Off The Pitch

EFL to live stream games outside of UK

The EFL launches a new service that will see more than 1,500 games a season streamed live.
By , Editor
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Updated: Sunday, May 7, 2017 at 01:32 UK

The EFL has launched a new service that will see more than 1,500 games a season streamed live to fans outside the UK and Ireland.

The service - called iFollow - will cost £110 per season and allow a subscriber to watch up to 46 of their club's league games live in HD.

iFollow screenshot

The 148 games selected for traditional TV coverage outside of the regular Saturday 3pm slot will not be included as part of the deal.

To date, 61 of the 72 EFL clubs have signed up to be part of the iFollow service, while Fulham, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Aston Villa, Leeds United, Bristol City, Birmingham City, Queens Park Rangers, Derby County, Charlton Athletic and Accrington Stanley have declined the opportunity and will instead be able to launch their own independent services.

Additionally, Newcastle United opted against joining the service prior to their promotion to the Premier League, which manages its broadcast rights as a single entity.

In the UK and Ireland, a long-standing broadcast blackout means that live football cannot be shown between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on Saturday afternoons, although iFollow will allow domestic subscribers to access audio commentary and video highlights.

"The launch of iFollow is a notable development and will revolutionise the access thousands of overseas fans enjoy when following their EFL team," said EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey.

"The new iFollow platform represents a potentially significant new revenue stream for clubs, while enabling enhanced engagement with existing fans now living abroad.

"iFollow will also present the EFL with an important opportunity to stimulate the interest of new groups of supporters who follow our clubs overseas, which in turn will help support the growth of our competitions on the international stage."

An estimated 270,000 overseas fans regularly follow the EFL, with a recent survey suggesting that 73% would be prepared to pay for a streaming service.

The FA Cup is seen prior to the FA Cup First Round match between FC Halifax and Bradford City on November 9, 2014 in Halifax, England.
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