The latest EFL TV selections have been revealed by Sky Sports for September and October with majroity of them from the Championship.
TV selections are bound to wind fans up, and you can see the reaction further down in this article, as always with these picks, bound to see some controversy.
LATEST PICKS
Friday 22 September – Birmingham City v Queens Park Rangers – 8pm
Sunday 24 September – Stoke City v Hull City – 12pm
Monday 25 September – Coventry City v Huddersfield Town – 8pm
Friday 29 September – Blackburn Rovers v Leicester City – -8pm
Saturday 30 September – Southampton v Leeds United – 12.30pm
Tuesday 3 October – Stoke City v Southampton – 8pm
Wednesday 4 October – Rotherham United v Bristol City – 8pm
Wednesday 4 October – Sunderland v Watford* – 7.45pm
Friday 6 October – Birmingham City v West Bromwich Albion – 8pm
Saturday 7 October – Sunderland v Middlesbrough – 12.30pm
Monday 9 October – Burton Albion v Cambridge United – 8pm
*Co-exclusive
ALREADY PICKED
Friday 18 August – Leeds United v West Bromwich Albion – 20:00
Saturday 19 August – Plymouth Argyle v Southampton – 12:30
Sunday 20 August – Norwich City v Millwall – 12:00
Sunday 27 August – Watford v Blackburn Rovers – 12.00pm
Saturday 2 September – Sunderland v Southampton – 12.30pm
Monday 4 September – Cambridge United v Reading – 8.00pm
Saturday 9 September – Derby County v Northampton Town – 12.30pm
Friday 15 September – Southampton v Leicester City – 8.00pm
Saturday 16 September – Cardiff City v Swansea City – 8.45pm
Sunday 17 September – Millwall v Leeds United – 12.00pm
Tuesday 19 September – Sheffield Wednesday v Middlesbrough – 8.00pm
Tuesday 19 September – Preston North End v Birmingham City – 7.45pm
Wednesday 20 September – Norwich City v Leicester City – 8.00pm
Here’s what fans said on the latest EFL TV selections…
@NiallBaggott: Burton Albion vs Cambridge 😂😂😂
@OldManWinter999: Why the hell has Burton v Cambridge been selected?
@Alexbailey_wfc: Not one league 2 game
@NathanB30426880: What the fuck is burton vs Cambridge doing on 😂
@lufcMM0: Burton v Cambridge will break some record for least viewed EFL match. Watch this space.
@FelixHouseman: Burton 🤣🤣🤣
@BradyWFC93: Not a single league 2 game 😂😂
@sethbarnes3_: burton v cambridge am i missing something 🤣
@andyrobertshull: Sunday 24th September. 12 noon kick off. Good luck anyone planning on going to Stoke! #hcafc
Always nice when fans are considered in this https://t.co/1fI6REvAmF pic.twitter.com/BDWd2Hl6qy
— R (@rjb_1998) August 18, 2023
Match dates
12-19 August – Announced by date 8 July
26 August – 20 September – Announced by date 21 July
23 September – 7 October – Announced by date 18 August
21 October – 11 November – Announced by date 15 September
25 November – 13 December – Announced by date 21 October
16 December – 1 January – Announced by date 10 November
13 January – 3 February – Announced by date 8 December
10 – 24 February – Announced by date 5 January
2 – 6 March – Announced by date 2 February
9 March – Announced by date 9 February
16 March – Announced by date 16 February
29 March – 1 April (Easter) – Announced by date 1 March
6 – 10 April – Announced by date 8 March
13 April – Announced by date 15 March
20 April – Announced by date 28 March
27 April – Announced by date 5 April
4 May – Announced by date 29 April
N.B. These dates are illustrative and subject to change
Huge changes announced by EFL in landmark broadcasting deal with Sky Sports
EFL clubs have unanimously approved a record domestic rights deal with broadcaster Sky Sports worth £935m over a five-year period with over 1,000 matches to be broadcast each season – a record number of games for any club football agreement.
Running from season 2024/25 to season 2028/29, the arrangement will be made up of guaranteed payments of £895m and £40m in marketing benefits. In total, 1,059 EFL matches are set to be broadcast exclusively across existing Sky Sports channels or live via a Sky Sports streaming destination available on TV and mobile devices.
Increased value and promotion
The new deal represents a 50% increase on the value of the current rights agreement and will see significantly enhanced exposure for all EFL clubs provided through on-air and digital support from Sky Sports to promote EFL competitions, clubs, and community initiatives.
Each season, Sky Sports will broadcast a minimum of:
- 328 Sky Bet Championship matches
- 248 Sky Bet League One matches
- 248 Sky Bet League Two matches
- All 15 Play-Off matches
- All 93 Carabao Cup matches
- All 127 EFL Trophy matches
Each League weekend fixture round will see 10 live EFL fixtures shown. Five matches will be shown from the Sky Bet Championship and supporters of Sky Bet League One and League Two teams will now benefit from greater coverage than ever before with five of their games being broadcast live. For the first time ever, fans will be also able to watch every match from the Carabao Cup and EFL Trophy.
All opening, final day, and midweek fixtures in the Sky Bet EFL will be shown live as will all games played on Bank Holidays including Easter, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day alongside the matches played in Sky Bet League One & Two during international breaks.
Increased notice for fans
With the substantial increase in the number of live matches, Sky Sports and the EFL will introduce a new commitment for clubs and fans which will provide longer notice periods on TV selections. The defined notice periods will enable clubs and fans to plan further in advance and this will include the placement of all live matches selected for broadcast for the period to FA Cup 3rd Round before the start of the season. Greater parity in the number of times that clubs are selected for TV coverage is also guaranteed.
Article 48 to remain
The new deal allows for ‘Article 48’, the blocked broadcast period between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on Saturday afternoons to remain, meaning that main broadcast fixtures will be scheduled for outside of this time. Final fixture slots will be confirmed at a later date.
Domestic Streaming
From the 2024/25 season onward, this agreement makes more matches available to stream and will effectively replace the current Sky Sports EFL red button coverage and the EFL’s domestic streaming option provided via iFollow and club streaming services. Domestic streaming audio services will remain alongside existing audio-visual arrangements for international audiences via iFollow and club streaming services.
Enhanced production values and camera numbers
The EFL and Sky Sports will continue to work together to innovate, seeking opportunities to improve coverage and take viewers closer to the action, while the EFL will be investing significantly in production infrastructure to enhance the viewing experience. Sky Sports will have a minimum of eight cameras for each game broadcast on existing channels. For matches available to stream, Sky commentary will be provided and a minimum of four cameras will be used at Championship and League One matches, and a minimum of two cameras in League Two.
Commenting, Chief Executive of the EFL, 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.
“With some 20 million attending Sky Bet EFL matches each season and significant interest in the League at home and abroad, we look forward to growing our collective fanbase further and we’d like to thank Sky Sports for its ongoing commitment to the clubs and the communities which this investment will directly support.”
You must be logged in to post a comment Login