EFL and Sky Sports decision that impacts West Brom, Swansea and Plymouth Argyle

West Brom face a very different looking Championship next season should they not get promoted.

The Baggies are right in the mix for promotion to the Premier League via the route of the play-offs. Carlos Corberan's men occupied fifth spot for the last few months and need just a couple of results to go in their favour to confirm an extension of their 2023/24 campaign.

It's a tough league to get out of however and whoever doesn't go up automatically out of Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Leicester City and Southampton will be two of the favourites for the play-offs. The end of season spectacle is a lottery and West Brom do stand a chance but should they miss out on promotion this season, then next year will be looking a little bit different to them.

The EFL announced earlier this year a new TV deal over five-years worth £895m and £40m in marketing benefits. Sky Sports will air more than 1,000 matches per season which is a record number for any club football agreement. To broadcast such a number there are going to be some changes, and we'll take you through that.

What are the big changes?

As part of their commitment to the EFL, Sky Sports say that they will show 10 matches a weekend from across English football’s second to fourth tiers. A total of five Championship games will be shown every weekend and then the other five will be split between League One and League Two.

To broadcast such an amount of games whilst dealing with Article 48 which prohibits matches from being shown on Saturday afternoon's from 2.45 pm to 5.15 pm, means that the scheduling of fixtures will be different.

Five Championship matches being broadcast every weekend means that 10 out of the 24 teams will be shown either on television or broadcast, and that means finding suitable slots for them. No time slots have been confirmed as of yet but they will need to work around having any clashes against their coverage of the Premier League after announcing a new broadcast deal with them too.

West Brom should they be in the Championship will not begin their season on a Saturday at 3pm. The new deal includes showing all opening-day fixtures in the Championship, League One and League Two. Their Carabao Cup fixtures will also be available to watch via for the first time.

One of the biggest changes is that domestic streaming for club and iFollow platforms will become a thing of the past. It was a key part of being able to watch your club during the COVID-19 pandemic but now Sky Sports will be the only place you can watch games in the UK if you’re not at the match. Audio commentary is still available should the club host it but domestic streaming is a no. Those outside of the United Kingdom are unaffected and will be able to watch.

For anyone who isn't a Sky Sports subscriber, they will be able to get the 12 Sky Sports channels contract-free either through a NOW Day or Monthly membership.

How will the Baggies benefit?

The guaranteed payment of £895m and £40m in marketing benefits represents a 50% increase on the current rights agreement in place. It means more money will be coming the way to teams in the second tier. The EFL and Premier League recently held talks over a £900m deal which would see money filtered from the top to the bottom but that recently collapsed and so at least this new TV deal softens the blow a little bit.

West Brom have been one of the clubs that have featured on television a lot over the last few months. It has caused some disruption to fans but Sky Sports and the EFL have provided a longer notice period when deciding selections for TV games.

It is also suggested that there will be more variety as to what teams will be on and it won't just be the same club every week. The overall product of Sky Sports broadcasts ill be better too with a minimum of eight cameras on Sky Sports, and a minimum of four for games that are available to stream.