Leeds United limited to specific number of live TV matches in 2024/25 after new £935m deal

admin | June 25, 2024 | Leeds United | No Comments

Leeds United’s Championship games will be shown live in the United Kingdom a maximum of 24 times next season as part of a newly-restructured EFL broadcast deal with Sky Sports.

The Whites were the box office pick last term with 33 of their encounters broadcast live to a television audience while kick-off times were often moved at short notice.

In a bid to improve Sky’s EFL offering in 2024/25, the broadcaster has committed to showing each EFL club at least 20 times over the course of the season, which will consequently limit the number of times Leeds are on the box.

Additionally, dates and times for televised fixtures will be provided well in advance of their scheduled kick-off, which will assist match-going fans in arranging travel and other amenities. Previously, matches were subject to change anywhere up to five weeks before the date they were scheduled to be played, while others were moved at even shorter notice due to cup fixtures and scheduling clashes.

According to The Athletic, all planned televised fixtures during the first half of the 2024/25 EFL season will be announced at some point next month, as part of the league’s new £935 million domestic TV rights deal.

Leeds supporters have for several years been vocal towards Sky for their tendency to move fixtures at short notice, inconveniencing fans with kick-off times that do not align with transport availability, particularly for away matches.

Games are still set to be played on Friday evenings, for example, as well as potential Monday and Thursday night offerings, although supporters are set to know much earlier when these fixtures will take place. This should also ensure transport operators are informed ahead of time, allowing them – in theory, at least – to provide rail services catering to kick-off times, however there is no guarantee of alignment between football and transport authorities on this matter.

All League Cup matches will be included in the bumper new deal, as well as each play-off fixture come the end of the season.

Leeds will discover their provisional fixture list for the upcoming season on Wednesday, June 26 at 9am. All fixtures are subject to change for live broadcast until stated otherwise.

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