Espn+ Pens US EFL Media Rights Deal
ESPN+, ESPN’s own US sports streaming service, has reached an exclusive, multi-year extension for media rights to the English Football League (EFL) and the Carabao Cup, the knockout competition for all of England’s Premier League and EFL clubs.
The Disney-owned sports broadcast platform’s previous deal with the EFL concluded at the end of the 2021/22 season, but ESPN was given permission to continue showing games at the beginning of the 2022/23 season, which kicked off on 29th July, while negotiations continued.
The agreement for the upcoming campaign will bring the US audience at least 182 English Football League matches and at least 30 Carabao Cup matches, providing both English and Spanish commentary for viewers.
All three SkyBet Play-Off Final matches for the Championship, League One and League Two that will take place in May 2023 are included in the deal.
ESPN+ will also livestream three EFL Trophy (Papa Johns Trophy) matches, the knockout competition for the 48 EFL League One and League Two clubs and, 16 Premier League U21 sides, which will be the two semi-finals and a final.
ESPN+ will be offering exclusive EFL highlights programmess across the Championship, League One, League Two and the Carabao Cup competitions.
Sonia Gomez, ESPN Senior Director for Programming and Acquisitions, said, “The renewal of EFL and the Carabao Cup rights further demonstrates our commitment to make ESPN+ a must-have for soccer fans in the US.”
“The EFL, and its storied tradition of tiered competitions, is a bedrock of association football. We are pleased to have this signature property as a part of ESPN+’s ever-expanding soccer portfolio.”
Ben Wright, EFL Chief Commercial Officer, added, “The EFL continues to be one of the world’s top football competitions, with vast appeal both at home and globally. The increase in the number of our matches being shown on ESPN+ shows that the demand for EFL content is stronger than ever, with the league competition and Carabao Cup attracting hundreds of millions of viewers across the world.
“We are delighted that supporters throughout the US can enjoy premium coverage whilst following another exhilarating and entertaining EFL season.”
