The English Football League (EFL) has secured a record deal for its international TV rights across a four-season period.
The new deal ensures record guaranteed international rights fees for EFL clubs, with two agencies, Pitch International and Relevent Sports, representing the EFL across global TV markets until the conclusion of the 2027-28 campaign.
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.
It is understood that the EFL will secure a minimum of £148million from the agreement.
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”.
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EFL chief executive, Trevor Birch, said: “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.
“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 International is a full-service sports marketing agency, while Relevent Sports 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 across the US 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.
27 per cent of the EFL, three National League teams and four of the 12 Scottish Premiership clubs all either owned or invested in by US-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 £935million 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.
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