iFollow coming to an end
From next season (2024/25), a new rights agreement between the EFL and Sky Sports comes into effect, making Sky Sports the home of the EFL. With over 1,000 EFL fixtures live on Sky Sports via Sky and NOW each season, iFollow will cease to offer domestic live video coverage of EFL matches.
The update comes as we begin a five-year rights deal with Sky Sports and will see significantly enhanced exposure for all EFL clubs.
We’re excited for the groundbreaking partnership with Sky Sports to begin, with fans set to access more action than ever before from across the Championship, League One, League Two, every game of the Carabao Cup and Bristol Street Motors Trophy.
Thank you for being a valued part of our community, and we can't wait to continue bringing you the best of EFL football next season on Sky Sports via Sky and NOW.
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I wonder what this deal with Sky means for WTV!
Comments
It will carry on operating abroad. Games that were previously shown on Wanderers TV in UK will be on Sky instead.
Doesn't seem very good to me.
As I read it they say they will show 248 Lg1 matches over the season, there are 1104 in total, so approx a 25% chance ours would be shown I guess.
"Each League weekend fixture round will see 10 live EFL fixtures shown. Five matches will be shown from the Sky Bet Championship and supporters of Sky Bet League One and League Two teams will now benefit from greater coverage than ever before with five of their games being broadcast live. For the first time ever, fans will be also able to watch every match from the Carabao Cup and EFL Trophy.
All opening, final day, and midweek fixtures in the Sky Bet EFL will be shown live, as will all games played on Bank Holidays including Easter, Boxing Day and New Year's Day alongside the matches played in Sky Bet League One and League Two during international breaks".
Difficult to imagine quite how awful this is going to be.
Absolutely zero shits given about fans who actually go to games.
We'll get two games if Wrexham go up.
I wonder if this means more of a crackdown on watching overseas coverage through VPN.
I suspect in practice we'll all still be able to watch via VPN unless they introduce some sort of rule about only buying international passes through an internationally-registered bank account (if indeed that's even possible in this digital world of ours any more).
32 out of 46 were on Saturday this season.
still better deal to buy yearly international pass, as above, as long as they don’t put restrictions in
Has anyone seen if Sky has confirmed timeslots for these additional games? Presumably, this means any 'bigger' games involving us v Oxford, Reading etc will kick-off at 12.30/5.30 on a Saturday/Sunday, or whatever random slot they can cram in. Wouldn't be surprised to see a new Sky Sports EFL channel created too.
I wonder if there’s a commitment to show every team a certain number of times.
Rob made a comment that WTV will be using 4 cameras for games next season. Surely he must have known the end of iFollow was imminent and therefore had plans in place?
It's going to make planning for away games a nightmare if they're subject to change at Sky's whim. On the flipside, it might improve midweek attendances if the option of just spending a tenner to watch it on iFollow without having to faff about with VPNs is removed.
Sky will go in hard on WTV tacitly allowing UK viewers to watch via VPN. It's massively in their commercial interest to do so. Expect it to be much harder next season 😞
Sky’s tech has improved v VPNs. Used to be able to stream when away. No chance now.
Are iFollow and WanderersTV not entirely separate entities?
I believe WanderersTV use the iFollow feed.
I think are 552 games per season (24 teams, play 46 games, divided by 2) So if there are 244 live, that is 44% they will show. We’ll be lucky to have 50% at 15.00 on Saturday
Isn't it more likely that the non-Saturday 3pm games will be broadcast, as with iFollow, but Sky also throw their weight around to move some of their favourite clubs' matches so they can show them?
Now that sounds worrying when put that way.
The odd quirky game can be a novelty but it's hard enough with 6 or 7 midweekers without them throwing in even more or the dreaded 530 sat slot.
Depends when they move them to
Should do season ticket sales the world of good. What's the point of forking out hundreds of quid in advance when you might not be able to make half the games? Still, when have actual supporters mattered?
I'd say EFL fans nerd to get together and organise a proper, ongoing protest, but it would take far more than that to hurt Sky. It's not great.
I'll take your maths as correct and 56% are not shown live, so assume they are 3pm Saturday kick-off times.
That's 26 matches or, on average, 13 away games which I will no longer be able to watch on Wanderers TV from Vipienne.
I hope the club is adequately compensated for the loss of revenue.
I might just have to "acquire" a second home abroad so I can buy an international video pass.
Collective noun for EFL fans - a nerd?
Bad news all round.
More matches moved to non-Saturday 3PM, already bad enough with them farting about on international breaks.
Sky's dull and uninterested commentators rather than @bluntphil 's passionate words.
Are viewers really going to be interested in watching random third-tier games on the box, or is it just an excuse for Sky to jack the prices up again?
Just looked at whole of this season and there were 196 games not played on at 15.00 on a Saturday. All games on the first and last day will be live, so that would take it to 220 games. Therefore there would be an additional 24 to be moved from 3pm Saturday. Maybe not as bad as it looks 🤔
You're a nerd....hehehehehe.....
I’m wondering if next season might coincide with leagues 1 & 2 stopping to play in international weeks - creating more blanket midweek fixture weeks where all games will be shown at the same time.
I imagine the rationale is much more about protection and total viewing figures, then caring about viewing figures for the individual matches.
Pretty frightened by the possible long term implications of this for lower league teams anyway.
How protected is the 3pm slot at our level? Is there a chance that the 3pm blackout may be relaxed to suit Sky?
5 matches per weekend between Leagues 1/2 to be televised, I’m sure they’ll focus on the ‘big’ teams so it’ll probably only be 4-6 weekend matches a season for us, maybe half of those at home.
Overseas IFollow is not impacted, it’s only domestic (so matches that people could have bought midweek or on international weekends will be streamed on Sky instead)