EFL secures record deals for international TV rights
The English Football League (EFL) has secured record deals of at least £148million ($188m) for its international TV rights across a four-season period.
The new deals ensure record guaranteed international rights fees for EFL clubs, with two agencies, Pitch International and Relevent Sports, representing the organisation across global TV markets until the conclusion of the 2027-28 campaign.
The deals could see the EFL — which runs the second, third and fourth tiers of English football (the Championship, League One and League Two), as well as the League Cup and the EFL Trophy — bank more than the minimum guaranteed £148m, which in itself is a 40 per cent increase from the previous agreements.
The EFL will receive at least $132m from Pitch (which covers Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand) and $56m from Relevent (the Americas), which is the agency selling UEFA’s TV rights in the U.S.
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Under these deals, Pitch International will distribute 155 Championship games, 38 League One and League Two matches, all promotion play-off fixtures, Carabao Cup rounds, and three EFL Trophy matches.
Relevent Sports, meanwhile, will sell all EFL matches, promotion play-off games, Carabao Cup rounds, and three EFL Trophy fixtures across the Americas. Additionally, they will manage all betting rights throughout the United States.
Pitch International will provide EFL rights in Europe, MENA, and other regions worldwide. Relevent Sports will spearhead distribution throughout North, Central, and South America, aiming to bolster clubs’ profiles in these regions through dedicated marketing endeavours.
The EFL said in a statement that as part of the new agreement, “clubs will be able to continue international streaming services direct to fans overseas, where matches are not being broadcast exclusively, enabling those based abroad the chance to watch their team’s matches throughout the whole season”.
“These new agreements represent not only guaranteed levels of revenue but also present the League and our 72 clubs with a fantastic opportunity to establish further the EFL as a premium football brand in markets across the world,” EFL chief executive Trevor Birch added.
“In Pitch and Relevent we have two partners with an in-depth understanding of the global TV rights markets and that knowledge, coupled with the enthusiasm of their teams, will hopefully ensure we achieve our objective of delivering value to Clubs alongside taking EFL football to as wide an audience as possible outside the UK.”
Pitch is a full-service sports marketing agency, while Relevent is part of the Stephen Ross portfolio of sports and entertainment companies that include the Miami Dolphins, Hard Rock Stadium, F1 Miami Grand Prix and Miami Open Tennis.
In the US, Wrexham have developed a surge in popularity since Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney completed a full takeover in February 2021.
Since then, the club has been promoted from the National League to League Two, documenting their success in the TV series Welcome To Wrexham that is broadcast on FX in the U.S. and Disney+ in the UK.
More than a quarter of the EFL (27), three National League teams and four of the 12 Scottish Premiership clubs all either owned or invested in by U.S.-based groups.
The EFL issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for interested parties regarding its international broadcast rights in October. The existing deal had been due to expire at the end of this season.
In May, EFL clubs unanimously endorsed a domestic rights agreement with broadcaster Sky Sports, valued at £935m over five years from 2024-25 to 2028-29. The deal includes broadcasting over 1,000 matches each season, marking a record number of games for any club football agreement.
