EFL decision that will impact Sunderland, Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough next season

EFL clubs have approved a domestic rights deal with Sky Sports for over 1000 matches to be broadcast each season - starting from the 2024/25 campaign.

The deal will run over a five-year period, until the 2028/29 season, and be made up of guaranteed payments of £895million plus £40million in marketing benefits. The new deal, which was unanimously approved by EFL clubs, represents a 50 per cent increase compared to the previous agreement, with a total of 1,059 EFL matches set to be broadcast across existing Sky Sports channels and streaming devices.

Each season, Sky will broadcast a minimum of 328 Championship matches, 248 League One matches, 248 League Two matches, all 15 Play-Off matches and all 127 EFL Trophy matches. The deal will also impact fans of Premier League clubs, with all 93 Carabao Cup matches available to watch.

A Sky Sports statement read: “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.”

The new deal will allow UEFA’s Article 48 blocked broadcast period rule to remain in place. This means broadcasted fixtures will not be shown between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on Saturday afternoons.