EFL television rights set to DOUBLE in value to over £200m per year
EXCLUSIVE: EFL television rights are set to DOUBLE in value to over £200MILLION per year after several broadcasters joined Sky Sports and BT Sport in the race to secure live coverage of England’s lower tiers
- Sportsmail understands EFL have been inundated with expressions of interest
- Companies such as Viaplay and DAZN are battling it out with Sky and BT Sport
- Sky would have to double their current £119m-a-year deal to retain the rights
The EFL’s television rights are set to double in value to over £200million-a-year as they prepare to issue an invitation to tender [ITT] to broadcasters next week.
Sportsmail has learned that the EFL have been inundated with expressions of interest from broadcasters since beginning the sales process last October, with streaming companies such as Viaplay and DAZN joining Sky Sports and BT Sport in the battle to secure live matches.
Sky have held the live rights since 2002, but will have to almost double their current £119m-a-year deal in order to maintain exclusive coverage from the 2024 as the EFL are considering a hybrid model involving multiple broadcasters.
As Sportsmail revealed last year the tender document to be issued next week will make every EFL game available for purchase, which could lead to the end of the 3pm Saturday blackout.
The EFL tender will invite offers for all three divisions, the play-offs, the EFL Cup and the EFL Trophy, which have been split up into 20 separate packages.
EFL television rights are set to double to over £200million per year, Sportsmail understands
Companies such as Viaplay and DAZN are battling it out with Sky Sports and BT Sport to secure live coverage of England’s three lower tiers
As a result the different divisions and cups could have different broadcast partners for the first time, with a streaming service opting to buy all League Two matches for example, with Sky focussing on retaining the Championship games outside the 3pm blackout.
The EFL are inviting bids for between three and five years, and will decide on the length of the contract depending on the offers they receive.
The clubs were informed earlier on Thursday that the EFL are confident a five-year deal could raise close to £1billion due to the emergence of a number of new players into the market scrambling to secure live content.
The EFL are convinced there is demand from broadcasters and viewers for more live matches, as the current Sky deal for 138 games-per-year involves just two Championship matches being shown each weekend, with very few League One and Two games broadcast live all season.
The EFL would require permission from the FA and UEFA to drop the 3pm blackout that has been in place since the 1960s, a controversial move which would be opposed by the Premier League as they believe that limiting the number of matches broadcast increases the value of their live rights.
The blackout only applies when 50 per cent of Premier League and Championship matches are due to kick off at 3pm on a Saturday however, so shifting half the programme would also enable all games to be televised.
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