Beginning with the 2017/18 season, soccer fans of English Football League (EFL) clubs in the United States will be able to watch every single game of their favorite club online.
For soccer fans who have been unable to watch any games of their favorite Football League club, this is a dream come true. In previous seasons, the best that supporters of Football League clubs could hope for is either a deep FA Cup or League Cup run where they team might be shown on television, a few games a season on TV if they played in the Championship, or the slim chance of seeing their team in the Premier League where every match was available.
That means that supporters of clubs from Fulham, Aston Villa to Sheffield Wednesday, Leeds United and up to 68 other Football League teams will be able to watch every single home and away match. The streaming platform is named iFollow, and supporters will be able to subscribe for the service through their official club website.
The price to subscribe to the streaming service is approximately $141 per season, which equates to $11.75 per month. That’s the equivalent of just over $3 per game for live and exclusive coverage (including on-demand viewing if you miss the live match).
Not only is this a massive step for the EFL, but it’s a revolutionary way for soccer fans to watch their favorite team — by subscribing directly to their club’s matches (each club will receive a percentage of the money generated). The only exception to the live streaming is when a Championship game featuring the teams is shown on television, in which case the live stream from iFollow will be blacked out.
SEE MORE: Schedule of Championship games on US TV and streaming
The streams, which will be in HD-quality, will help soccer fans stay connected more closely with their clubs. In previous years, we’ve seen clubs such as Fulham FC lose countless supporters after the club got relegated from the Premier League with no way that American fans could watch the club except for the seldom broadcast once a month or less.
According to an EFL announcement, research suggests over 55% of the EFL’s fans are located in the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand where the potential audience for the iFollow platform could reach into the hundreds of thousands.
The live streaming of matches will be available from the start of the 2017/18 season in conjunction with a brand new digital presence for clubs via official websites and apps, together creating the largest sporting digital network in the world. US-based company NeuLion, a market leader in online video delivery, whose clients include the NFL, NBA and the Premier League, have developed the integrated streaming service alongside UK company Realise who have built the club websites. The two suppliers were appointed by the EFL in July 2016 following a competitive procurement process.
200+ Channels With Sports & News
- Starting price: $33/mo. for fubo Latino Package
- Watch Premier League, World Cup, Euro 2024 & more
Live & On Demand TV Streaming
- Price: $35/mo. for Sling Blue
- Watch Premier League, World Cup & MLS
Many Sports & ESPN Originals
- Price: $9.99/mo. (or get ESPN+, Hulu & Disney+ for $13.99/mo.)
- Features Bundesliga, LaLiga, Championship, & more
2,000+ soccer games per year
- Price: $4.99/mo
- Features Champions League, Serie A, Europa League & NWSL
175 Premier League Games & PL TV
- Starting price: $4.99/mo. for Peacock Premium
- Watch 175 exclusive EPL games per season
110+ channels, live & on-demand
- Price: $59.95/mo. for Plus Package
- Includes FOX, FS1, ESPN, TUDN & more
13 Comments
Leave a Reply
Leave a Reply
SOCCER TV SCHEDULES APP
 |
 |
STREAMING OFFERS
 Includes: Premier League + 84 Sports Channels | |
| 7-Day Free Trial | |
 Includes: Bundesliga & La Liga | |
| Sign Up |
|
Includes: Champions League & Serie A | |
| 7-Day Free Trial | |
Includes: Premier League | |
| Sign Up |
|
 Includes: USA, NBC, FOX, FS1 + more | |
| Browse Offers |
|
Clive
February 28, 2018 at 8:02 pm
Utterly dumb that it is not available on Roku etc.
Would subscribe in a heartbeat to watch on my 65″ TV (as I do on ESPN3). No way I am aging to watch on a 6″ phone screen.
Clive
February 28, 2018 at 8:04 pm
That should be paying, not aging 🙂
Santos Huaman
May 7, 2017 at 2:10 pm
Any idea if a app may come because I want to be able to Chromecast my games on tv and not watch on computer.
Christopher Harris
May 8, 2017 at 1:21 pm
I’ll be writing up a FAQ on the new streaming service in the next 24 hours, and I’ll answer that question in the FAQ. Thanks Santos.
Daniel James
May 5, 2017 at 8:01 am
Will these matches be silent or will there be a play by play/color guys or just one announcer? Will they even have the score box in the corner? Or will it be just a raw feed?
Christopher Harris
May 5, 2017 at 8:03 am
All good questions. I spoke with a representative from EFL yesterday, so I’ll be publishing a FAQ about the service (including answering your questions) this weekend.
Richard Butterwood
May 5, 2017 at 6:44 pm
Hopefully it will be available on Roku or Apple TV.
As a Barnsley fan, I can’t wait!
Daniel
May 4, 2017 at 10:28 am
From the BBC article:
The digital platform, called iFollow, will cost £110 for full access.
Currently, 61 of 72 EFL clubs have signed up to the EFL Digital platform.
However, the EFL says that 11 clubs still have the provision to offer the streaming through their own digital providers including Aston Villa, Bristol City, Queens Park Rangers and Accrington Stanley.
Daniel
May 4, 2017 at 10:25 am
I read elsewhere that 11 football league teams had not signed on and would be making their (presumably home) games available on their own respective streaming services. Aston Villa was on that list. So it may be incorrect to say that you’ll get all Villa games through this service. Probably only the away games (and even that assumes away at not one of the other 10 clubs that aren’t a part of this.)
Brendan Soraghan
May 3, 2017 at 10:43 pm
will Bein Sport still broadcast Championship &League Cup games next season
Christopher Harris
May 4, 2017 at 6:47 am
No decision has been made yet. As soon as we find out, we’ll let everyone know.
Mccort912
May 3, 2017 at 8:45 pm
Hopefully this is just the beginning with this type of service.
daniel
May 3, 2017 at 6:47 pm
wow.