Pitch picks up EFL and Lions rights

Pitch International has been named exclusive international media rights distribution partner for the British & Irish Lions’ 2025 Australia tour, and for the EFL in Europe, MENA, and rest of the world regions until the end of the 2027/28 season.

Relevant Sports has will distribute the EFL’s rights in North, Central, and South America, with the pair’s deals meaning, “record guaranteed international rights fees” for the EFL. Pitch distribute 155 exclusive Sky Bet Championship matches, 38 League One and Two matches, all Play-Off matches, all Carabao Cup matches and three Bristol Street Motor Trophy matches, alongside a more comprehensive package of rights for betting platforms.   

For the Americas, Relevent Sports has the ability to sell all Sky Bet EFL matches, all Play-Off matches, all Carabao Cup matches and three Bristol Street Motors Trophy matches. Additionally, Relevent will have all betting rights throughout the US.

In addition, EFL clubs will continue to be able to stream matches directly to fans where there isn’t an exclusive broadcast deal in place.

Boris Gartner, president of Relevent Sports said: “As the EFL’s popularity continues to grow globally, we are thrilled to be partnering on this landmark rights agreement for the distribution of international football in the Americas. We are confident that Relevent’s expertise in co-investing with our partners will deliver a fantastic viewing experience and will drive new fans to the EFL. We are passionate about football and this collaboration underscores our commitment to bringing one of Europe’s most watched and highest quality leagues to millions of sports fans throughout the Americas.’’

EFL Chief Executive Trevor Birch said: “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.”

Meanwhile, Pitch’s deal for the British & Irish Lions’ Australia tour also includes international broadcast rights for all the Lions’ behind-the-scenes documentaries since 1997, as well as all live games excluding the UK, Ireland and Australia.

Pitch will also be selling and distributing highlights of the 2025 Tour to free-to-air broadcasters in the UK and Ireland as well as live broadcast rights for the Lions 1888 Cup fixture between The British & Irish Lions and Argentina which is taking place at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. This landmark fixture will be simulcast on Sky Sports who have exclusive rights to broadcast the tour live in the UK and Ireland.

Pitch International managing director of football, rugby, and global partnerships, Henri Kamerling, said: “We are excited to be working alongside the legendary Lions and Rugby Australia on what promises to be an incredibly exciting and hard-fought series. We believe that we can use our unique understanding of the rugby media rights landscape to further grow the popularity of this much-loved brand and take it to a truly global audience.”

He added: “The EFL has always been a highly valued and integral part of our business, so we are delighted to be continuing our partnership with them for another four-year cycle. We will continue to work with the League and its clubs to deliver the best broadcast coverage and explore innovative ways to grow the global fanbase for their competitions.”

Ben Calveley, CEO of The British & Irish Lions, commented, “The British & Irish Lions has a global fan base of over 14 million and as we continue the countdown to 2025, it is important to ensure all our fans across the world have the opportunity to watch Andy Farrell and the team in action. We are delighted to be partnering with Pitch for our international media rights distribution and look forward to working with them to bring the eagerly anticipated 2025 Tour to even more fans around the world.”

Phil Waugh, CEO of Rugby Australia, said, “The British & Irish Lions Tour is one of the great sporting spectacles in the world of sport and Rugby Australia is excited to be welcoming back the Lions for the first time in 12 years. As part of that spectacle, we’re committed to delivering world class coverage across the globe and this partnership goes a long way to achieving that. We look forward to working with The Lions and Pitch over the coming months as preparations for the 2025 Tour continue to intensify.”