Birmingham City's first eight games of the 2026/27 season will be televised on Sky Sports, and if they beat Swansea City in the Carabao Cup on Saturday, that number rises to nine. The EFL's move towards blanket live coverage means traditional 3pm kick-offs are becoming rare, with Blues' first such start not until September 19 when Middlesbrough visit St Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.
Sky Sports Coverage Details
Saturday's clash at Swansea kicks off at 3pm, but as Sky Sports is showing every Carabao Cup fixture this season, supporters not in South Wales can watch on Sky Sports+. Including the Swansea match, Blues' first eight games are all on Sky, with four selected as the main game of the day. They will appear on Sky Sports Football six times before the New Year.
Blues are a major draw for Sky once more, having been broadcast 28 times last season, including cup fixtures, midweek matches (all Championship midweek games are on Sky Sports+), and bank holidays. This season, 16 of Blues' first 26 matches up to January 1 will be shown on Sky Sports.
Attendance Figures Defy TV Trend
Despite the increased TV exposure, attendances have not dropped. Blues supporters sold out virtually every away end last season, and the average league gate at St Andrew's was 27,163. This number has steadily increased under Knighthead's three-year tenure: from 21,180 in 2023/24 (affected by repair works to The Tilton and The Kop), to 26,326 during the League One title-winning season, and now to 27,163.
The club now has around 20,000 season ticket holders, with thousands on the waiting list, despite football being readily available on television year-round. These numbers prove that this isn't the age of the armchair fan.
Full List of Blues Games on Sky Sports
- Saturday, August 8 (3pm): Swansea City v Birmingham City (Sky Sports+)
- Saturday, August 15 (5:30pm): Sheffield United v Birmingham City (Sky Sports Football)
- Saturday, August 22 (12:30pm): Birmingham City v Bristol City (Sky Sports+)
- Friday, August 28 (8pm): Wrexham v Birmingham City (Sky Sports Football)
- Tuesday, September 1 (7:45pm): Birmingham City v Southampton (Sky Sports+)
- Sunday, September 6 (12pm): Birmingham City v Wolverhampton Wanderers (Sky Sports Football)
- Wednesday, September 9 (7:45pm): Norwich City v Birmingham City (Sky Sports+)
- Saturday, September 12 (12:30pm): Derby County v Birmingham City (Sky Sports Football)
- Saturday, October 10 (12:30pm): West Bromwich Albion v Birmingham City (Sky Sports Football)
- Tuesday, October 13 (7:45pm): Birmingham City v Preston North End (Sky Sports+)
- Saturday, October 31 (12:30pm): Lincoln City v Birmingham City (Sky Sports+)
- Tuesday, November 3 (7:45pm): Birmingham City v Millwall (Sky Sports+)
- Wednesday, November 25 (7:45pm): Burnley v Birmingham City (Sky Sports+)
- Tuesday, December 8: Birmingham City v Watford (7:45pm) (Sky Sports+)
- Saturday, December 19 (12:30pm): Birmingham City v West Ham United (Sky Sports Football)
- Friday, January 1 (3pm): Birmingham City v Portsmouth (Sky Sports+)
EFL Chairman on the Partnership
EFL chairman Rick Parry commented on the coverage: "We've got to be very mindful of the impact for clubs but also for Sky because we really want a long-term partnership. It's really, really important that it works for them."
Parry added: "I think everyone who has tuned into the coverage will see that the product on the screen has been transformed (compared to before the deal) in two respects. One is that we now have multiple camera coverage even down in League Two, the coverage of the games is much more professional. The resource that Sky are committing in terms of studios, the whole thing looks like the premium product that it is."
"Instead of being a filler product for Sky, we've been elevated to a premium product and that comes across very clearly. I think clubs have been really positive in terms of the way they have embraced Sky's requirements; making players, making managers available, the community stories. It's a brilliant vehicle to be publicising what we do and clubs have really embraced that well."
