Why you can't legally watch all 380 Premier League games in the UK, how the 3pm blackout works, and the cheapest way to get every match that is broadcast.
Every season, thousands of UK fans search for a way to watch all 380 Premier League matches — and almost every guide skips the one thing that actually stops them. The Premier League doesn't sell UK rights to every game, and a decades-old rule keeps a whole block of Saturday fixtures off British screens entirely. Here's how it really works, and how to get every match that is broadcast without paying for two full TV contracts.
The 3pm Saturday blackout, explained
Between roughly 2:45pm and 5:15pm on a Saturday, no live football may be broadcast in the United Kingdom. It's not a Sky or TNT decision — it comes from a long-standing UEFA provision (commonly known as Article 48) that lets each national association protect its own kick-off window. The Football Association is one of the few in Europe that still applies it.
The reasoning is to protect attendance at lower-league and grassroots matches taking place at the same time. Whether it still achieves that is debated every season, but the rule remains in force — which is why a Saturday 3pm Premier League fixture will not appear on any UK broadcaster, however much you pay.
The blackout is a broadcasting rule, not a technical limitation. No UK service can legally show a Saturday 3pm kick-off — and any provider claiming otherwise is telling you something worth being sceptical about.
So how many matches are actually televised?
Only a portion of the 380-match season is sold for live UK broadcast — the figure has risen over recent rights cycles but has never been all of them. The remainder, chiefly the Saturday 3pm block, isn't available live on any UK platform. Highlights of those games appear later on Match of the Day, and full replays are usually available afterwards.
- Saturday 12:30 — televised
- Saturday 3:00 — blacked out in the UK, not shown live anywhere
- Saturday 17:30 — televised
- Sunday fixtures — televised
- Monday Night Football — televised
- Midweek and bank holiday rounds — most or all televised
The rights are split, so one subscription isn't enough
UK live rights are divided between Sky Sports and TNT Sports, with Amazon having held a package in some recent seasons. That split is deliberate — it means no single traditional subscription covers every televised match. To follow one club across a full season through conventional providers, you generally need at least two services running at once.
That's where the cost stacks up: Sky Sports and TNT Sports bought separately can comfortably exceed £70–£80 a month combined, usually on fixed-term contracts. Our IPTV vs Sky Sports comparison breaks those numbers down properly.
How IPTV covers every televised match
A UK IPTV subscription carries the Sky Sports and TNT Sports channels together in one package, so every match that is broadcast in the UK is available without juggling two providers or two contracts. IPTVUKmax plans start from around £4/month — a fraction of the combined cost — and include the rest of the 30,000+ channel library alongside the football.
- Sky Sports and TNT Sports in a single subscription
- Champions League, Europa League, EFL and FA Cup coverage as standard
- HD and 4K streams on UK-optimised servers built for matchday load
- Works on Firestick, Smart TV, phone, tablet and PC
- No 18-month contract and no dish
To be clear about what that does and doesn't get you: it covers every match broadcast in the UK. It does not — and no legitimate UK service can — show the Saturday 3pm fixtures, because those simply aren't broadcast here.
Getting the best matchday picture
- Use a wired Ethernet connection where possible — the single biggest fix for kick-off buffering
- Aim for at least 25 Mbps sustained for a stable 4K stream
- Choose a provider with genuine UK servers, since peak-time load is when weak ones fail
- See our buffering guide if streams stutter during big fixtures
If you're deciding what to watch on, the best devices for IPTV UK ranking covers the options, and our Premier League channel guide lists exactly which channels carry which competitions.
Can I watch all 380 Premier League matches in the UK?
No. Only a portion of the season is sold for live UK broadcast, and the Saturday 3pm block is blacked out entirely under the UEFA Article 48 provision the FA applies. No UK service can legally show those games live.
Why is there a 3pm blackout in the UK?
It exists to protect attendance at lower-league and grassroots fixtures played at the same time. The FA is one of the few European associations that still enforces it.
Do I need both Sky Sports and TNT Sports?
Through traditional providers, yes — UK live rights are split between them, so no single conventional subscription covers every televised match. A UK IPTV subscription carries both together.
What is the cheapest way to watch the Premier League in the UK?
A UK IPTV subscription is the cheapest route to every televised match — around £4/month on an annual plan, against £70–£80+ a month for Sky and TNT bought separately.
Is watching the Premier League via IPTV legal?
IPTV is a delivery method, the same technology BBC iPlayer uses. Streaming licensed content through a legitimate provider is lawful — see our full legal breakdown.
Get 30,000+ UK channels from £4/month
Instant activation, zero buffering, 7-day money-back guarantee.
