EFL ignores breakaway threat to sign 595million broadcast agreement with Sky Sports
The EFL has agreed a five-year domestic broadcasting deal with Sky Sports worth a whopping 595million starting from the 2019/20 season.It was unanimously approved by the league’s board, however, it is different to the agreement made with the broadcaster last September.
1The deal is likely to be unpopular with the likes of Leeds UnitedThat was for 600million over five seasons and Sky Sports has also now obtained eight extra midweek games a season. The new deal is worth 119million a season, 31million more per year than the current deal.Despite that, several Championship clubs, including Aston Villa, Derby and Leeds, strongly criticised the original proposal and are unlikely to be happy with the final agreement.But, with Sky imposing a Monday deadline to agree the deal, the EFL board has decided this is the best option on the table for the 72 clubs, particularly as it protects each club’s right to develop their own streaming service for fans here and abroad.In a statement, the EFL’s interim chair Debbie Jevans said: “Having fully considered the matter, its implications and any associated risks, the EFL board is satisfied that the right deal for the EFL and its clubs has been reached.“Concluding these negotiations has indeed been challenging, as is the case when managing a diverse group of stakeholders, and the board took on board the comments and frustrations voiced by a number of clubs and has committed to reviewing the way the league engages with its clubs to ensure that we move forward in a collaborative way in the future.”That is reference to recent suggestions that up to 15 Championship clubs wanted to reject the offer, believing it tied the league in too long and was not worth enough money. Several of these clubs are also understood to have threatened to break away from the EFL if the deal was signed.Under the deal, Sky will be able to broadcast 138 EFL games a season, with a minimum of 20 of those being League One and League Two matches.Sixteen of those games will be Championship matches on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, and Sky will also get eight additional midweek games as co-exclusives with the clubs’ streaming services. They will also be available to Sky’s residential customers via its red button service. Crucially, however, none of these midweek games will available to commercial customers via the red button, although the eight additional games will be televised on a second Sky channel, giving customers in pubs and clubs two options.Keeping EFL games off the red button in pubs was a key consideration for many clubs, as they believe that would damage attendances.The overall package includes all 15 EFL play-off matches, 15 Carabao Cup games and the Checkatrade Trophy’s semi-finals and final.EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey said: “The deal we have entered into with Sky, after fully testing the current market through our external advisors, allows our clubs the benefit of financial security which was an absolute priority for us throughout this process.“It is a partnership that, as well as having the necessary financial benefits, provides the EFL with the platform to maximise reach and exposure for its competitions, alongside providing further opportunities for clubs to monetise some of those games not broadcast on television through a (direct to consumer) offering.”While Harvey will be delighted the board backed a plan he has championed from the beginning, it remains to be seen how his biggest critics will respond, and the three Championship clubs represented on the board – Bristol City, Brentford and Reading – are not understood to be among the potential rebels.Clubs concerned that Harvey was selling the rights too cheaply are unlikely to be pleased by the right Sky will have in the deal’s final two years to increase their broadcast offering to 158 games a season.
Who is Ben Johnson? Meet the 19-year-old full back making his
Manchester United are putting their final touches to their preparations for Sunday's clash with Everton. The Red Devils are in a tough battle to finish in the lucrative top-four Champions League
Man United's Marcus Rashford is Barcelona's 'plan B'- SPORT
Manchester United need to back Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the transfer market if he's to have any chance of delivering success as the manager. Danny Murphy has recommended five signings for the club to strike this summer.
Man Utd News | Team news, injury updates, transfers, new
Liverpool have been dealt a blow ahead of their Champions League semifinal second leg vs. Barcelona with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino missing.
Liverpool injury updates - Roberto Firmino and Naby Keita
Apr 20, 2019 · The battles at the summit of the Premier League table continue as three of the top six teams take the field on Sunday. The title race is still white hot, with both Manchester City and Liverpool
Manchester City - Premier League Live Scores, Stats & Blog
Manchester United 2017/18 'kits' leaked. The new home shirt is likely to be released in July in time for the pre-season tour of the United States, when the Reds will face local rivals
New England Nike kit: 'Leaked' image of rumoured home shirt
Celtic and Rangers in transfer battle to sign Portsmouth
way out Pochettino insists he is happy, but warned the club must start matching their rivals' spending Mauricio Pochettino is creating an exit door for himself by suggesting he's not happy at Tottenham, according to Dean Saunders. The Spurs boss, who has been constantly linked to the vacant jobs at Manchester United and Real Madrid, gave […]
Chelsea transfer news: Five possible replacements for Cesc
Manchester United are struggling to sell tickets for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Young Boys at Old Trafford. United can book their place in the knockout rounds with victory over the Swiss champions but the club have failed to sell out and are offering tickets on general sale.
Manchester United struggling to sell out first Old Trafford
About our Tottenham Hotspur news NewsNow aims to be the world's most accurate and comprehensive Tottenham Hotspur news aggregator, bringing you the latest Spurs headlines from the best Tottenham sites and other key national and regional news sources. Whether it's the very latest transfer news, quotes from a Mauricio Pochettino press
Jose Mourinho faces the sack if he fails to make the Champions League.Manchester United are ready to head in a different direction should they miss out on top-table European football.United sit EIGHTH in the Premier League — a staggering 12 points b
Manchester United news: Bayern Munich sound out Zinedine
No comments:
Post a Comment