Rangers fans could consume football in a completely different manner over the next few years, should the 3pm blackout be abolished.

The authorities are considering telecasting more games in the next broadcasting rights cycle, including those on Saturday afternoons.

Rangers stand to make up to £4m in additional revenue from the new deal should it be implemented, and the change could have trickle-down effects on the rest of the ecosystem as well.

Rangers may look to revert to a Setanta model if the rule change is successful

Currently, no games in Scotland are allowed to be shown live at 3pm, but that was not always the case. Between 2004 and 2009, Setanta won the exclusive rights for the SPL for a deal that was worth around £35m.

As part of that partnership, Setanta launched weekly channels exclusively for Rangers and Celtic, covering highlights packages, interviews, reserve and youth coverage, classic games and a regular live studio show. If the 3pm ban is lifted, the same thing may happen again, which could see the Ibrox outfit entering into an agreement with broadcasters.

This is something that the fans will also be on board with, as not only will it give them more live matches to watch, but it will be non-stop Rangers coverage that is not fully controlled by the club.

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marlinsteven1962

Rangers and Celtic had a deal with Setanta to show all games through rangers and celtic tv so the spl / sfa should be looking at maybe trying this and fans could buy a tv season ticket

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marlinsteven1962

Best coverage was when the old firm teamed up with setanta and showed every game we won the league that season and the dvd with all 38 games in full is one of the best rangers dvds that I own

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Rangers fans are open to the abolition of the 3pm blackout

Having more games is always good news for fans, and the fact that the Premier League will still have a blackout could mean more fans tune to the Scottish Premiership. Last season’s three-way fight to the title brought in a lot of viewers, and if each Saturday they have games to see, surely that would mean more eyeballs and thus sponsorship revenues will also increase.

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Brogan Clasper

Something is going to have to change for Scottish football to truly take a step forward. The incredible title race from last season clearly has not had a long-lasting impact with football fans from England already turning their attention away from the league. More money for the clubs can only be a good thing, right?

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As things stand, everything is still in the primary stages, but the initial response is understood to be a positive one. Rangers News understands that most clubs in the Premiership would be receptive to it, but it remains to be seen what the reaction is for clubs lower down the pyramid.

If they feel that it will genuinely impact the number of people coming in to watch games, then there could be something done to mitigate that. As the Premiership prize pool will increase, more money can be sent down to the lower leagues to help them, if there genuinely is a problem.

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chillout

To me this is just an opportunity to raise more revenue (nothing wrong with that) – only around 36% of top Scottish games are televised under the current deal. And the fact is that many of those who don’t go to games in Scotland illegal stream them when they can – better for Scottish football to get some of this revenue.

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Hopefully, the blackout is abolished and fans who aren’t able to travel to games can get to see more matches live. With the rise in illegal streams, there are multiple ways to unofficially see these games anyway.

This ensures that everything is done by the book and it could benefit all stakeholders.