With 22 more matches up for grabs during the next TV rights auction, Ofcom says its "resources could be used more effectively on other priorities to benefit consumers and competition." Virgin Media called for the Premier League to abolish the broadcasting blackout between 2:45pm and 5:15pm, similar to how broadcasters do in Germany, Spain and Italy, to counter a possible rise in cost of football subscriptions, even if it led to a reduction in attendances.

In its research, Ofcom found that a fifth of fans said they wanted to see more matches live. However, when the regulator polled match-going fans, it found that over two-thirds of respondents preferred the Saturday 3pm kick-off over any other Premier League match time. With a diverse set of opinions to consider, Ofcom believed it would take "significant further work" to reach a conclusion, so it decided to close its investigation altogether.