Following the launch of LIVE streaming to UK supporters last weekend and some rather untimely technical issues, the EFL have issued the following guidance ahead of this weekend.
As the Sky Bet Championship action continues, fans can tune in and watch from the safety of their own home, with access to live games available via Sky Sports or iFollow streaming platform. Whether you are already up and running on iFollow or thinking of watching for the first time, here is all you need to know to make sure you don’t miss a minute of the action!
How can I access Sky Bet Championship matches for the remainder of this season?
All Sky Bet Championship league games are available for supporters to watch either live via Sky Sports, or their Club’s iFollow streaming platform. As part of a new arrangement with the EFL’s broadcast partners Sky, all Clubs have been provided with the opportunity to enable their season ticket holders to access live match streams of all their remaining fixtures, while non-season ticket holders can access games on Sky Sports, and by purchasing a match pass to stream those fixtures not being shown by Sky. Otherwise, fans can access match highlights shown on Quest on Freeview at 9pm on a Saturdays.
How many fixtures will be available to view live on Sky Sports?
In total supporters will be able to watch 45 fixtures live on Sky Sports, including 30 of the remaining 108 Sky Bet Championship league matches. The League One and League Two Play-Off fixtures will also feature live on Sky Sports. Sky Sports broadcast selections up until 9 July have also now been announced, with games taking place during both midweek and weekends until the end of the season.
How do I know if my team has been selected to be shown live on Sky Sports?
A revised schedule of televised games was confirmed ahead of the season restart, with the first 18 Sky Bet Championship fixtures selected for Sky Sports coverage over the first three weeks of the resumption of the season. The full list of television selections are now available to view online at EFL.com or via individual club channels. All remaining live Sky Sports broadcast selections for the remaining rounds of games will be announced by the EFL and Clubs in due course.
What about the remaining 78 Sky Bet Championship League fixtures not available on Sky Sports? Will supporters be able to watch them?
The 78 Championship League matches not shown on Sky Sports will be available for all Clubs to stream on their Club websites or mobile app to Season Ticket holders (access determined by the Club).
All non-season ticket holding supporters can purchase individual match passes to enable them to watch each of these games.
Will the remaining 78 Championship games be available on the Sky Sports red button service?
No, the red button facility is not available, and while Sky are reporting and showing ‘goals as they go in’, the only way fans can access live footage of the 78 Sky Bet Championship games not being shown on Sky Sports, is via their Club’s iFollow streaming service.
I’m a Season Ticket holder, how do I gain access to watch my Club’s matches?
Season Ticket holders at all Sky Bet Championship Clubs have been given the opportunity to access the remaining fixtures of the 2019/20 season online, subject to each club giving Season Ticket holders access to a promotional code.
Season ticket holders in receipt of a promotional code can expect to enjoy all of their Club’s remaining Championship league fixtures, including those also broadcast on Sky Sports (subject to access provided by each Club), via their Club’s iFollow streaming service.
I am a Season Ticket Holder but I haven’t been provided with a promotional code, what should I do?
The distribution of promotional codes is at the discretion of each Club. We recommend supporters contact their Club directly to understand if they are eligible to receive a promotional code.
How do I redeem my code?
Redeeming a promotional code is a straightforward process, and supporters should have received details on how to activate their codes directly from their Club. In order to activate your code, supporters must either register for a new account, which only takes a matter of minutes, or login to their existing iFollow account. The code can only be redeemed once, and when it has been activated supporters can then login to iFollow to watch the match action on their preferred device. Please note supporters can only access the stream from one single device at a time. For further instructions on how to redeem a promotional code please access our FAQs here.
What if my code doesn’t work or I have problems registering?
Should a supporter not be able to successfully redeem their promotional code, there is a range of useful FAQs here, which provides instructions on how to redeem, register for the first time, or link a code to an existing account. Should further support be required please contact the iFollow support team via ifollow@efl.com.
Do I have to redeem my code immediately, or can I activate it at any time?
If a Club has issued a supporter with a promotional code we strongly recommend this is activated at the earliest opportunity. By activating their promotional code fans can check they are all setup correctly, and can login and access their account ready to stream the match ahead of kick-off.
If a season ticket holder is under the age of 18 are they eligible to receive a promotional code?
In order to activate an iFollow account a supporter must be over 18. Therefore it is at the discretion of each Club how they wish to provide access to their season ticket holders, including whether they send a promotional code to an adult to activate on behalf of a fan aged under 18. Supporters should contact their Club for any advice regarding the distribution of promotional codes.
