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Caleb Ekuban of Leeds reacts to Aston Villa’s first goal during the Sky Bet Championship match between Aston Villa and Leeds United at Villa Park on April 13, 2018 in Birmingham, England
“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,” EFL Interim Chair Debbie Jevans commented on Monday. “The Board looks forward to continuing the excellent relationship and partnership it has with Sky Sports.”
Under the deal, Sky Sports will have the right to stream midweek Championship fixtures via its interactive services.
The clubs can live-stream in the U.K. and Ireland any non-televised league match via the EFL run iFollow service, apart from those in the Saturday afternoon blackout period. The rule prevents live football being televised between 2.45 p.m. and 5.15 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon.
Leeds United owner Andrea Radrizzani’s Eleven Sports Network had flouted that directive earlier this season with its Italian Serie A coverage and Spanish La Liga matches, but has since relented to honor the rule.
However, this is just one way it’s believed Football League clubs feel that potential revenue streams are being cut off from them and that the new deal with Sky does not reflect their best interests.
Championship clubs will receive around £3 million as part of the deal, aside from of what they get for televised games.
“The EFL board is satisfied that the right deal for the EFL and its clubs has been reached.” Jevans said on Monday. No further official comment has been made since Tuesday’s club statement.
Even though the likes of Leeds and Aston Villa have not played in the Premier League for several seasons, they are still amongst the best supported sides in England and regularly have fixtures moved for television coverage.
Radrizzani has been outspoken of his clubs treatment in the past, believing this to be another reason why the bigger clubs in the division should have been free to negotiate more bespoke deals, since their matches draw bigger television audiences.
Disclosure: Comcast, which owns CNBC parent NBCUniversal, is the owner of Sky.
