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DAZN did make a major reported bid for the English Football League’s UK and international rights in 2023, proposing live coverage of every Championship, League One and League Two match from the 2024–25 season. But it did not replace Sky Sports. The EFL selected Sky as preferred bidder on 3 April 2023, and clubs approved a five-year agreement worth £935 million on 5 May. The deal expanded coverage to 1,059 matches per season while retaining the Saturday 3pm blackout.
What DAZN actually proposed
Contemporary reports described DAZN’s offer as “significant”, but neither DAZN nor the EFL published a confirmed bid value. The reported proposal covered the EFL’s domestic UK and international rights and sought blanket live coverage of the three league divisions: the Championship, League One and League Two. Reports put the league inventory at about 1,656 matches, with slightly different totals appearing because of counting definitions and season calculations.
The bid was not an announced rights award. DAZN was a bidder in the EFL’s tender process, not the new broadcaster. Reports also discussed a possible five-year-or-longer term and the ability to sublicense selected rights. Coverage of associated competitions—including the Carabao Cup, EFL Trophy and play-offs—depended on the package structure being considered, so it should not be assumed that DAZN’s proposal exactly matched Sky’s final inventory.
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Sources: Sports Business Journal, Sportcal and contemporary reporting.
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Why the bid mattered: the Saturday 3pm blackout
Under the traditional English football blackout, domestic live broadcasts are blocked from 2:45pm to 5:15pm on Saturdays. The policy is intended to protect attendances at lower-league grounds by preventing supporters from watching a large number of 3pm kick-offs at home.
An all-games streaming service would have put that policy under immediate pressure. DAZN’s reported plan could have enabled every EFL league fixture to be shown live, including matches in the blocked period. That is why headlines said the offer could “end” the blackout; it was a potential consequence of the proposal, not a decision the EFL had made.
Supporters of removing the restriction argued that fans now expect on-demand access and that streaming could reach people who cannot attend. Opponents warned that Saturday afternoon broadcasts could reduce matchday income for clubs. The eventual Sky agreement preserved the compromise rather than abolishing the rule.
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How the tender ended
- March 2023: Reports emerged that DAZN had submitted a substantial all-games proposal.
- 3 April 2023: The EFL named Sky Sports its preferred bidder and began exclusive negotiations.
- 5 May 2023: EFL clubs unanimously approved the final five-year agreement.
- 2024–25: The new rights cycle began.
- 2026–27: Sky remained the UK domestic rights holder under the agreement running through 2028–29.
The EFL said Sky had submitted the strongest offer. The published evidence supports a record-value package with much greater coverage and protection for the blackout; it does not establish every detail of the confidential comparison or show that price alone decided the tender.
What Sky’s confirmed deal includes
The agreement covers 2024–25 through 2028–29 and is valued at £935 million: £895 million in guaranteed payments plus £40 million in marketing benefits. It provides 1,059 matches per season across Sky Sports channels and its streaming distribution, including Sky Sports+.
| Competition | Matches per season |
|---|---|
| Championship | 328 |
| League One | 248 |
| League Two | 248 |
| Play-offs | 15 |
| Carabao Cup | 93 |
| EFL Trophy | 127 |
| Total | 1,059 |
The total is not 1,059 league matches: it includes cup and play-off fixtures. Sky and the EFL described the package as roughly a 50% increase in rights value and about four times the previous live-match volume.
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Official details: EFL announcement and Sky’s announcement.
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No. The 2:45pm–5:15pm Saturday restriction remains. Sky increased the number of fixtures around it instead: more Saturday lunchtime games, bank-holiday and midweek matches, final-day programming, and additional League One and League Two coverage during international breaks. Fixture selection and rescheduling still determine which individual games are live.
Sky Sports+ also made the larger inventory available through supported televisions, mobile devices and streaming products. That means far more EFL access, not a guarantee that every domestic league match is watchable live.
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What supporters gained—and what they did not
What DAZN’s proposal might have delivered
- Potential live access to every Championship, League One and League Two fixture.
- A single streaming destination for followers of multiple clubs.
- More flexible viewing for supporters unable to attend in person or living abroad.
- A possible rethink of the Saturday blackout.
These were proposed outcomes, not benefits delivered by the UK rights settlement.
What the Sky deal delivered
- More than 1,000 EFL matches each season.
- Every EFL club represented across the season, plus all play-offs and EFL Trophy matches.
- Distribution through Sky Sports channels and Sky Sports+.
- More advance notice for selected televised fixtures than under the previous arrangement.
The trade-off is clear: substantially more coverage without removing the attendance protection built into the blackout. More televised games can also mean more fixture changes for travelling supporters.
Where can fans watch?
UK
Sky Sports and Sky Sports+ carry the principal domestic EFL package through 2028–29. Sky and NOW Sports are the relevant official access routes. NOW can suit viewers who do not want a long-term television contract, but it follows the same rights and blackout rules. Check the EFL’s current guide for product availability.
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United States
UK Sky rights do not apply in America. CBS Sports announced a multi-year, multi-platform EFL agreement for the United States, with coverage distributed through its CBS Sports and Paramount+ services. See the official US announcement for current details.
Other territories
International rights vary by country and may involve local broadcasters, Pitch International, Relevent Sports or club streaming restrictions. Use the EFL’s territory-specific information rather than assuming that a UK subscription works overseas.
What happened to DAZN’s UK football plans?
DAZN did not win the EFL’s UK domestic package. Its later acquisition of English National League rights in 2024 was described as a domestic entry into English men’s football, but it was not an EFL deal. DAZN does hold EFL rights in some international markets, so “DAZN has no EFL rights” would be too broad; the accurate statement is that it did not replace Sky in Britain.
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DAZN changed the 2023 conversation by putting an all-games, streaming-first model on the table. Sky won with a record-value hybrid television-and-streaming package that greatly expanded access while keeping the Saturday blackout. The headline was therefore a real bidding story, not a prediction that came true: DAZN challenged Sky, but Sky retained the UK EFL rights.
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