I am a season ticket holder and I do not want to access iFollow, can I have a refund on my season ticket?
The opportunity for season ticket holders to access the iFollow streaming service is being provided free of charge by each Club as the remaining matches of the 2019/20 season are being played behind closed doors. Any refund requests related to a supporter’s season ticket should therefore be discussed with their Club directly.
I’m a Non-Season Ticket holding supporter, how can I watch matches?
In addition to watching the League fixtures broadcast on Sky Sports, non-season ticket holding supporters can still purchase any of the games not shown on Sky Sports, via their Club’s iFollow streaming service at the current domestic match pass price of £10.
I’m already an iFollow subscriber in the UK, will I be able to watch the remaining games via my existing subscription?
In the UK any iFollow annual or monthly subscription will only entitle a fan to listen to games. If a holder of one of those passes is ALSO a season ticket holder at their Club, then they should have received a promotional code in order to view the games at no fee (subject to access provided by each Club). If they are not a season ticket holder, then they will need to buy a match pass at £10 per game.
I’m an existing International iFollow subscriber, what will I get access to?
Outside of the UK, holders of annual subscriptions will be able to view all their Club’s matches live, under normal terms and conditions (i.e. broadcast rights may mean some matches are unavailable for streaming in certain locations), and video passes will also available on a match by match basis for International fans, for applicable games as standard.
What if I can’t view the live stream or miss some of my Club’s matches?
Clubs will still make highlights packages available on their websites, mobile apps, and via their YouTube channels, after games. Clubs can make full-match re-runs available the day after the match, at their discretion. Clubs will still also offer an audio-only pass, to enable fans to listen to the games via their Club’s streaming service if they prefer. Otherwise, fans can see matches broadcast by Sky Sports, or watch the highlights show on Quest on Freeview at 9pm on a Saturday.
Where else can I watch highlights or tune in for action or commentary from the games?
Quest (available on Freeview) are providing extended highlights of matches on both Saturday evenings and midweek, whilst talkSPORT are providing exclusive national radio commentary on some Championship matches.
Can I access iFollow via my television?
iFollow is available across desktop, mobile, tablet and app. Users watching matches live on a mobile will have to use the iFollow app, which is available via the App Store and Google Play Store by searching ‘Official *Your Team Name* App’.
Can invite my friends over to my house so we can all watch iFollow together?
The EFL recommends supporters follow the current Government advice, and not invite friends and family who reside outside of their household to socialise within their premises. Anyone watching the iFollow streaming service should only do this with those people already living in the same household. This advice is subject to any Government updates.
How can I get in touch with iFollow support?
For any technical advice relating to the iFollow service, supporters will need to contact our partners Endeavor, who operate the iFollow system on behalf of the EFL. To resolve any issues ahead of matchdays they have a dedicated specialist support team that can be reached via e-mail on ifollow@efl.com. On matchdays they also operate a 'live chat' option, accessible from your club’s website, where fans can find a small ‘chat bubble icon’, at the bottom right of their screen. Clicking this will open a live chat with one of their specialist advisors, who will issue relevant technical advice. The chat service is available on club websites from 11am - 10pm on matchdays.
I have tried to contact iFollow support but have had trouble getting a reply, why is this?
The iFollow support team is working to respond as quickly as possible to the supporters that have been in touch. Due to the current high volume of enquiries, responding to supporters is taking slightly longer than normal at present. Fans will receive a response at the earliest opportunity but in the meantime the answer to any technical, login or access issues might be located in our iFollow FAQs which can be accessed here.
I tried to watch the match on Saturday 20 June but couldn’t login, why not?
On Saturday 20 June a technical issue affected the eight Clubs on iFollow whose games kicked-off at 3pm. The issue was caused by an overload of customers moving through the billing process at the same time, which caused the login system across websites and apps to fail. As a result a number of fans were unable to view the first thirteen minutes of the match.
What was done to resolve the problem and will it happen again?
Ever since the EFL was made aware of the issue, it have been working with streaming partners Endeavour, who confirmed that technical issues at their end resulted in match access problems for supporters for the first thirteen minutes of the games. A full range of measures and tests have been put in place to make sure all expected traffic can be catered for. We urge fans that have not yet redeemed promotional codes to do so as early as possible, and for non-season ticket holders to purchase their match passes in advance, and login for matches in advance of kick-off, to ensure a smooth matchday.
To buy a match pass, supporters should click HERE or visit their Club’s website.
If you are experiencing any problems, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions.
