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Breaking down Sky Sports’ new EFL deal

Wosti por Wosti -

Sky Sports’ new five-year deal with the English Football League (EFL) will see the end of games being streamed live on iFollow. This new arrangement will also comprehensively change the way supporters watch football in the United Kingdom and Ireland with over 1000 matches per season set to be shown live. 

What is iFollow and why is Sky replacing it?

Sky Sports will replace the existing broadcaster iFollow from the 2024/2025 season onwards. The EFL struck a deal with iFollow in 2017 which allowed fans to buy passes to watch games for £10. The coverage was basic and initially didn’t allow viewers to watch replays in real time. 

Essentially, the iFollow streaming setup wasn’t designed for supporters but rather introduced to ensure that clubs no longer had to bike tapes of their afternoon games to studios before the various highlight shows aired later that night. 

Such a simple system was always likely to be replaced and Sky Sports’ £935 million deal per season has done that.

How many games will Sky Sports broadcast?

Sky Sports will now broadcast 1059 matches every season. This means that supporters will now be able to watch their team play at least 20 times a season without any further cost if they are Sky Sports subscribers.

 

It is a notable increase when you consider that most fans of EFL clubs weren’t able to see their team play even once a season on Sky Sports.

Will the 3pm blackout still stand? 

The 3pm blackout rule, otherwise known as ‘Article 48’, which prohibits broadcasters from showing live football on a Saturday between 14:45 and 17:15, will still stand.

 

Instead, this is likely to mean more matches being scheduled for midweek but Sky Sports have promised to set the fixture list in stone for six months without any late changes being sprung on travelling fans. 

Is this financial bonus positive news for all clubs?

The answer is mostly yes but also no to a lesser degree. 

The new financial bonus which represents a 50 per cent increase from the old one with iFollow, is thought to be worth around £500,000 a season for clubs in the EFL.

A club like Carlisle United earned just over £100,000 a season from the previous pricing structure so they stand to gain significantly. 

A club like Leeds United, however, earns substantially more than £500,000 a season so they will be in line to make a loss.

The reality is that this deal hasn't been struck to necessarily bankroll clubs like Leeds who have the added bonus of falling back on parachute payments after relegation from the Premier League. 

It might seem unjust to some but this is the nature of bonuses, they always come with pros and cons that might not suit everyone but broadly work for the majority.

Indeed, whether it’s a new bumper broadcast deal, a performance-related incentive at work, or one of the many online casino bonuses out there, an online casino bonus, the specific stipulated rewards can provide substantial benefits but also carry certain drawbacks that will adversely affect a minority. That's life. 

Of course, while well-supported clubs like Leeds might lose out slightly here, the wider point is that the majority of EFL clubs that have been historically starved of broadcast revenue will benefit from this financial bonus. 

A net gain for the majority of the EFL

With the EFL now among the most-watched football tournaments in Europe, it’s little wonder why Sky Sports have broken the bank to become the official broadcaster. With the majority of fans and clubs set to benefit from this historic deal, the future of the English football pyramid has never looked healthier. 

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