February 23, 2022 6.00 pm This story is over 25 months old

Lincoln City highlights to be shown on ITV in bumper EFL deal

The EFL and ITV have announced a two-year partnership
LNER Stadium. | Photo: The Lincolnite
By Local Democracy Reporter

ITV has signed a partnership with the EFL to show coverage of Championship, League One, League Two Carabao Cup and Papa John’s Trophy games from next season.

At present the EFL highlights broadcast is aired on Quest, but from the start of the 2022/23 season that will be moved over to a prime time slot on ITV4 from 9pm every Saturday evening, as well as a repeat on the main ITV channel later in the evening.

Each show will feature every goal from every EFL fixture, plus detailed analysis from a punditry panel, and highlights of midweek fixtures will also be broadcast on ITV and ITV Hub.

The move will mean theoretically that more eyes can be brought to the lower league game, offering a wider platform for Lincoln City and Scunthorpe United to be seen in action, should they avoid relegation from the Football League this season.

The Imps are currently in League One, with local rivals Scunthorpe United hovering near the bottom of the League Two table, while fellow Lincolnshire clubs Grimsby Town and Boston United are plying their trade at non-league level.

The television network will also present extensive coverage of the Sky Bet play-off semi finals and the final itself, as well as a highlights show for each round of the Carabao Cup, with a one hour programme of the best bits from the Papa John’s Trophy final also aired on ITV4 on the day.

The deal struck between ITV and the EFL will be two seasons long initially, and all highlights will be available on a catch-up basis on ITV Hub during a 30-day period following its first airing on television.

EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said: “With 1,891 matches played across the season, it’s crucial for the EFL that the very best of our match action is widely accessible and we are delighted that ITV will show highlights of our games for the next two years.

“As an experienced major broadcaster with a comprehensive sports portfolio, ITV’s commitment to high quality coverage will showcase the breadth and depth of our competitions to football supporters all over the country.”