A potential sublicensing agreement might bring various competitions back to free-to-air TV for the first time in 12 years. According to SportsProMedia, ITV is negotiating a significant £15m sublicensing deal with Sky Sports to broadcast live matches from the Championship and the League Cup.
This change, affecting clubs like West Brom, Leeds United, Sunderland, and Portsmouth, could take effect by the start of next season. If successful, it would mark the return of these competitions to free-to-air television for the first time since 2012.
Sky Sports currently holds a five-year, £935m deal with the EFL, effective from the 2024/25 season, to broadcast over 1,000 matches from the Championship, League One, League Two, and various cup competitions. While selected matches will air on Sky’s linear channels, all other games, including every non-3pm Saturday fixture and all EFL Cup ties, will be available on the new Sky Sports+ streaming service.
The i Newspaper reports that Sky aims to increase EFL club exposure and generate revenue to offset the deal’s cost. Sky is also reportedly in talks with Channels 4 and 5, but ITV’s proposal is currently the most attractive. ITV is already known for airing EFL highlights throughout the season.
The current proposal would allow ITV to broadcast 10 EFL Cup ties, including a semi-final and the final, as well as ten Championship games. There would be no exclusivity, meaning Sky could still show the same matches if the deal is finalized.
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