Sky Sports and ITV have reached a provisional agreement allowing UK football fans to watch select Carabao Cup and Championship fixtures on free-to-air television.

Starting in January 2025, this deal will cover the Carabao Cup semi-finals and will continue until the end of the 2026/27 season. Under this arrangement, ITV will co-broadcast a select number of games alongside Sky Sports. The EFL Clubs have approved this agreement in line with the League’s regulations. Each season, ITV will broadcast at least nine Carabao Cup matches, including:

one tie from each of the first four rounds
one additional tie from either the third or fourth round
two quarter-final ties
one semi-final tie
the final

Additionally, ITV will simulcast 10 matches from the EFL Championship each full season, and five matches in the second half of the 2024/25 season, with the option to flex their selection to matches from League One or League Two.

The deal coincides with the launch of the groundbreaking partnership between the EFL and Sky Sports at the start of the 2024/25 season. This partnership will see over 1,000 matches broadcast live each season—four times the current number—ensuring all 72 teams are featured more than 20 times per season. These games will be accessible to sports fans through Sky Sports+, which includes multiple live streams, a new dedicated channel, and an upgraded Sky Sports mobile app, all at no additional cost for Sky Sports subscribers. This extensive coverage will provide EFL clubs with unprecedented exposure, and starting in 2025, ITV’s additional reach will bring even more League action to a broader audience, reaching millions of football fans.

Separately, ITV has extended its existing EFL highlights deal for the coming three seasons. The broadcaster will screen at least 55 highlights shows per season.

Jonathan Licht, Managing Director of Sky Sports, said:

“This momentous upcoming season of over 1,000 matches from the EFL on Sky Sports+ shows our huge ambition and increased dedication to the EFL and its supporters. Working with a free-to-air broadcaster isn’t new for us and many of our partners, as we endeavour to help grow and broaden audiences for sports.

With ITV set to simulcast a select number of matches from the EFL from 2025 alongside Sky Sports full coverage, it means that millions of football fans in the UK will be able to enjoy plenty of action from the Cup and League, boosting the exposure for clubs which is great news for all.”

Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport added:

“This deal brings viewers free to air coverage of top level knockout football over the coming years, as well as standout matches from the EFL, adding regular live matches to our highlights shows. We’re looking forward to bringing fans some superb action and insight from this new, fuller EFL package across the next few seasons.”