Dundee United vs Dundee: Why are some matches exempt from the 3pm TV blackout?

BBC Sport has been told that fixture congestion, coupled with the huge number of dates used for matches over the festive period, means that some matches fall outside the limited number of TV slots available, which is why UEFA is relaxing rules around broadcasting over Christmas and New Year.

The Scottish Premiership match Livingston v Celtic was shown live at 15:00 on 27 December, despite more than half of the league’s matches starting at the same time – which would normally trigger the blackout rule.

That weekend was on UEFA’s list of exempt days, even though the Premier League did not exercise its right to broadcast matches at that time.

The ban on matches across the UK was also lifted on January 3, which will see the Dundee derby broadcast live as a result – but the Premier League has again chosen not to allow its matches to be shown.

There are also exemptions in place for international breaks and major cup matches, such as the FA Cup quarter-final on April 4 – although the latter is not an exempt weekend in Scotland.

The early rounds of the Scottish Premiership Sports Cup have also been broadcast live on Saturday afternoons in the past due to them occurring before the start of the restricted hours on weekends in late August.

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