Every opening EFL match will be shown live on Sky Sports. All 36 games across the Championship, League One and League Two are to be screened by the broadcaster, which has also vowed to show each club no fewer than 20 times and every second tier club at least 24 times.
A new channel, SkySports+, will be at the forefront of the coverage, with eight cameras at each game. Matches will be streamed and, for the first time, fans will be able to pause and rewind.
Sky Sports signed a rights deal with EFL and will show more than 1,000 games over the course of the season. For the opening weekend, the traditional 3pm blackout will not apply.
Broadcasters have previously come in for criticism from some fans for moving kick-off times and dates around at short notice. However, Sky will pick every game until January before the season starts. They will then announce games up to March in November.
Traditional slots will remain with matches likely to be shown on a Friday night and on Saturday and Sunday afternoons. There are no plans to show games on Sunday evenings.
All 36 games across the Championship, League One and League Two are to be screened by the broadcaster
Sky Sports signed a rights deal with EFL and will show more than 1,000 games over the course of the season
Wrexham will be playing in the third tier next season after storming to promotion at their first attempt
Sky will undertake a recruitment drive to bring in the commentators needed and have vowed to ensure the standard will be high. Viewers will also be able to rate the performances of players.
The blackout applies when 50 per cent of Premier League and Championship matches are scheduled. Because the Premier League season will not have started on the weekend of August 9-11, games can be shown at 3pm.
Managing director Jonathan Licht said: ‘For the first time we will broadcast every game live from across the EFL on the opening weekend. It’s going to be a huge moment for football fans up and down the country and is a fitting way to kick off our groundbreaking new partnership with the EFL.
‘And this is just the beginning; Sky Sports+ unlocks the potential for us to keep evolving and finding new ways to deliver brilliant sport to our customers.’
