The EFL has named IMG as production partner through to the end of the 2027/28 season. The duo have mapped out plans for an enhanced viewing experience from next season onwards.
IMG’s primary task will be to produce EFL match broadcasts for Sky Sports, covering a huge range of matches across the league’s four divisions plus the EFL Cup and EFL Trophy knockout tournaments.
Of the 1,059 matches set to be broadcast by Sky Sports over the three year period, IMG will produce 866 matches per season for the broadcaster’s’ streaming service, with the media group taking on responsibility for the rest.
EFL Chief Commercial Officer, Ben Wright, said: “The start of the 2024/25 season, represents an exciting new era for the EFL with record-breaking rights deals at home and abroad that will see a huge number of games broadcast and a new way of watching for fans of EFL Clubs.
“It was imperative that our Production Partner had the experience, expertise and capability to elevate our broadcast output across our competitions and after a thorough RFP process, it was clear that IMG could offer the world class service level required with the track record to match.
“Having started this relationship in 2019, IMG understands the EFL and the needs of its clubs. The enhancement of that relationship with increased output will provide significant benefit to Sky Sports, clubs, partners and other affiliates. The partnership aims to put fans first, innovate and ultimately deliver an enhanced viewing experience for EFL fans everywhere.”
With the 2023/24 season coming to a close, the EFL has been eyeing up a greater broadcasting profile for the coming campaigns. This has seen the league sign media rights deals with Pitch International and Relevant Sports for worldwide visibility.
Meanwhile, Sky Sports, the leading sports broadcaster in the UK and a household name when it comes to football coverage, will cover all of the league’s tournaments – Championship, League One, League Two and the EFL Trophy – as its primary domestic broadcasting partner.
Although encompassing the second, third and fourth divisions of English football below the Premier League, the EFL is still home to a huge range of historic clubs with many from major cities, and as a result has a strong following both domestically and internationally.
To further complement its media rights arrangements, the league and IMG plan to work on a range of product enhancements. Firstly is the multi-camera offering, which will see more cameras in each division.
Six will be used for championship matches, four for League One and two for League Two, marking an increase from four one and one, respectively. The EFL Cup will have a minimum of two cameras whilst the EFL Trophy will have one until the semi-final stage.
The duo are also targeting enhanced production value including in-game graphics, recaps and highlights from live matches and early kick-off games. Lastly, IMG plans to work with the league alongside NEP Connect Limited to upgrade bandwidth and infrastructure resilience to safeguard streaming coverage of EFL tournaments.
IMG Head of Studios, Barney Francis, remarked: “We are proud of everything we have achieved with the EFL over the past five years, entertaining fans with more than 500,000 minutes of thrilling action, highlights packages and broadcast shows, and building a ground-breaking remote production that’s unrivalled in football globally.
“Our work with the EFL and major global football leagues provides unique, in-depth expertise and understanding of the technical solutions, innovations, workflows and reliability required to deliver a project of this scale through a fan-first lens.
“We are excited to take the EFL viewing experience to the next level for fans domestically and around the world, with upscaled production, enhanced coverage and continued innovation.”
