Sunderland appeal underlined with Black Cats to become most-televised Championship team

If it feels like Sunderland have barely been off the television so far this season, there is a very good reason for that.

Sunderland play their 21st game of the Championship season this weekend against Millwall, and the action will once again unravel live on Sky Sports.

It will be the tenth time that Sunderland have been selected by Sky Sports this season, although that figure does include the Carabao Cup tie at Sheffield Wednesday.

That makes Sunderland the joint-most viewed team in the Championship this season in terms of live TV games, pulling them level with Norwich City. Burnley and Watford, the teams who came down with the Canaries from the Premier League last season, have been selected nine times.

Meanwhile, the other two teams who came up from League One with Sunderland, Rotherham and Wigan, have been selected by Sky Sports five times between them.

When the successful play-offs campaign is added into the stats, it means Sunderland have been live on television for more than half of their last 25 games (including the upcoming Millwall fixture).

Sunderland’s game against Millwall is the only Championship game this weekend, meaning the Black Cats can jump into the top ten with a win which would leave them just one point short of the play-offs positions.