How much have Sunderland earned from live TV matches this season?

The Sky Sports cameras love Sunderland this season, but what does that mean in terms of money?

Sunderland have been one of the most popular Championship teams when it has come to Sky Sports selections this season, but what has that meant for the club’s coffers?

The television deal the EFL has is, of course, small compared to the Premier League. In fact it is the reason why so many clubs overspend in chasing promotion.

However, Sunderland have had 12 games chosen by Sky Sports this season, and that has to have been worth something, right?

Well, not as much as you’d think.

How much do Championship clubs receive for a live game?

The answer that is not much, in all honesty. There are also a lot of different factors involved in how much money clubs receive when they are selected.

First of all, the home team always takes the bulk of the cash that is on offer. The away team gets paid just £10,000 when they are broadcast live on TV, mainly due to the costs falling on the home club.

Meanwhile, the home clubs get up to £100,000 depending on the timeslot the game has.

"If chosen live, depending on whether you are the home team or the away team, it works out between £10,000-£100,000,” football finance expert Kieran Maguire says.

"There are various slots for the EFL's Sky deal. The away team gets £10,000 and the home team can get up to £100,000.

"The exact amount and details are a bit murky and nothing has ever been confirmed in writing, but we are reasonably close there.

"As the home team, if it's a 12:30pm kick-off on a Saturday you get more, if it's on a Friday night you get less.”

How much have Sunderland earned from TV games this season?

With the exact details a little ‘murky,’ it can be hard to know for sure, but we have a very good idea.

Sunderland’s home games that have been on Sky Sports have been in the prime 12:30pm slot, meaning it’s safe to assume they got the full £100k. It has only really been the away games that have been in the off-peak slots.

The bad news is that, including the two confirmed upcoming games on Sky Sports against Middlesbrough and Coventry, the majority of Sunderland’s games on television have been away from home.

Therefore, the total figure will be around £570,000 – five at home (5 x £100,000 and seven away (7 x £10,000).

Considering that, according to The Times, Premier League clubs receive £1.2m per live game, it really highlights the difference between the haves and the have nots in English football. 

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