Latest TV change to benefit Preston North End, Middlesbrough and Cardiff City on match-day one of new season

Preston North End will discover their 2024/25 Championship fixture schedule in less than 24 hours.

At 9.00 am on Wednesday (June 26), the fixture list will be made available to all 72 member clubs. The season will run from August to May with plenty of twists and turns along the way.

It all begins again on Friday, August 9 with there a feast of football across the EFL. All games are being streamed on the new Sky Sports + app, while ITV will also be showing some league matches across the campaign.

Whether North End begin at Deepdale or on their travels to start things off, supporters will be able to watch the match from the comfort of their own house or on the move. The 3.00 pm blackout rule which has been in existence since the 1960s will not be in effect that weekend, because there are no Premier League games.

More EFL football than ever is going to be shown after a £935m deal was agreed with Sky Sports, but for those match going fans, they will need to be made aware of those plans. There is a possibility that that for the opening weekend, the Championship might not have that traditional 3.00 pm slot.

According to the Bristol Post, the season will begin on Friday with Sky Sports showing two Championship games, along with a game each from Leagues One and Two. A specific time slot will then be given to all three divisions on Saturday, which are 12.30, 3.00 pm and 5.30 pm.

As to which leagues will receive which time slot will likely be revealed on fixture release day. It does open up the possibility though that supporters could be travelling earlier or later than usual, which means a slight change to the usual plans of a match day which is worked around a 3.00 pm kick-off.

The feast of football does not stop there as there will also be two more Championship games shown on Sky Sports on the Sunday, with the kick-off times yet to be disclosed. News of North End's game being able to stream is good news for supporters who are unable to attend, but for match-going fans, they will have to work around what the EFL decide.

Fans should also be advised that when the fixture list is released, that there are still some finer details to be addressed. Sky Sports will make their television picks shortly and confirm them in early July. Those picks will run up until mid-January as the EFL aims to give supporters more notice, but as a note they should not rush in to making travel arrangements until those television picks are confirmed.