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I always wondered who would take over the mantle of Sky Sports’ favourite Championship team when Leeds United got promoted to the Premier League. I never imagined it would be Reading.
However, Friday’s enticing clash with Bournemouth will be our 12th game this season to be shown live on television, more than any other club in the second tier.
Reading has always been considered an unfashionable club by those not Royally-inclined and never given an awful lot of attention by the wider media, so this new-found popularity with the broadcaster is all a bit confusing.
Ordinarily, it would arguably be seen as a bad thing – as if the club was going over to the dark side and joining the evil commercial forces that only self-important clubs associate with.
But the last year has put a different spin on things, and hey, being on television so often might actually be a good thing. After all, as supporters are not able to attend matches in person, it is the next best thing.
Certainly for those with a Sky Sports subscription, it is an ideal scenario rather than spending £10 on an iFollow pass every matchday. Even those who are not signed up to the satellite giant can buy a £9.99 day pass from NowTV.
It is a credit to the EFL and Sky that behind closed doors games are so accessible from home. Even rearranged kick-off times, which might usually be met with an eye roll, are not an intrusion because it is not like anyone has anywhere else to be!
It is also good news for the football club. All Championship teams receive an equal share of the EFL’s television deal with Sky Sports, but then receive an additional amount every time they are selected for a live game.
The fee for a home game is considerably more than that for an away game, so it’s good news that the Bournemouth game will be the seventh Madejski Stadium match in 2020-21 that is on TV. With the club still in an unstable position regarding Financial Fair Play regulations, it is a much needed revenue source.
Some might say that there are down sides to being broadcast so often. Any hopes Reading had of going ‘under the radar’ in their promotion push are out of the window, as are their attempts to keep quiet the talents of Omar Richards and Michael Olise.
The club’s record on TV this season also isn’t the greatest, with just three wins from 11 games so far and five defeats. But that is more to do with the level of opposition Reading have come up against in live games, and as last week’s column highlighted, the Royals’ record against the top 10 needs improvement.
That leads us to Friday, as sixth place Bournemouth visit the Madejski Stadium for a game that feels like one of the biggest of the season so far.
A win for either side would be a significant statement of intent in the play-off battle and it should be an entertaining watch for audiences across the country.
Ultimately, Reading being on television so often means one thing – promotion is a genuine possibility.
By Olly Allen
