Sunderland will begin their 2024/25 Championship campaign with an opening day curtain-raiser against Cardiff City on Saturday lunchtime, shown live on Sky Sports.
Ahead of the new season, the broadcaster is launching Sky Sports+, a service that promises to vastly increase the number of fixtures available to supporters, and that guarantees each club in the EFL will be televised a minimum of 20 times.
To that end, Sky have already announced their first tranche of matches for the Championship, and it makes for interesting reading. Between now and January 6th, a total of 186 games will be shown, 57% of the 328 they plan to broadcast over the course of the campaign as a whole. For the first time ever, every single Championship, League One, and League Two match will be streamed live across the opening weekend, either via Sky Sports+ or on one of Sky’s marquee channels.
The action will begin on Friday night as Preston North End face newly-relegated Sheffield United on Sky Showcase, while weekly roundup show Soccer Saturday will also be shown on Showcase and Sky Mix. But which clubs will be on TV most, and which will be less frequently broadcast over the next few months? The good news for all Championship fans is that even the least watched side will be shown 13 times; for context, Sunderland were live on Sky on just 12 occasions across the entirety of last season.
We’ve taken a closer look at the figures below, ranking the full division from first to 24th.
17. 17. Portsmouth - 15 matches
Pompey are one of several sides who will be shown 15 times between now and the turn of the year. | Getty Images
18. 18. Blackburn Rovers - 15 matches
Rovers endured a tough campaign last term, and will be looking to make a marked improvement over the coming months. | Getty Images
19. 19. Cardiff City - 14 matches
Sunderland's first opponents of the season will be shown 14 times in the early exchanges of the campaign. | Getty Images
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20. 20. Preston North End - 14 matches
Preston lost their last five games of the season, but still managed to finish 10th last term, and will be aiming for a return to form over the coming months. | Getty Images