Administrators and broadcasters have met to discuss options
The FA is likely to allow the screening of games during the 3pm blackout if the coronavirus forces games to be played behind closed doors.
In addition, Sky and BT could be asked to make games free-to-air, reports The Times. However, steps would also be taken to prevent the matches being shown in pubs due to worries over any large crowds.
EFL games would all be available on the FA’s iFollow OTT platform – which usually hosts highlights and is blocked on Saturdays.
The department for digital, culture, media, and sport (DCMS) recently hosted a meeting with major sports broadcasters and officials from football, tennis, cricket and rugby, as well as events like the London Marathon to discuss what actions could be taken in response to the coronavirus outbreak.
A senior sports administrator told The Times: “If you look at things logically, I can see broadcasters being asked to make events free-to-air and block signals into pubs.”
Covid-19 has already had a large effect on sports events, and specificall football, worldwide. All sport in Italy has been suspended until 3 April, PSG’s match against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday will be played behind closed doors, and Arsenal’s Premier League match against Manchester City has been postponed, among other events affected.
Moreover, there are still questions over major events to be held over the summer, including the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, European Championships to be hosted across Europe, and Wimbledon.