What channel is Barnsley v Reading on?
Barnsley v Reading kicks off on Saturday 23 January at 3pm UK time, at Oakwell, in League One, matchday 27. The UK broadcasters have not confirmed a channel for this match yet; this page updates as soon as they do.
Barnsley are 22nd with 8 points from 10 matches (2 won, 2 drawn, 6 lost), 3 defeats in a row; Reading are 6th with 18 points from 11 (5 won, 3 drawn, 3 lost). Goals: Barnsley have scored 10 and conceded 19 (-9), Reading have scored 23 and conceded 12 (+11). Barnsley have taken 4 points from 5 home matches, Reading 5 points from 5 away matches. Leading scorers: Jack Marriott (8) for Reading. Arena Rete's model makes Reading favourites (63%), with 1-2 the most likely score. In the 15 previous meetings on record: 3 wins for Barnsley, 8 draws, 4 wins for Reading.
How to watch Barnsley v Reading in the UK
The League One TV guide →No channel has been announced for Barnsley v Reading yet. The UK rights to League One are held by:
- Sky SportsThe selected League One matches on Sky Sports Football and Sky Sports Main Event; Sky shows more than 1,000 EFL matches a season under a deal that runs to 2028/29.
- ITVfreeTen EFL matches a season live and free to air on ITV1 and ITVX, shown alongside Sky.
The streaming services that carry League One:
- Sky Sports+The matches not on the main Sky Sports channels; included with Sky Sports at no extra cost: the Sky Sports+ channel and the Sky Sports app on Sky Q, Sky Glass, Sky Stream and mobile.
- Sky GoEvery match shown on the Sky Sports channels; included for Sky Sports customers, on phones, tablets, laptops and consoles.
- NOWEvery match shown on the Sky Sports channels; with a NOW Sports membership, no long contract.
- ITVXfreeThe ten free-to-air matches and the highlights; free, with registration.
Matches kicking off between 2:45pm and 5:15pm on a Saturday are not shown live anywhere in the UK: it is the long-standing "closed period" that protects attendances across the football pyramid. Ten EFL matches a season are live and free on ITV1 and ITVX. Everything else needs Sky Sports or NOW. ITV shows free highlights with every goal from the three EFL divisions, on ITVX. Rights checked on 1 October 2026.
How they come into it
Full head to head →
- Tue 20 OctLuton 2-1 Barnsley
- Sat 17 OctBarnsley 1-2 Cambridge United
- Sat 10 OctStockport 3-1 Barnsley
- Sat 3 OctBarnsley -1--1 MK Dons
- Sat 19 SeptBarnsley 1-1 Leicester City
- Wed 21 OctReading 1-0 Leyton Orient
- Sat 17 OctWigan 1-0 Reading
- Sat 10 OctMK Dons 1-5 Reading
- Sat 3 OctReading 1-1 Bradford
- Sat 26 SeptWycombe Wanderers 2-2 Reading
What is at stake
If it ended today →Barnsley are 22nd, in the relegation zone: 10 pts off the play-offs. Reading are 6th, in the play-off places: 4 pts off automatic promotion and 9 pts clear of the relegation zone. 10 points separate the two sides.
In League One: The top two go up automatically. Play-offs from third to sixth. The bottom four are relegated. Positions and points are from the official table.
Line-ups appear here as soon as our data provider publishes them, usually an hour before kick-off.
The data forecast
Full head to head →Poisson model on 10 league matches for Barnsley and 11 for Reading; early in the season teams start from the league average. This is an estimate, not betting advice.
Head-to-head record
Barnsley v Reading down the years15 meetings in our data provider's archive · goals: Barnsley 20, Reading 23 · 2.9 per match
- 24 Jan 2026Reading2-2BarnsleyLeague One
- 13 Sept 2025Barnsley3-2ReadingLeague One
- 3 May 2025Reading2-4BarnsleyLeague One
- 26 Nov 2024Barnsley2-2ReadingLeague One
- 13 Apr 2024Barnsley2-2ReadingLeague One
- 9 Dec 2023Reading1-3BarnsleyLeague One
- 2 Apr 2022Barnsley1-1ReadingChampionship
- 16 Oct 2021Reading1-0BarnsleyChampionship
- 2 Apr 2021Barnsley1-1ReadingChampionship
- 19 Sept 2020Reading2-0BarnsleyChampionship
and 5 older ones.
The last meeting was on 24 Jan 2026: Reading 2-2 Barnsley. With Barnsley at home: 1 home win, 6 draws and 0 away wins in 7 matches, goals 11-10. Barnsley last won this fixture on 13 Sept 2025 (Barnsley 3-2 Reading). Reading last won it on 16 Oct 2021 (Reading 1-0 Barnsley).
The numbers compared
All League One team stats →Barnsley on the left, Reading on the right: league matches only, 10 and 11 played.
The questions people ask
- What time does Barnsley v Reading kick off?
- Saturday 23 January at 3pm UK time, at Oakwell.
- What channel is Barnsley v Reading on in the UK?
- The channel has not been confirmed yet. TV selections are usually announced about six weeks before the match.
- Is Barnsley v Reading on free-to-air TV?
- No. Ten EFL matches a season are live and free on ITV1 and ITVX. Everything else needs Sky Sports or NOW.
- Where can I watch Barnsley v Reading highlights?
- ITV shows free highlights with every goal from the three EFL divisions, on ITVX.
- Where is Barnsley v Reading being played?
- At Oakwell, capacity 23,009. Barnsley are the home side.
- Where are Barnsley and Reading in the table?
- Barnsley are 22nd with 8 points from 10 matches; Reading are 6th with 18 points from 11. Barnsley are 22nd, in the relegation zone: 10 pts off the play-offs. Reading are 6th, in the play-off places: 4 pts off automatic promotion and 9 pts clear of the relegation zone.
- What form are Barnsley and Reading in?
- Last league results, most recent first. Barnsley: L L L D L (3 defeats in a row). Reading: W L W D D.
- Who are the top scorers for Barnsley and Reading?
- Reading: Jack Marriott (8) and Jacob Brown (4). League One goals only.
- Who is the favourite in Barnsley v Reading?
- Arena Rete's model makes Reading favourites (63%), from the two sides' league results. Most likely score: 1-2. It is an estimate, not betting advice.
- What is the head-to-head record between Barnsley and Reading?
- 15 meetings on record: 3 wins for Barnsley, 8 draws, 4 wins for Reading; goals 20-23.
- When did Barnsley and Reading last meet?
- On 24 Jan 2026 (League One): Reading 2-2 Barnsley.
- Where can I follow Barnsley v Reading live?
- On Arena Rete's match page: the score, the goalscorers and the line-ups update on their own.
The rest of the round on TV
The League One TV guide →This page is for viewers in the United Kingdom, and its times are UK time. Rights and channels change: check the broadcaster's own listing on the day. League tables rebuilt from results do not include points deductions; expected goals and team stats come from our data provider, where it supplies them. We earn nothing from these links.