Bournemouth v Tottenham Hotspur: How to follow Spurs Premier League game, why it’s not on TV and kick off time

Tottenham will travel to the South Coast in the Premier League this weekend as they prepare to welcome newly promoted AFC Bournemouth. The sides have not met at the Vitality in the Premier League since the project restarted back in 2020.

That game was a poor 0-0, in which Harry Wilson missed a sitter for the Cherries and Harry Kane was controversially denied a penalty. The last time Spurs won at the Vitality was back in the 2017/2018 season, where goals from Son Heung Min, Dele and Serge Aurier secured a comfortable win.

Both sides come into the game in poor form. Bournemouth’s last win came against Leicester earlier in the month, with the side currently winless in three. Tottenham’s form is patchy, who haven’t won in their last three matches.

Despite their recent rocky form, Spurs have, by all accounts, had a good start to the season. They are two points clear of fifth placed Chelsea, and are just five points off of fierce rivals Arsenal who occupy top spot.

Meanwhile, their opponents Bournemouth have had a steady return to life back in the Premier League. They sacked former Spurs midfielder Scott Parker after a 9-0 away defeat to Liverpool with Gary O’Neil steadying the ship since. They are 14th in the table.

When is kick off?

The game at the Vitality will kick off at 3pm on Saturday, October 29.

Why is the game not on TV?

Bournemouth v Tottenham has been selected for a 3pm kick-off time on Saturday October 15 and so it won’t be shown live on UK television. This is to comply with the ‘blackout’ regulation on televised coverage between 2:45pm and 5:15pm on a Saturday.

The 3pm blackout was introduced back in the 1960’s, and is thought to boost attendances up and down the country. Despite calls for it to be removed, it is unclear if it will be removed in the near future.

Under the rules, broadcasting rights are restricted for clubs in the UK, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man. Not all is lost, though, as highlights will be available for Sky Sports subscribers on the Sky Sports app around 15-30 minutes after the final whistle.

How do I keep up with the game?

Despite the game not being on television, you can keep up with live scores by watching Gillette Soccer Saturday on Sky Sports. Jeff Stelling and his expert panel will keep up to date with all games over England and Scotland both in the studio with some journalists deployed to the stadiums.

How do I watch the highlights?

All fixtures that are played on Saturday will feature on BBC One show Match of the Day, which is aired after the weather at 10:25pm. It features extensive highlights followed by in depth analysis from Gary Lineker, Ian Wright and Alan Shearer.

Highlights may also be uploaded to each side’s social media channels, however it is up to each club to decide when these highlights are released.