Man City vs Leeds to be broadcast in UK despite 3pm blackout

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Man City vs Leeds to be broadcast in UK despite 3pm blackout

Manchester City's Premier League meeting with Leeds United will go against the nationwide 3pm blackout by being broadcast in the United Kingdom.

The fixture was initially scheduled for Sunday 7 May but has now been brought forward one day because of City's involvement in the Champions League semi-final on the following Tuesday.

Sky Sports had the broadcast rights to City vs Leeds on the Sunday and, despite being moved to a 15:00 kick-off on the Saturday, the match will still be broadcast on television.

"With Manchester City visiting Real Madrid in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League semi-finals on Tuesday 9 May, their home match with Leeds United has moved from Sunday 7 May to 15:00 BST on Saturday 6 May," a Premier League statement read.

"The match will remain live on Sky Sports in the UK, subject to further consultation with relevant stakeholders regarding Article 48.

"The usual Saturday 12:30 BST UK live broadcast slot has been avoided so as not to clash with the King’s Coronation, while a later kick-off is not possible due to police resourcing."

Article 48 of UEFA's Statutes forbids matches from being televised between 14:45 and 17:15 on Saturdays during the season in an attempt to encourage supporters to attend live fixtures at both the professional and grassroots level.

The law has frustrated many fans and there have been numerous calls for the Premier League to do away with the blackout, but league chief executive Richard Masters recently confirmed there would be no immediate changes.

“We’ve been proponents of Article 48 for the entire Premier League and I don’t see that changing in the near term,” Masters told the Financial Times Business of Football Summit.