September 18, 2017

All EFL clubs will be able to stream midweek league games via their websites if Sky is not broadcasting them live. The new deal will run from 2019-2024.

However, pursuant to UEFA’s Article 48, games played between 14:45 and 17:15 on Saturdays will continue to be blocked from live streaming.

The Carabao Cup, Checkatrade Trophy and play-offs will continue to be broadcast on Sky as part of the deal.

The EFL will surely be satisfied with a deal that not only greatly increases loyal EFL fans’ ability to view matches going forward but also sees the current £88.3m per season paid for the EFL rights jump to £120m per season under the new terms – an increase of 36%.

This is a further example of the EFL innovating and better leveraging the value of its content and follows the launch earlier in the year of the EFL iFollow streaming platform that provides viewers based outside of the UK with the ability to stream the majority of EFL games.

It will be interesting to see how this deal may affect the next Premier League rights auction: if the EFL can secure a 36% rise in its TV deal, the Premier League must surely be licking its lips at the prospect of getting even greater rises when its auction gets under way next year, a prospect heightened by the fact that Amazon, Google, Apple, Facebook and Netflix have all been talked about as potential bidders in the next Premier League rights auction.