A massive shake-up for Swindon Town with new Sky Sports deal
Saying goodbye to 3pm kick-offs
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A new deal turning the match day calendar on its head for Swindon
By STFC writer Sam Morshead
Sky Sports and the EFL are about to deliver the biggest shakeup to the lower-league calendar in years. Are you ready for it?
A new broadcast deal comes into effect next season, whereby Sky will take ownership of the streaming of EFL games. More than 1,000 matches a year will be shown on the new Sky Sports + platform, with the old iFollow club streaming system turned off for UK audiences.
The Saturday 3pm slot will remain almost entirely off-limits as part of the blackout rule designed to protect the football pyramid, although every EFL opening-day fixture will be shown, as the legislation only covers matches taking place during the regular Premier League campaign.
And with Sky committing to screening every League Two team at least 20 times a season, that means Swindon will have 19 games outside the traditional window in 2024/25. So be prepared for kick-offs on a Friday night, Monday night, Saturday lunchtime and evening, and Sunday early afternoon.
Its impact, both in terms of broadcast revenue and on matchday attendance, will only be felt in time.
Swindon Town declined to comment when asked by The Ink how the new broadcast deal would impact the club, either positively or negatively, and no senior member of staff was made available for interview on the subject.
Town have repeatedly referred to the iFollow platform as “an important revenue stream for the club which drives monies straight to us” in Advisory Board notes, though it is unclear what its earning power has been in recent years.
Where iFollow has been available – for matches that fall outside the Saturday afternoon blackout window for viewers in the UK, and for all games for those overseas – audience numbers typically range between 50 and 400.
The new broadcast arrangement with Sky is understood to be worth around £225,000 annually to clubs in League Two, and around double that to clubs in League One.
On matchdays when a fixture has been selected, it will be interesting to note the change in walkup attendances – particularly away following.
It’s EFL life, but not as we know it.
Life in a vacuum, by Swindon Town
It is now more than two weeks since Swindon Town ended their League Two season.
Gavin Gunning is well into his third ‘Truss’ as interim head coach – at 119 days, his temporary tenure has now stretched as long as the average gestation of an armadillo.
And yet, still, silence. Not a word, from any senior figure. Swindon Town has entered a vacuous state.
No wonder, then, that rumours abound. Where there is a void to fill, speculation comes into its own.
And the curious case of Swindon’s approach for Dean Brennan is a perfect example.