Daily Mail: EFL to enter exclusive talks with Sky Sports over upcoming TV rights

Story from Daily Mail:

Sky Sports has been named as the preferred bidder for the EFL's live TV rights from 2024-25.

Sportsmail revealed last October that the EFL were inviting offers to televise all of their 1656 matches each season in a bold proposal that would require ending the 3pm Saturday blackout, which has been in place since the 1960s.

That was a proposal streaming service DAZN were particularly keen on - and yet the EFL is now entering 'exclusive' month-long talks with Sky Sports, having chosen them ahead of interest from DAZN, Viaplay and BT Sport.

Sky currently hold the rights to the EFL's matches but that five-year deal is due to expire at the end of the 2023-24 season.

Under the terms of Sky's current £119million-a-year deal, the broadcaster shows 138 live EFL games each season.

Sportsmail understands that the next round of rights is set to fetch more than £200m, with the EFL convinced there is a greater demand to show more matches across the three divisions live.

Typically two Championship matches are broadcast each weekend, leaving fans of League One and League Two clubs without a chance to see a live broadcast, triggering debates in the bidding process for services like DAZN to show every single EFL match across the Championship, League One and League Two live.

Last season just 20 League 1 fixtures were broadcast live and only 10 from League 2, with the result that 26 clubs were not on TV throughout the entire campaign.

But in a statement on Monday confirming exclusive talks with Sky Sports about a new TV rights contract, it appears league bosses are prioritising a renewal over a move to a rival.

Sportsmail understands that along with Sky Sports, BT Sport and Swedish company Viaplay are also understood to have lodged bids with the EFL.