EFL clubs in new £935m TV deal
EFL clubs have unanimously voted to accept a new £935m deal with Sky Sports which will see more than 1,000 matches a season being broadcast, but which keeps the Saturday blackout in place.
The five-year deal, made up of guaranteed payments of £895m and £40m in marketing rights, will begin in 2024-25 and run to the end of the 2028-29 season. It represents a 50% increase on the league’s current deal with Sky which expires at the end of next season.
Some 1,059 league, EFL Cup and EFL Trophy matches will be shown live either on a Sky main channel or via a Sky streaming platform, replacing the iFollow service for domestic viewers.
Streaming platform DAZN had been keen to acquire the rights to screen all EFL matches and bring an end to the Saturday blackout period between 2.45pm and 5.15pm.
The blackout stays in place in the Sky deal, but more matches are available to stream, with six games across the Championship, League One and League Two now set to kick off at 12.30pm each Saturday. The deal means 26 out of 36 matches will still kick off at Saturday 3pm – seven Championship matches plus 19 across Leagues One and Two.
It is understood that based on the EFL’s distribution formula, Championship clubs will earn 46% more in guaranteed broadcast income and clubs in Leagues One and Two will be 25% better off.
The deal means 10 league matches will be shown live each weekend, including six in the 12.30pm Saturday slot. Every match in the EFL Cup will be shown live, plus every game in the EFL Trophy.
EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said: “This is a landmark broadcast deal for EFL clubs, establishing the league as a premium partner with a worldrenowned 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.”