The English Football League (EFL) structure, comprising the three tiers of soccer below the Premier League, has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the distribution of international broadcast rights for the next cycle.
The international broadcast rights to the EFL's Championship, League One, and League Two divisions are scheduled to expire following the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.
The new rights tender will cover the period from the beginning of the 2024-25 season through to the end of the 2027-28 season. Bids must be lodged by 5pm (GMT) on November 17, 2023.
Sports agency Pitch International has held the distribution rights for the EFL since 2018, promising to bring in $160 million over its initial rights cycle, a 68% increase from the previous cycle.
The company subsequently extended its hold over these rights in June 2022 to last until the end of the 2023-24 season to align the league’s domestic and international rights contracts from 2024-25 onwards.
The tender comes off the back of the EFL securing a record domestic rights tie-up with Sky in May, with the pay-TV broadcaster gaining the rights through to the end of the 2028-29 season for a record $1.1 billion over the course of the deal.
Ben Wright, EFL chief commercial officer, stated: "With global TV audiences of hundreds of millions across 187 territories alongside matchday attendances at their highest for 70 years, there is clearly a high demand for EFL football both here in the UK and across the globe.
Wright continued: “We are therefore inviting partners who can help us to broaden international distribution and exposure, improve the quality of our content, and to explore innovative commercial and marketing avenues so that we can strengthen our global audiences, improve our profile, and ultimately deliver increased broadcast revenues into the member Clubs.”
Following the end of the coming international rights cycle in 2028, the EFL could bundle its rights in with the Premier League, following proposals to do so in September.
The financial redistribution proposal given to the EFL by the Premier League will see the top-tier league increase its payments to the EFL by £358 million ($448.8 million) over the next three seasons by selling their future international TV rights together.
The EFL will provide feedback on the proposal to the Premier, after which an updated proposal will be presented and the 72 constituent EFL clubs will vote.
