Attendances at midweek games through three rounds this year are 8.8% lower than at weekend games.GETTY IMAGES
Attendances at midweek games in the League Championship "have slumped significantly since all the matches were made available" to watch live on TV, according to Martyn Ziegler of the LONDON TIMES. The English Football League's new deal with Sky allows viewers to access every League Championship midweek game "via the red button and live streams," but none of those matches have facility fees paid to the home clubs to "compensate for any fall in attendances as a result." Midweek attendances "are almost always lower than those at weekends" but "this season the drop-off has been more significant than last year." In '17-18, clubs in the Championship could expect an average of a 4.5% drop for a midweek game compared with a weekend match, but attendances at the three midweek rounds this season have dropped by an average of 8.8% per game compared to weekend games. The EFL said that it is "carrying out its own review of the potential effect on attendances" from the red button and streaming services and that it would be "premature to react to this analysis." The deal with Sky is worth £88M ($115.5M) a year, which will rise to £120M ($157.5M) annually from '19-24. Football Supporters' Federation Chair Malcolm Clarke said that the EFL "needed to keep a close watch on any fall in attendances" as a result of increased access on TV (LONDON TIMES, 10/17).
