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iFollow coming to an end

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  • Why would you think asking for clarity and seeking to understand why you are so adamant it will work via VPN is panicking?

    Quite the opposite, in fact. I'm seeking to make a decision based on what we know rather than what we hope/think.

    I call that sensible fact based planning.

  • edited April 15

    We aren’t currently allowed to watch via VPN from the UK, so they wouldn’t have to announce it as a change if they were to use technology to make it harder to do so. And Sky presumably will now have more incentive to want to prevent people from watching via VPN.

    I’d say @Twizz is right to be unsure.

  • I watched the final from overseas via NowTV using SurfShark. No issues at all.

  • I really really hope Phil Catchpole keeps his job. One of the best football commentators I've heard. Is the WTV audio coverage also ending? I'd guess it is

  • In the very unlikely event Phil won’t be used for match commentary, he spends the week producing all the media for the website and general club promotion.

    They know what they have in Phil and they won’t let him go.

  • Sky Sports cannot possibly have enough commentators to cover all of the matches.

    I'm sure they will definitely be paying Phil a shedload of wedge for his services, and I'll be looking out for his new f**k off Audi in the car park ...

  • No idea what model of Audi uses that kind of language. Sounds most unlike our favourite media man.

    On a more serious note, as a housebound super fan (?) and Gasroom obsessive, the prospect of only being able to watch the occasional match, if true, is depressing.

  • Yes, as per Lloyd, Phil's role is a lot more than just the commentary.

  • Well a sky sports day membership costs £11.99 so that's an extra two quid that we will be paying to stream a Wanderers game already.

  • One change I do expect to see - I think the club's social media team (and indeed Phil in the commentary) will have to kill the nods and winks to those watching from VPN. Don't imagine Sky will take kindly to that if it came to their attention!

  • I've twice tried watching our games on a dodgy fire stick (not belonging to me) and it has worked twice.

    I'll be investing in one if the Vivienne route is shutdown. Although I imagine it will still work.

  • edited April 16

    I highly doubt Sky will use clubs' in-house commentary teams. They'll use regular freelancers or just show games without commentary. The deal could be a really good opportunity for emerging commentators to establish themselves in a notoriously tough field.

  • the press release from EFL/Sky clearly states

    Domestic streaming audio services will remain alongside existing audio-visual arrangements for international audiences via iFollow and club streaming services.

    whilst they will do their best to clamp down on domestic VPN usage they will find it hard if they are still allowing international iFollow & club streaming. This would suggest that it will down to clubs to police access, provided there isnt a huge increase in purchase of international passes there will be nothing for Sky to get uppity about.

  • As someone who does watch the 3pm kick-offs abroad in Asia every week, I would be gutted if our kick-off times were moved to later than 3pm on Saturdays or the same on Sundays.

    Any later than that means the games will finish well after I go out/go to bed.

    I can see the advantages of attracting American/South American viewers, but it will kill anything viewing-wise to the eastern side of Vietnam.

    I'm sorry, but I just don't think having televised Championship and below games televised at 3pm makes any difference to crowd numbers at football league or lower clubs, although perhaps someone could shed a different shade of light on this opinion?

    I do definitely see gates and season ticket sales dropping if we have kick-offs on the weekend other than 3pm Saturdays.

  • Just adding this quote from clubs website. Seems pretty definitive that Wanderers TV will not be showing any matches in the UK, so might have some midweek trips to Vipienne.

    "WanderersTV will no longer be able to stream live games inside the UK & Ireland from 2024/25 onwards, with details to follow over the summer about the availability of matches overseas and annual and monthly subscription packages"

  • There is a ground swell of feeling that this deal along with stopping FA cup replays is pandering to the "big boys" of the Premier league.

    I am hoping the FSA will organise something, I would be willing to withhold my season ticket payment until the last minute, but would enough fans be prepared to risk hurting the club they support?

  • Fingers crossed the international pass continues as we've come to expect.

  • edited August 9

    So Sky Sports + has kicked off and have been checking out some of the games to see what the viewing experience is like in prep for tomorrow.

    1. Brand New EFL Intro on Sky, Depicting the Sewing of Badges, instead of the cookie cutter presentation of the Teams of last season, with a new music note which is a nice breath of fresh air
    2. EFL Graphics are still a thing in the streamed matches and Sky Sports + linear Channel but updated
    3. NO 30 SECOND DELAY ON STREAMED GAMES (on tv, a little delay on App)
    4. No EFL Standardised Music for adverts, instead the Sky EFL Music is used
    5. Commentators are not Club based (no Phil Catchpole)
    6. Video Quality is as good as normal HD TV (Sky Sports Football), meaning that its MUCH Better than Sky Sports Red Button (Remember the Covid Championship game against Reading anyone, the 1-0 Loss). Note: I have a list on all the TV Games that we had (as far back as 2013-14), and the self debate was if I was going to include the Sky Sports Plus Games, as my criteria for it to count is that the Picture Quality is as good as normal TV and if Kick off times gets changed like normal TV. this fits both Criteria so I will be counting it too my List
  • Agree with you @WycombeStayingup - the production of these "red button" games is much better than I thought they'd be. Although I still can't fathom how this makes much sense for Sky. The viewing numbers on some these red button games must be absolutely tiny...

  • They (Sky) looked at the viewing figures for the World Wide Wycombe Phenomenon at thought "We'll have some of that".

  • Yeah the production quality on the stream games are night and day in comparison to Sky Sports Red Buttone

  • A fair slice of Sky’s marketing budget seems to have been spent on getting fans ‘excited’.

    It’s just televised football. Calm down.

  • Commentators still seem pretty lonely

  • You can’t stream the games on your laptop/computer. Which is very poor indeed.

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