Sky Sports chiefs have claimed that the move towards ending the 3pm blackout could be accelerated by fans who illegally stream Premier League games.
A report revealed in May that the cost of illegally streamed matches through the technology which allows users access to major international television challenge has skyrocketed, costing football's governing bodies around Europe - and the channels themselves - billions per year.
The sale of the devices such as 'dodgy Fire Sticks' has led to a string of arrests - including one man based in Halifax earlier this year - but few have been deterred from using illegal streams to circumvent the traditional blackout.