FSA share how Newcastle fans will be affected by the latest TV rights deal

This week it was announced that the latest Premier League TV rights deal had been signed with more games than ever set to be shown live.

The new TV rights deal for the Premier League which starts in the 2025/26 season sees the number of games set for live broadcast set to rise from 200 to 270, an increase of two games per week,

With these changes incoming and the 3pm blackout still remaining what this means is more chaos for football fans who attend the games, something the Football Supporters Association is obviously not too happy about having posted a thread on X today explaining the issues.

Newcastle United have dominated the live fixtures since the takeover with 3pm kick-offs on a Saturday as rare as hen's teeth.

Newcastle have seen a sharp rise in Live TV coverage since the takeover

With the increased interest in Newcastle as the PIF project grows and the Magpies continue to be more successful, the likelihood of more of our games being picked for TV increases and so too does the chance of last-minute changes that cause absolute chaos for match-goers.

Obviously, increased TV coverage brings in more revenue to the club, gains the club a wider exposure and is fantastic for those fans who can't get to the games. But it's those who put the money directly into the club's pocket with their tickets and in-ground purchases who are paying the price.

Newcastle already has the most travel time in a season over any other club, but with all the cuts in public transport, strikes and the ever-increasing cost of living, following the Toon is starting to become a huge financial burden.

Therefore it's absolutely ridiculous how little thought goes towards these fans when the big-wigs make these decisions.

45% of Premier League fans have said they have missed games because of fixture changes. That's absolutely crazy.

Newcastle will always sell out their ticket allocation

Something needs to be done and the answer is staring us right in the face: bin the 3pm blackout! If games can be shown at 3pm on a Saturday it massively reduces the need for all the fixture changes. There can still be the Sunday games and whatnot, but when a game is selected for live broadcast mid-season, without the blackout there's no need to rearrange the fixture.

Another solution is 100% TV coverage for every game and punters can pay a subscription to watch their club's games. A TV season ticket that is divvied up between rights holders, the Premier League and the clubs themselves. Everyone's a winner.

True fans, of any club, will not give up their season ticket and matchday experiences just because they can watch the game on TV.

The atmosphere, the day on hoy with your mates, spending time with your kids, that day away from reality where you get to have a bit of craic and watch your beloved club far outweighs sitting on the couch or in the pub for fans who have been bitten by the match-going bug. Binning the blackout isn't going to change that.

We can't speak for other clubs, but given the weekly meltdown around ballots etc, there's never going to be a shortage of people wanting to attend Newcastle matches, so even if a few do opt to drop their tickets in order to stay at home, there still won't be empty seats.