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Kieran Maguire: Sunderland set for 'huge boost' if deal is completed
Sunderland would benefit from DAZN’s bid to broadcast all EFL games despite it being ‘harmful’ to teams further down the English football pyramid.
That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about the potential impact of scrapping the 3pm blackout in England.
As reported by The Times last Wednesday (29 March), streaming platform DAZN is bidding for the rights to show every EFL match live in the UK.
The proposal includes broadcasting all 1,656 matches across the Championship, League One and League Two in a move that would see the traditional 3pm blackout scrapped.
The current broadcasting deal held by Sky is worth around £119million, but the EFL plan to hold out for £200million proposals.
Maguire believes most Championship clubs, including Sunderland, would benefit from the extra broadcasting money.
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“The nature of the DAZN proposal needs to be scrutinised and a discussion needs to be had,” Maguire told Football Insider.
“There will be winners, I imagine Sunderland will get a huge boost from this. I think most of the EFL clubs will benefit but not all.
“The devil is in the detail – if there is going to be an equal split between all 72 members across the EFL then that would likely be welcomed.
“My fear is that clubs in the Championship will want a large majority of the broadcasting fee under the new deal.
“So I think there are more pros than cons for the Championship, but my worry is that it could be harmful further down the pyramid.
“Fans are more likely to stay in and watch the Championship than have a day out at a local club that relies heavily on ticket money.“
In other news, Kieran Maguire warns Sunderland of ‘major issue’ after ‘magic’ Stewart Donald twist