Twice the amount of live sport will be available to Sky Sports subscribers with the launch of a new channel integrated into Sky TV, NOW, and a revamped Sky Sports mobile app.
Sky says that Sky Sports+ will provide a more personalised experience that will make it easier for fans to follow their teams and sports.
The expansion has in part been made possible by new agreements that will expand coverage of the EFL, and separate agreements with the major tennis tours and men’s Super League. The apps will have the capability to show up to 100 live events concurrently, while a linear channel will showcase a selection of the best live sport.
Jonathan Licht, Managing Director at Sky Sports, said: “For the first time, we will broadcast every game live from across the EFL on the opening weekend. It’s going to be a huge moment for football fans up and down the country and is a fitting way to kick off our ground-breaking new partnership with the EFL.”
There has been some criticism that while Sky will offer at least 20 matches per season from each EFL team, the iFollow service it replaces would make every game available.
Live pause and rewind will be available on all concurrent streams, and the ‘Recap’ feature currently available for Premier League and Championship games will also be made available for EFL games shown on the Sky Sports+ linear channel.
A masterstroke by Sky has been to launch the new service from within the existing Sky experience, across Sky Glass, Sky Stream, Sky Q, and NOW, with no need to download anything further.
An improved multi-sports scores section on the Sky Sports app will offer fixtures, live scores and an extended view beyond the usual seven-day football calendar. There is also a refreshed design and navigation, including a much-requested dark mode to improve usability.
