May 9 – EFL clubs have voted through a record new five-year TV coverage deal with Sky Sports worth £935 million.
The new agreement will run from the 2024/25 season until the 2028/29 season and will include the broadcast of 1,059 matches a season in total – a record number.
The deal will be worth just under £1 billion and represents a 50% increase in the value of the current rights agreement, which stands £595 million a year.
Championship clubs will get an extra 46% in TV revenue, while League One and Two get 25% more.
In April, the league entered into an exclusive month-long negotiating period with Sky. The clubs believed the current deal undervalued their product. Currently, just 138 EFL league matches are broadcast each season.
EFL Chief Executive Trevor Birch said: “After completing an extensive tender and negotiation process, this is a landmark broadcast deal for EFL clubs, establishing the League as a premium partner with a world-renowned broadcaster in Sky Sports.
“The EFL is an iconic sports property and one of the biggest and best-attended leagues in European football. This increased investment and coverage from Sky Sports will showcase much more of our compelling match action to fans while delivering record rights values as we seek to make our clubs sustainable at all levels.
“For decades, Sky Sports has been a fantastic broadcast partner for both the EFL and English football, helping our sport grow through its sustained support, so we are delighted to announce this innovative agreement that combines the strength of an established brand with a modern streaming service for the benefit of EFL clubs, fans and Sky Sports alike.”
Sky has held the broadcast rights since 2002 and reportedly beat streaming platform DAZN to the deal.
Each season, Sky Sports will broadcast a minimum of: 328 Championship matches; 248 League One matches; 248 League Two matches; all 15 play-off matches; all 93 Carabao Cup matches; and all 127 EFL Trophy matches.
Sky will broadcast 10 live EFL fixtures every weekend, with five from the Championship and five from League One and League Two.
The EFL had said it was willing to consider scrapping the Saturday 3pm blackout but this will be kept in place under the new deal, with the main TV fixtures to be scheduled outside this time slot.
Sky Sports managing director Jonathan Licht said: “This is a ground-breaking deal for Sky and our long-standing partners, the EFL.
“We believe that fans of all 72 league clubs will benefit with increased coverage across all the leagues and competitions.
“This is the biggest deal in football, in terms of the number of matches being broadcast and we look forward to working with the EFL and its 72 member clubs to give fans the most entertaining viewing experience.”
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