Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell blasted the EFL and Sky TV for not caring about football fans after the Grecians saw their lowest attendance for a Saturday league match in nearly three years. An attendance of 5,612 were at St James Park for the 2-0 win over Stevenage in which goals from Ed Francis and Kamari Doyle early in each half secured the three points. The game kicked off at 12.
30pm and was one of the ‘red button’ games on Sky Sports +, the new streaming service which was introduced at the start of the season under the new TV deal. And it seems the option to watch on TV had an impact on attendances. While there have been league games on a Tuesday night with a lower attendance, not since January 29, 2022, in the League Two promotion push, have fewer people attended St James Park for a league match on a Saturday.
As part of the new deal, at least 20 games for all clubs will be streamed or televised, including all games that aren’t Saturday 3pm kick-offs. Matches are broadcast live across both existing Sky Sports channels or on the brand-new Sky Sports +, with five Sky Bet Championship matches and five matches across Sky Bet League One and Sky Bet League Two moved each weekend to a different slot. “Sky have made it difficult for people to come to live football,” the manager said after Saturday’s win.
“For me the beauty is being there and to experience the event, the goal, the noise of the Big Bank, taking your kids to the game, and the energy from the live .