The frequency with which West Bromwich Albion has been chosen by the rights holders for broadcasting has been a source of frustration for fans across the nation in recent years. Although Sky Sports usually announces their selections one to two weeks before kickoff, there have been understandable complaints nonetheless. This can be inconvenient for the typical fan who, months in advance, may have planned their travel and arranged the logistics of attending a game, only to find out closer to the date that Sky Sports wishes to show the match on their channels.
Although there will be more football available for the average fan to watch from home or in the pub during any given week of the new season, Sky has also promised to give fans more notice so they can make plans well in advance of any given game. The new rights deal is bigger than ever before and will benefit every EFL club as a result.
The day of the traditional 3pm kick off is on the wane; as part of the deal, more games will be televised than ever before. Albion’s first game is at QPR and is one of eight Championship matches being shown at 12:30pm, with seven of them on the new Sky Sports+ channel. While there’ll be more fixture disruption and moving away from the regular Saturday afternoon slots, Baggies supporters and their equivalents around the country will have plenty of notice.
Fans will know the dates and times of their games through the end of September within seven days of the fixtures release. Come August, and the big kickoff, fans will know those dates and times are locked in until the FA Cup’s third round in early January. By 1 November, we’ll know the dates and television selections for the period between January and March. After that, it will be on a rolling four-week schedule.
As far as the clubs chosen for coverage are concerned, Sky has made what has been called a “landmark commitment” to guarantee as little disruption as possible. This could be somewhat relieving for the supporters of Albion, who have been treated unfairly.
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