EFL agrees new television deal
The English Football League has agreed to a controversial new television rights contract with Sky Sports, worth £595m.
But a large number of the Championship's clubs feel it undervalues how much the rights are worth and will meet on Tuesday for further discussion on their next move.
One senior club executive said: "The EFL has just started a war."
Sky sports will show 138 league matches a season including every play-off game and the Carabao Cup final. They will also show 14 ties from the earlier rounds of the Carabao Cup and both the semi-finals and final of the Checkatrade Trophy.
Sky have the option to increase the number of games to 158 in the last two years of the deal - these matches can only be taken from weekend games.
The list of Championship games to be broadcast will include 16 on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, with an additional eight to be broadcast concurrently.
It is understood that among the clubs opposed to the new contract are Derby County, Leeds United and Aston Villa.
Leeds chairman Andrea Radrizzani, who is the CEO of broadcaster ElevenSports, has criticised the current deal, saying clubs are not getting enough money for games which are shown on live television.
'Unanimous decision'
It’s reported that the nine-member EFL Board unanimously agreed to the contract, including representatives of three Championship clubs, Reading, Brentford and Bristol City.
The agreement covers the Championship, League One and League Two, with the money split between all 72 clubs depending on which division they play in.
In a statement, the EFL interim chair Debbie Jevans said that she will review how the league discusses future contracts with clubs as a result of the concerns:
"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," she said.
However, the Premier League's three-year television contract with Sky and BT Sport worth £4.55bn, but the amount Amazon paid for one package of games is yet to be revealed.
"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," said EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey.
"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 DTC offering."
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