Preston North End games could be shown on free TV as ITV and Sky Sports in £15m talks

Preston North End matches could be shown on free-to-air television next season with talks of a £15m deal underway.

According to the I newspaper, ITV are in discussions with Sky Sports over a sublicensing deal which would give them access to 20 Championship and Carabao Cup games next season. Sky Sports have a £935m over a five-year period and will show more games than ever, but now ITV could take some of the load.

A new Sky Sports app called Sky Sports + has been launched at no extra cost for subscribers, and it will show games from across the three EFL divisions. North End's opening and final day fixtures will be shown either on the application or on one of Sky Sports' main channels, but now there could be a different way to watch PNE.

Sky are keen to provide 'more exposure' for EFL clubs through its own streams but they could generate some revenue by offsetting the cost of their deal. Channel Four and Channel Five are also said to have held discussions but it is ITV leading the way with the more attractive proposal.

ITV already has the rights to the English Football League highlights programme which broadcasts at 9.00 pm on a Saturday. Sky are said to be 'extremely open' about the deal which would entail 10 Carabao Cup matches, including a semi-final and the final, as well as ten games in the Championship.

The games would still be shown on Sky Sports, however, supporters unable to afford a subscription package would be afforded the opportunity to watch their team live from their own home for only the cost of their TV Licence. The last time that EFL games were shown live on terrestrial television was in the 2011/12 season when the BBC had the highlights programme and a selection of live games.

Supporter habits will slightly change as a result of Sky Sports' TV deal with iFollow being scrapped. Each weekend there will be five Championship matches shown along with five League One and League Two games. That means there will be games on Friday evening and Sunday lunchtime, as well as three games in the Championship with a kick-off of 12.30 pm on a Saturday.