Streaming Rights for English Football

English football clubs get streaming rights in new Sky deal.

19:26 14 September 2017

The deal between Sky Plc and English football clubs, which amounts to 120 million pound a year, gives teams from England lower-tier professional football leagues the right to stream live games on their website.

 

Those that are set to be streamed are 150 matches from the English Football League’s Championship, League One and League Two divisions, the second, third and fourth tiers of local football under the Premier League as well as cup competitions and the Sky Bet Play-Offs that will run from 2019/20 season until May 2024.

 

“This deal helps the EFL think about how to go direct to the consumer and it also gives the clubs more money,” said Ian Whittaker, an analyst at Liberum. “But it helps Sky in terms of its longevity and it reduces the incentive for consumers to go to pirate sites."

 

According to a letter circulated to the clubs by EFL Chief Executive Officer Shaun Harvey, BT was the highest bidder for a three-year deal at the first round stage.

 

“BT was given an opportunity to make a knockout bid, in the knowledge that should they reach a pre-determined figure, this would be recommended by the executive,” Harvey said in the letter. “BT chose not to make a significantly improved bid.”