The English Football League has announced it will allow clubs to live stream their own games in the U.K. and Ireland via the league’s own live digital streaming platform, iFollow.
The EFL, the body responsible for the lower tiers of English soccer, launched iFollow in May. To date, the service has been only available to soccer fans outside of the U.K. and Ireland and operates a subscription service of $149 per season to see up to 46 live games of a chosen club. The EFL also offered ahead of this launch a chance for all clubs to opt-in and use the platform.
The move to shift games to iFollow is thanks to a new broadcasting agreement which will last for five years and begins in the 2019/20 season. The deal, just signed with the incumbent broadcaster, Sky Sports, is worth £600 million and is a 36 percent year-on-year increase on the current broadcasting deal.
As part of the deal, only games that take place outside the specific hours of 14.45-17.15pm on Saturday afternoons, and that are not broadcast live on Sky Sports, will be available on iFollow. Sky Sports will also have the right to stream the same Championship fixtures to subscribers across their own digital services.
“It is a partnership that as well as having mutual tangible benefits, allows the EFL to maximise reach and exposure for its competitions, alongside providing further opportunities for Clubs to generate additional incremental revenues through iFollow,” said EFL Chief Executive Shaun Harvey in a statement.
“The new opportunity for EFL Clubs to live stream their matches through a direct to consumer service in the UK is a revolutionary and exciting step forward for football broadcasting rights in the UK and we will monitor its progress closely to determine how this model can be considered for future EFL rights cycles.”