Latest news from Coventry City and across the Championship as deal is confirmed between EFL, ITV and Sky Sports
Coventry City matches could be shown on free-to-air television as soon as next season after an agreement was announced between the EFL, Sky Sports and ITV.
A new deal starts in January 2025 and runs until the end of 2026/27. ITV will simulcast five Championship matches in the second half of the 2024/25 season and then 10 games in each of the following two campaigns, as well as the Carabao Cup semi-finals and final next year then ties from every round in the next two seasons. ITV is also extending its EFL highlights package. There will be 55 highlights programmes throughout each season, shown on ITV1, ITV4 and on demand on ITVX.
It comes at a transformational time for televised football outside of the Premier League in England – and the knock-on effect that will have on the fixture diary because so many games will shift from the traditional Saturday afternoon slot. There will be more than 1,000 games broadcast live every season in the Championship, League One and League Two – including at least 24 Coventry league games each season – as part of a £935 million deal with Sky.
All opening weekend, final day, mid-week and Bank Holiday games – including Easter, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day – will be on TV. Opening day matches can still kick off at 3pm on Saturday, August 10 because the blackout rule – which doesn’t allow live football on TV between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on a Saturday to protect match attendances – only applies when 50 per cent of Premier League and Championship matches are scheduled. The Premier League doesn’t kick-off until a week later.
All 15 play-off matches, all 93 Carabao Cup matches and all 127 EFL Trophy matches will also be shown live on Sky. All games will have commentary and viewers will be able to pause and rewind, which wasn’t an option using the previous red button facility.
Six matches across the EFL are expected to be played with a 12.30pm kick-off on Saturdays and there will be one or two on both Friday evenings and Sunday lunchtimes.
The fixture list is to be announced on Wednesday, June 29 at 9am. Sky say that television selections, dates and times for matches in August in September will be confirmed in early July and all picks up to January will be confirmed before the season starts.
EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said: “We want the EFL to be accessible to as many audiences as possible, and this extra offering, with no additional subscription required, only enhances our reputation.”
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