United Kingdom: Eleven Sports "will no longer show matches during the Saturday black-out period"

"Out of respect for the wishes of our partners, we will for the time being no longer show matches during the Saturday window afternoon black-out period (where the live broadcast on television of football matches is forbidden)," said the British audio-visual group Eleven Sports, on 17/10/2018.

Eleven Sports has broadcast LaLiga Santander matches (Matchday 7 and 8 of 2018-19) in the United Kingdom, when from 14:45 to 17:15 CET, the live broadcast on television of football matches is prohibited (see below).

"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. With the best interests of football fans at heart, we are currently considering all legal and regulatory options, including the referral of the case to the appropriate authorities," continued Eleven Sports in a statement that News Tank Football has reproduced in full below.

"The rule, which dates back to the 1950's is unfit for…