Major £15m EFL deal to impact Leeds United and rivals with games shown for free
Leeds United fans might be able to watch their side on free to air television next season
Sky Sports and ITV are reportedly in talks over a sublicensing agreement that could see a number of Leeds United games shown on free to air television. Daniel Farke's Leeds were a favourite for broadcasters this season with 35 games being selected and shown over the course of the campaign.
Of course, that includes their three play-off ties with the Whites coming within inches of winning promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking before just falling short. Leeds have already been installed as the bookmakers' favourites to win the Championship title next time around and the club can expect to see a number of fixtures moved in order to feature on Sky Sports once more.
However, according to i News, if a deal between ITV and Sky Sports is agreed upon and finalised, Leeds fans may be able to watch a select number of their side's games on terrestrial TV next season. The two broadcasters are in talks over a £15 million deal that would give ITV the right to show 20 games from the Championship and League Cup next season.
Sky Sports currently hold exclusive EFL rights with the company paying £935m to show games over the next five seasons. As part of the deal Sky will be able to show over 1,000 games per season, with a new Sky Sports+ streaming service to be made available.
That means every fixture from the Championship, League One and League Two that doesn't break the Saturday 3pm blackout will be made available to watch, while every single League Cup tie will also be shown. With games being moved frequently to suit broadcasters, Leeds can expect to feature heavily on Sky Sports next season then.
However, the i News report claims, Sky are keen to explore the sublicensing agreement with ITV to not only bolster interest in the Football League but also offset the cost of their own deal. The report also breaks down how the deal would would work, with ITV set to shown a maximum of 10 Championship games over the course of the season, while they would also be able to show 10 League Cup games, including the final.
ITV would be given a pick of games, but they wouldn't have exclusivity, ensuring any games shown on free to air TV would also be available on Sky Sports.
It should be noted that clubs will have the final say on whether the agreement can come into effect, though. All 72 EFL clubs will be asked to vote on the deal and they hold the power to veto the notion. Only if they get the green light from those stakeholders will the two broadcasters be able to finalise terms.