What does the new Football League TV deal mean for Port Vale fans?
The Football League have announced a new multi-million TV deal with Sky Sports which will spell the end of the iFollow service for domestic supporters. Here’s what we know about the deal so far…
What is the deal?
Starting next season, the Football League have signed a five year rights deal with Sky Sports, which will see the broadcaster show over a thousand League games each season as well as every game of the Carabao Cup and Bristol Street Motors Trophy.
How much is the deal worth?
The deal will be worth £935m over the five year period although it’s not clear how much clubs like Port Vale will take from the deal?
What happens to iFollow?
iFollow will not longer be available for UK supporters although it (or a similar service) will be in place for fans based outside of the UK. The press release says “Existing audio-visual arrangements for international audiences via iFollow and club streaming services (will remain in place).”
What about the commentary?
Sky Sports will provide its own commentary of games which will mean there will no longer be BBC Radio Stoke commentary accompanying UK broadcasts. However, local users will still be able to tune in for radio commentary and there will be an iFollow audio stream (just like there is now) for domestic and international supporters.
Will every Port Vale League game be available?
No. The broadcaster will broadcast 248 League One games and the same number from League Two so that means around 50% of the games from the lower two tiers will not be shown.
How can I access the Vale games?
We expect this to be very similar to how Stoke City supporters and other Championship fans access their games. Each game day, Sky has a number of links to the available Championship games. These are available both to Sky Sports subscribers and also to anyone who has a valid Now TV Sports pass.
Will there be any changes to kick-off times?
There could be. The press release says “The new deal allows for ‘Article 48’, the blocked broadcast period between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on Saturday afternoons to remain, meaning that main broadcast fixtures will be scheduled for outside of this time. ”
When will I know which Vale games have been selected?
According to the press release there will be plenty of notice. It says “With the substantial increase in the number of live matches, Sky Sports and the EFL will introduce a new commitment for clubs and fans which will provide longer notice periods on TV selections. The defined notice periods will enable clubs and fans to plan further in advance”.
Tim Jones
18th April 2024 @ 10:52 am
bloody disgraceful ! no highlights on terrestrial tv for us who dont have/like/want sky rubbish
Marco polo
18th April 2024 @ 2:44 pm
For fans of Lower league clubs it’s a kick in the ⚽️
Neville Kirkland
18th April 2024 @ 7:42 pm
This is a joke and what i think that money should be shared more with the lower leagues becouse the prem teams dont need it ,can you imagine what a decent cash amount could do for the lower leagues ,the upper teams have enough money and investors its time for the lower leagues to benifit more from non league first then league 2 and so on
David Brown
18th April 2024 @ 11:21 pm
I wouldn’t be surprised if the next step is to remove match highlights for You Tube, unless paid for.
Ian Mountford
18th April 2024 @ 11:47 pm
It’s getting to the point where as fans who attend games may as well just give up. For a lot of people there’s no point having a season ticket. Championship fans (thank goodness we are only championship ready) will have to rearrange their life’s every other week just to attend their club’s matches. As for the extra money it will just go into the pockets of greedy agents and overpaid players. None of this is to improve the game or improve the experience for clubs loyal fans.
Burnt toast Basil(Sides)
20th April 2024 @ 5:26 pm
Lets face it we the fans dont mean anything ….were just not important ,its a shame as its our game.