things,” Heckingbottom added. “But generally it’s looked after as a whole.”
One of those clubs who feel, as Heckingbottom puts it, they could ‘do better’ are almost certainly United, who recently established their own television channel. This newspaper understands that, privately, some senior figures at Bramall Lane feel rules governing where and when they can televise live games have prevented them from earning a near six figure sum in subscription fees. Supporters of collective bargaining would argue they have an obligation to others beneath the EFL umbrella and that ending it, or taking actions which might end-up diluting it, set a dangerous precedent.
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Hide AdAsked if the view of coaches and players are likely to be canvassed before clubs including United vote, or if commercial experts will be left to establish a position, Heckingbottom replied: “I don’t know. The face of football is changing, with digital. Some fans follow five or six clubs now, because they support players. What I do know, though, is that ultimately it’s all about performance and so people have got to remember that results decide their product.”