What Sky Sports+ Could Mean for the Future of Football Broadcasting

Sky Sports has revealed that a new streaming service will debut in the summer of 2024. The new service, Sky Sports+, may have as many as 100 live events happening at once and available to watch for subscribers. This move comes as other streaming services are exploring sports streaming, including rights to broadcast football games.

Streaming Services Move Toward Sports

In the pursuit of growth, a lot of streamers have started to consider adding sports to their library. In other cases, sports channels like ESPN have started their own services like ESPN+. Sky seems to have favoured the latter approach, now that they are launching a service of their own.

It’s no surprise that football is making its way to streaming services. All entertainment is making its way online and for sports, it makes sense that live broadcasting would make the leap to recognisable streamers. Elsewhere, things like betting and iGaming have already found a new life through online platforms and have also become reliable sponsors for football and other sports events. That’s why online users can enjoy the Sahara Riches Cash Collect game, a slot based on the culture of North Africa ahead of Morocco co-hosting the 2030 World Cup, which will also hit streaming when it comes around. What we do know is that football fans will get hundreds of new match streams by the end of 2024, from one of the biggest broadcasters in the business.

This latest move by Sky Sports was no doubt influenced by giants like Netflix and Amazon hunting for sports streaming rights in late 2023. This first started in the world of American sports, as Amazon struck a deal with the Diamond Sports Group. Earlier this year, Netflix broadcast its first-ever live sports event, The Netflix Cup. It was a golf tournament that pitted golfers against F1 racers, a roster made up of sportsmen who had a previous working relationship with the streaming platform. It seems to have been a test, as now Netflix is trying to poach NFL streaming rights for the Christmas period. If Sky Sports’ moves start a trend, we’re likely to see the same thing in the football leagues.

Everything We Know About Sky Sports+

In a May 8^th announcement, Sky Sports+ confirmed it was following the example of other broadcasters by doubling down on sports streaming. If successful, they could instantly become one of the biggest sports streamers in the world. It’s expected to debut in August of 2024, assuming there are no delays. When the summer comes, existing Sky Sports customers will get the Sky Sports+ channel for no additional cost.

In their statement, Sky Sports said that all 72 clubs in the EFL were privately solicited for a broadcast deal. Each of them signed off on the new platform, which was also backed by the league’s board members. This means that next season, Sky Sports will be the home of 1,059 EFL fixtures. However, it’s a five-year deal that doesn’t expire until the 2028-29 season, so fans can expect a lot more than that.

Nearly £900 million is backing this new deal between Sky and the EFL, which will allow Sky Sports to quadruple the EFL coverage they’ve put out in the past. New coverage includes the EFL trophy games and the Carabao Cup. The Sky Sports+ platform will show more than just football, of course, but they’ve started strong with this new agreement. It also has pundits asking if a similar sweetheart deal can be arranged with the Premier League in the future.