By Adam Williams, Finance & Governance Correspondent

19th Apr, 2023 | 7:00am

Sources: Sunderland to cash in as historic deal imminent - 'just a matter of time'

It is inevitable that the EFL will abolish the long-standing rule that prohibits the likes of Sunderland from being televised in the UK at 3.00pm on Saturdays, sources have told Football Insider.

The 3.00pm blackout has been in place since the 1960s and its revocation for the second, third and fourth tiers of English football would be seen as a historic moment.

The development comes with the EFL looking for ways to engorge the value of its TV deal, with a new rights cycle set to begin in 2024-25.

This site has previously been told that the EFL are “very confident” of nearly doubling their £119million-a-year arrangement with Sky amid interest from a number of new broadcasters.

But several of the interested TV and streaming firms – most notably London-based company DAZN – want the 3.00pm blackout scrapped if they are to pay top dollar ahead of the next rights cycle, which begins in 2024-25.

Football Insider was told by a senior source at an EFL club in March that it was “just a matter of time” before the blackout was scrapped.

That now appears increasingly likely, if not in time for the next rights cycle then the one following that.

The 3.00pm blackout was introduced to preserve attendances throughout the pyramid and its abolition would be controversial in many quarters.

Support in the boardrooms of EFL clubs is not universal, but there is a broad consensus that the EFL are right to explore new ways to increase the value of the TV deal.

Opinion is also split among supporters, some of whom believe the blackout is archaic and others who predict that its abolition will lead to a fall in the number of match-going fans.

There are no plans to abandon the blackout in the Premier League at this stage.

In other news, Kieran Maguire warns Sunderland of “major issue” after “magic” Stewart Donald twist.