Millwall, QPR, Leeds United and rivals set for financial boost as EFL confirm key decision

Millwall and QPR could be set for a financial boost due to a decision made by the EFL. The organisers of the Championship, League One and League Two are looking to expand the brands of the leagues and its clubs after striking a juicy television deal.

The EFL recently struck a deal worth £935million with Sky Sports for the domestic broadcast of fixtures, with £895million to be paid upfront for the rights plus a further £40million in additional marketing benefits.

The new deal will see many more fixtures broadcast domestically, while Sky Sports have also struck a deal with ITV to show some Championship and Carabao Cup games for free from January 2025.

The EFL also agreed a new international broadcast deal in May with Relevent Sports and Pitch International, with the new deal spanning four years. While the details of the deal are undisclosed, the EFL say it is a ‘record deal’ in terms of fees.

EFL Chief Executive Trevor Birch said of the deal: “These new agreements represent not only guaranteed levels of revenue but also present the League and our 72 Clubs with a fantastic opportunity to establish further the EFL as a premium football brand in markets across the world.

“In Pitch and Relevent we have two partners with an in-depth understanding of the global TV rights markets and that knowledge, coupled with the enthusiasm of their teams, will hopefully ensure we achieve our objective of delivering value to Clubs alongside taking EFL football to as wide an audience as possible outside the UK.”

In a fresh announcement, the EFL have now confirmed that they have started a tender process for the rights to produce a documentary series surrounding the three leagues. With a deadline of August 28, the EFL are asking production companies to submit proposals to take on the project with a view to exposing the clubs’ brands to the USA market, in particular.

It’s no secret that Wrexham have achieved huge success with their ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary, with the Welsh club gaining a huge number of new fans in the US and Canada, while they have also landed big sponsorship deals and regular invites to pre-season trips Stateside.

Dragons owner Ryan Reynolds recently admitted the documentary series was central to their plan to grown the club from day one, and given its success, it should be no surprise that the EFL have now followed suit in a bid to make the Championship, League One and League Two more global. It follows the release of a new La Liga All Access series on Netflix on Monday.

What the EFL have said about their new documentary plan

“This is an unrivalled content opportunity with unparalleled access for production partners to the some of the most unpredictable, intense and exciting competitions in world football,” said Ben Wright, Chief Commercial Officer of the EFL.

“The EFL has a rich carousel of story-telling opportunities and between our clubs and competitions, the creative scope for a documentary series is extensive and is a wonderful opportunity showcase the clubs and competitions on a global scale.”

The news could be promising for Millwall and QPR, who could benefit both in terms of finances and global reach.