The archaic ruling ignores the more contemporary issue of being able to view the games which are banned elsewhere - either legally or illegally
How exciting it will be to enjoy the occasional evening with Rachel Riley, albeit through the medium of Sky Sports’ Friday Night Football.
It is impossible, however, not to feel for those Southampton fans who have had to take a day’s holiday and schlep 200-odd miles up north to watch their side play Manchester United.
Both sets of supporters, meanwhile, will then have to spend the weekend without the thing that holds it all together: the match.
Given that top-flight football has been shown on Mondays ever since the Premier League launched in 1992 – largely on Sky, but also for a short time on Setanta – neither of those inconveniences are new.
But while the novelty of your team on the box once made waiting until Monday tolerable, the feeling now – when there are up to five matches shown beforehand – is more frustration than anticipation.
Would things be different, though, if Saturday 3 o’clock kick-offs were not still subjected to the TV blackout which has existed for more than half a century?
The law was introduced in 1964 after then-Burnley chairman Bob Lord convinced the Football League that failure to do so would damage attendances.
There is no real evidence, however, to support this claim – a conclusion which the European Court of Justice reached in 2011.
A bit like the Bible, it is something that has been said so many times that a significant number of people believe it must be true.
And even if the ruling – made the same year that hanging was abolished in the UK – was not archaic enough, it also ignores the more contemporary issue of said games being available to view already.
They are shown legally outside the UK, with those who watch considered less likely to attend the match in person.
That includes Ireland – where, in addition to Setanta, Sky Sports will this season show 33 live Saturday 3pm fixtures – even though the country is home to regular Premier League match-goers.
Has that stopped them travelling to Manchester United or Liverpool games?
The prices of budget airline flights from Dublin or Belfast to those cities when either club are playing at home suggests not.
And because this is the digital age, the pictures that are beamed all over the world are easy enough to show illegally in the UK.
This is not done covertly, either, with one pub in south London last week advertising its showing of Everton v Tottenham alongside its craft beer selection.
It is just as easy to find a stream on an iPhone, where those who tune in able to catch Richard Keys and Andy Gray – plus an out-of-work manager who is enjoying an all-expenses trip to Qatar – on beIN Sports.
Given this is happening, the Premier League should surely attempt to end the blackout before renegotiating the current TV deal which expires in 2019.
This could potentially work in a couple of ways.
One option would be for one of the current rights holders – or whoever else wants to bid – to show a Saturday 3pm game, which would be kinder to supporters if introduced instead of either Friday or Monday games.
Sky probably wouldn’t be in a rush to lose either of those coveted slots, mind you, especially with Gillette Soccer Saturday entertaining viewers.
But that does not change that the law is still being broken.
How about, then, making all Saturday 3pm games available to watch live via a paid-for subscription, either on a game-by-game basis or as part of a package?
Like Spotify has done with music, a streaming service would help to reduce piracy.
It could also be reasonably priced, with the production values not needing to be anywhere near as slick as showpiece programmes such as Super Sunday.
The proposal would have some detractors, presumably, like those who believe ending the blackout would represent football selling the last of its soul.
But that has already happened – and switching the game’s most attractive fixtures to fit into TV schedules has contributed to that.
If anything, shining a light on Saturday 3 o’clock kick-offs would actually help return a little dignity to a time of the day that was once considered to be football’s most sacred.
