In a groundbreaking move, all 36 fixtures from the opening round of the three English Football League (EFL) divisions will be broadcasted live on a new Sky Sports + service. This marks the beginning of a new five-year broadcasting agreement between Sky and the EFL, encompassing the professional leagues below the Premier League.
Jonathan Licht, managing director of Sky Sports, expressed excitement over this new partnership, stating, “For the first time, we will broadcast every game live from across the EFL on the opening weekend. It’s a monumental moment for football fans nationwide and a fitting way to kick off our innovative collaboration with the EFL.”
Traditionally, matches that kick-off at 3pm on Saturdays are not allowed to be shown live to UK audiences due to the long-standing blackout rule, also known as Article 48. This rule prohibits the broadcast of live football between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on Saturday afternoons. However, for the opening weekend, this blackout will not be in effect as the Premier League season begins a week later.
The launch of Sky Sports + in August will introduce a new TV channel and live streaming service. This service will offer four times as many EFL matches, with all 72 teams featured more than 20 times throughout the season. In addition to football, viewers can look forward to increased coverage of golf and tennis, including the ATP and WTA Tours, US Open tennis, and PGA Tour golf.
Furthermore, the service will provide a wide selection of sports documentaries and can simultaneously stream over 100 sporting events. This new offering from Sky will surely delight sports fans and revolutionize the way they consume live sports content.
