August 22 – The English Football League (EFL) is halfway through its first midweek round of EFL fixtures to be streamed in the UK and Ireland. 31 games across the Sky Bet Championship, Sky Bet League One and Sky Bet League Two will have been live-streamed by the end of tonight’s matches.
The matches can only be watched on the iFollow platform and cost £10 to view. The streaming is both a test of the technology and the viewer demand for the games. The EFL reports “positive feedback” from fans.
An EFL spokesperson said: “We have been really encouraged by Tuesday night’s debut performance. While subscriber numbers will not be available for a number of days, the response on social media and our own analysis has shown there is a definite appetite amongst fans of the EFL who couldn’t attend tonight’s matches in person to watch their team live, particularly those that followed the visiting teams. The services across our Clubs have been delivered successfully with very few issues throughout the evening.”
A total of 58 of the EFL’s 72 clubs are on the iFollow platform which provides fans with a minimum four-camera broadcast and audio commentary. Fans either watch through the club’s web platform or via an app.
Matches airing on the platform that launched last season fall outside the Saturday blocked hours of 14.45 to 17.15, Bank Holidays, and those not selected for Sky Sports broadcast.
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