SWEDISH streaming giant Viaplay is emerging as the leading player in the next EFL TV deal.
The company boasts major cash to take some of the many packages going.
There is growing talk that future coverage — starting in the 2024-25 season — will be split between several TV stations and opens the door to streaming.
Sky enjoyed the lion’s share of coverage for years but it is now under threat in the bidding process.
And lower-division clubs are open to the idea of a separate deal for them, meaning more live games.
The EFL’s commercial team will present some of the options at a meeting later this month.
But Viaplay is the new name on the lips of those doing the deals.
And the Viaplay group has been picking up sports contracts all the time.
It snapped up the UK-based Premier Sports for more than £30million last year.
Viaplay also plans to launch in America soon and a football package would help its cause.
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Back in October, SunSport revealed Sky Sports had been hit by poor Championship viewing figures and reported they may axe games in their new broadcast deal.
Insiders said that numbers were low in the first part of the season, with the highest coming in the opening match between Huddersfield and Vincent Kompany’s Burnley.
The exact audience sizes are kept quiet but sources claim the largest was only around 600,000.
