El clasico won’t be on British television again as La Liga sets kick-off time to clash with Premier League

The biggest club fixture in world football won’t be available live for British viewers after La Liga opted for the slot that will get the most viewers around the globe

The first clásico of the season will not be televised live in Great Britain after La Liga confirmed it will kick-off at 3:15pm on Saturday December 3rd.

A long-standing rule, agreed upon by the FA, Premier League and Football League, prohibits football from being televised live between 2:45pm and 5:15pm on a Saturday anywhere in the United Kingdom.

Which means the clash between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the Nou Camp will be visible in over 100 countries worldwide but not Britain – as happened last year.

La Liga’s receny penchant for scheduling Madrid or Barca games during England’s 3pm window is part of a concerted global development drive that is also intended to eat into the Premier League’s worldwide audience.

By choosing two of world football’s biggest brands to compete with the increasingly drab Saturday afternoon kick-offs in the Prem, La Liga are claiming leading audience shares in an ever-increasing number of key markets.

“With these kick-off times we have more than doubled income,” revealed La Liga president Javier Tebas.

The 3:15pm kick-off makes the game watchable in the USA, where La Liga has just opened up a development office, South America and China, as well as most of Asia.

But UK audiences will be deprived thanks to regulations that seem evermore out of touch with the modern world.

While originally the blackout was brought in to prevent TV games from affecting attendances further down the leagues, the European Court of Justice concluded in 2011 that “closed periods” do not encourage fans to attend other games at all.

“It has not been adequately shown to the Court that the closed periods actually encourage attendance at and participation in matches,” wrote Julian Kokott, attorney general of the ECJ.

That will be of little consolation to football fans in the British Isles who, instead of watching Neymar, Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and chums face off with Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, will be forced to make do with a blank screen and delayed highlights.