Premier League & EFL Explore Joint Global Broadcast Rights

The Premier League is reportedly exploring a deal with the English Football League (EFL) that will see the pair sell their overseas broadcast rights as one package.

According to the Daily Mail, any potential agreement would come into play from the 2028/29 season and would see the EFL receive 14.75% of the returns on the pooled rights.

The Premier League would also agree other financial assistance to the lower leagues, including an additional £130m-a-year in contributions to the leagues and an immediate £88m bonus payment this season.

The details were reportedly presented to EFL clubs at a meeting in Derby and would represent a major breakthrough in what has been a protracted stand-off with the Premier League for several years as the lower leagues strive for fairer distribution of top-flight money.

However, it is understood that the EFL has not yet received any formal offer. The EFL clubs are said to be engaging in a ‘proactive debate on the current status of the discussions’ around a potential deal. 

The EFL has stated that it will now enter into ‘targeted consultation with all EFL clubs in smaller groups, to consider additional context and detail of the proposal. Club views will be collated to inform the discussions with the Premier League, which have been ongoing throughout 2023,’ as it seeks ‘a speedy and satisfactory conclusion to improve the financial health of EFL clubs.’ 

Any impact on the world feed broadcast is not clear. The Premier League and IMG’s joint venture Premier League Productions currently delivers its world feed to global broadcasters, while Pitch International produces and distributes the EFL’s world feed.

IMG facilitates the host broadcast for one EFL Saturday 3pm fixture in that as well as being the production partner for the iFollow direct-to-consumer platform. 

The Premier League’s current overseas TV contracts are worth around £5bn over three years and their value has outstripped that of domestic deals, with the EFL due to go to market with their overseas rights for 2024 to 2028 in the next few weeks.

The two organisations will continue to negotiate domestic rights separately, with the Premier League set to put its rights out to tender later this year, with Sky Sports, TNT Sports, and Prime Video currently holding the live rights.

The EFL recently agreed a £935m deal with Sky Sports to show over 1,000 games-a-season until the end of the 2028/29 campaign.