US soccer fans are set for an exciting change to their consumption of the EFL after Sky Sports renewed their deal.
A blockbuster new domestic broadcast deal between the English Football League and Sky Sports was announced on Monday. While the agreement is specific to the UK market, it will undoubtedly have ripple effects across the pond.
Let’s start with the big news itself. EFL clubs have unanimously approved a record-breaking five-year rights agreement with Sky Sports.
It’s worth a staggering £895 million in guaranteed payments, plus an additional £40 million in marketing benefits.
This deal represents a 50% increase over the previous agreement. It will result in more than 1,000 matches being broadcast each season. This includes the Sky Bet Championship, League One, League Two, Carabao Cup, and EFL Trophy. That’s an unprecedented number for any club football broadcasting rights deal.
iFollow is likely to remain in the US
For fans of EFL teams in the US, one of the intriguing aspects is the fate of iFollow’s streaming service.
The new deal will effectively replace iFollow and other domestic streaming options like WanderersTV within the UK from 2024/25 onwards. However, EFL has confirmed that international streaming services will remain in place.
This means American fans should still be able to watch their beloved clubs through the familiar iFollow platform.
A unique situation to keep an eye on is that of Wrexham AFC. The Welsh club are co-owned by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Their incredible story has been documented in the hit TV series “Welcome to Wrexham,” which has helped the club cultivate a following stateside.
With Wrexham recently earning promotion to the EFL’s League Two and the likelihood of another promotion as early as today, the new broadcasting deal could present some intriguing opportunities to further expand their US fanbase.
ESPN has been a good home to EFL
Of…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/new-efl-deal-with-sky-sports-what-it-means-for-us-soccer-fans
Author : Ed Perovic
Publish date : 2024-04-13 13:50:52
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.