The EFL is looking at ending the 3pm Saturday television blackout, meaning that all football matches in the 2024-25 season would be available for live broadcast, the Mail reported.
Facebook, Netflix, Google, Apple and Amazon have been drawn attention to – as they prepare to be offered TV rights, it is believed, within the next 12 hours.
The Mail outlined that the tender document is understood to be a request for proposals, ‘not a fixed offering’.
“Rights for all 1,891 matches across the league, EFL Cup, EFL Trophy and all end of season play-off matches are available for prospective bidders,” commented the EFL in a statement.
Showing matches between 14:45 and 17:15 is currently prohibited by both the EFL and the Premier League, although there is one exception.
The blackout only applies when 50% or more of Premier League and Championship matches are scheduled for a 3pm kickoff.
As a result, if the usual Saturday programme was altered so that less than half of top-flight and second division games started at 3pm, rights to these matches could be sold.
As the English governing body aims to change the broadcast market, reports claimed that by selling more matches this way there is the possibility of a better deal than the present £595m five-year contract with Sky Sports.
This current streaming partnership was originally agreed back in November 2018 and includes 138 games-per-year, with only two Championship matches shown at the weekends.
In 2019, the EFL looked into reviewing the process involved in pushing through this five-year collaboration after a number of teams expressed concerns over the deal.
Some Championship teams were said to be pushing for a vote of no-confidence in the EFL’s board, due to ongoing doubt over the nature of the agreement with the pay-TV provider.
On the new considerations, EFL Chief Commercial Officer, Ben Wright, noted the organisation’s ‘rich tradition and distinguished history’ with is a desire to evolve, grow and innovate.
“In order to grow our audience further, we’re looking for a partner or partners who share that vision,” he said.
