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Sources: Sunderland to cash in from four-way bidding war as £200m deal on the cards
The EFL are “very confident” of securing a far more lucrative TV deal that could be worth millions more to the likes of Sunderland every year, sources have told Football Insider.
As has been reported elsewhere, it is understood that at least four broadcasters will bid for the domestic rights – Sky Sports, BT Sports, DAZN and Viaplay.
Significantly, London-based firm DAZN want to buy broadcast privileges for every single EFL game, which could lead to the end of the 3.00pm blackout which has been in place since the 1960s.
Sources have told this site that Sky Sports, who will remain the sole broadcaster of EFL matches until the end of the 2024-25 campaign, see OTT platforms such as DAZN and Swedish firm Viaplay as a real threat.
Sky currently pays £119m per year to air 138 matches, but the EFL believe that the value of the next deal could almost double to £200m.
It is understood that Rick Parry and Trevor Birch, chairman and CEO of the EFL respectively, are “very confident” that the interest of disruptors from the OTT sector will illustrate the value of their product.
If a £200m a year deal can be achieved, it would be hugely significant for sides like Sunderland, who can currently expect to earn around £10m per season in a typical Championship season under the current TV deal.
The EFL is also in talks with the Premier League about improvements to the financial distribution system between the two top rungs of English football.
The Premier League has offered an extra £125m in solidarity payments per year but will not budge on parachute payments, which the EFL’s top brass want scrapped altogether.
In other news, Sunderland set sights on Blackburn Rovers star Bradley Dack.