The FA "won the first round in the battle to protect the Saturday 3pm TV blackout" after it was confirmed that La Liga matches "will no longer be shown in that slot -- at least for the time being," according to Martyn Ziegler of the LONDON TIMES. Eleven Sports, which holds the U.K. rights to show games from La Liga and Serie A, said that it will "stop broadcasting at that time but is considering a legal challenge to the rule which it claims is outdated." Eleven streamed live La Liga games the two previous Saturdays. The blackout has been in force since the '50s to "protect attendances at matches." It is understood the FA and UEFA put pressure on the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), which then told La Liga it "had to respect the blackout." Eleven said in a statement, "Out of respect for the wishes of our partners, we will for the time being no longer show matches during the Saturday afternoon blackout period. We maintain our strong view that the rule, which dates back to the 1950s, is unfit for the modern, digital era. ... The blackout is one of the biggest generators of piracy in the UK. These games are very easily accessed on illegal sites online and it is naive to think that fans do not watch them because they are not shown on legitimate platforms, except betting sites. It is irresponsible to leave the market in the hands of criminals" (LONDON TIMES, 10/17).
