English Football League clubs agree new £935M broadcast deal

English Football League clubs have agreed a new £935 million ($1.18 billion, 1.07 billion euros) rights deal with broadcaster Sky Sports, it was announced Friday.

More than 1,000 matches a season will be broadcast, with the EFL representing the three divisions -- Championship, League One and League Two -- below the Premier League.

But the Saturday blackout, which means games that kick off at the traditional 3:00 pm local time (1400 GMT) cannot be broadcast live in the UK, will remain in place.

The five-year deal, consisting of guaranteed payments of £895 million and £40 million in marketing rights, will begin in 2024/25 and run to the end of the 2028/29 season.

It represents a 50 percent increase on the league's current deal with Sky, which expires at the end of next season.