Leeds United fans should be buzzing with The Athletic’s new Sky Sports reveal – View
Leeds United and the rest of clubs in the EFL are going to see their fixtures planned far more in advance on TV scheduling terms for next season.
The Whites have proven to be the biggest commercial entity in the Championship whenever they’re in the division, often the subject of televised games moved at a moment’s notice.
Sky Sports are those in charge of deciding who is on the TV each week in the EFL, and their choice to have Leeds on more often than not is something that never sits right with the fans travelling up and down the country at inconvenient times.
The Athletic reveal key Sky Sports change for Leeds and EFL clubs
The Athletic have shared a crucial update with regards to the upcoming EFL season, in conjunction with the fixtures being unveiled this week.
They revealed on Tuesday that the EFL have amended the way in which broadcasters are able to arrange televised games, meaning that the first half of the season will be moved around for Sky Sports’ package all at once:
“The official fixture list will be published on Wednesday, June 26 at 9am.
“There will be a later announcement, anticipated to be sometime in July, confirming which matches have been selected for broadcast on Sky Sports along with any changes to kick-off times. This list should include all games running up to the January break for the third round of the FA Cup.”
More good news for Leeds comes in the way of an attempt to find parity on how often a club is going to be televised next season, after the Whites were on TV 33 times last season:
“Leeds will be selected less often on Sky after Daniel Farke’s team were shown 33 times in 2023-24. As part of the new deal, the EFL has promised more parity for teams shown on TV, with a commitment for each of the 72 teams to be broadcast a minimum of 20 times. Championship clubs will be selected a maximum of 24 times.”
Sky Sports’ attempts to mute a certain chant ringing around Elland Road and away ends during Leeds’ televised games tells you all you need to know about the frustration with moving games, not least moving them late notice.
Fans make plans long in advance to watch the club across the country, using a faulty national transport network that isn’t appreciative of passengers changing their plans at the last minute, and they are more than justified to voice their discontent to the broadcasters that have made their priorities clear: match-going fans being right at the bottom.
