Sports broadcasting giant DAZN has launched a proposal to broadcast every EFL game in one run, which would spell the end of the 3 p.m. blackout at football league level.
DAZN has 20 million followers worldwide but is best known for its UK boxing offerings after teaming up with Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom last year. The move to EFL rights marks the start of a major step in English football that we hope will make the company ‘super-big’.
I expects DAZN to also honor its promise to bid for Premier League rights when broadcasters are expected to be invited to bid later this year and compete against traditional sports broadcasting giants such as Sky and TNT Sports (previously BT Sport).
DAZN has made a “significant” bid for worldwide rights to the EFL from the 2024/25 season as part of a planned overhaul of how the competition will be covered. His rivals include newcomers Viaplay and Sky Sports, and the EFL is currently running tenders before presenting preferred options to clubs who can then vote.
The most striking part of the proposal is the dimming off at 3:00 pm, which means that game footage will not be shown between 2:45 pm and 5:15 pm on Saturdays. It has been in existence for 60 years and supporters, including many EFL clubs, claim it maintains a competitive culture and vital revenue.
This will certainly be controversial, but DAZN believes this is off target and if the EFL chooses him as the preferred challenger, it will send a message to clubs that he is holding them back.
The source called the power outage “medieval” and said the younger generation of supporters were turned off because they couldn’t see their clubs.
The streaming giant is adamant that Saturday audiences will not be impacted by games available for streaming, pointing out that illegal streams are readily available and clubs are losing significant revenue.
In fact, DAZN’s game for the EFL and their clubs is that their product is vastly undervalued and their offering will transform the league and provide a platform for all 72 teams, allowing them to close the revenue gap with the Premier League. .
It would be open to partnering with another broadcaster, which could even be a terrestrial broadcaster such as the BBC or ITV that would offer free slot games in prime time.
DAZN coverage includes enhanced behind-the-scenes footage, CCTV, stats, live betting and much better camera angles and production values than the standard iFollow service, which clubs currently charge £10 per game for. He will also launch an EFL version of the NFL’s “RedZone”, a show that allows viewers to see each goal as it is scored.
Sources say the pricing will be “competitive” with a monthly fee for subscribers granting access to each individual league game. In general, Saturday will be kept for all games at 3:00 p.m., but will stick to Sky’s model of moving multiple games to show bigger games each week.
It will be interesting to see how the revolution proposed by DAZN falls on 72 clubs, all of which have very different priorities and supporters. Although the EFL has been open about ending the blackout, some clubs believe it would be disastrous and the Football Fans’ Association continues to support it.
Other clubs are making significant revenue from iFollow and want to know if their stake in the new deal will replace it before they vote on it.
DAZN clearly believes it can help introduce the league to a new generation of fans – both domestically and internationally – and make it more attractive to sponsors.
The bidding process has reportedly been completed and the EFL plans to host the next model broadcast soon, possibly even before the start of next season. The league hopes to significantly increase the value of their rights to nearly £200m a year, double their current value.
Source: I News
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.