Thetownend.com

Just got email from iFollow. Next season’s ST has gone up from €130 to approx €152 (£140).

Just to let people know it’s an automatic renewal. Presume day passes will increase, too.

Given the current situation I wonder whether they will offer ST packages to people living in the UK?

I got the email too, they will take the money on the 1st September.

Wonder if we will get any pre season friendlies?

I got an email, the UK based season pass is £45. Think that's audio only, I guess they'll want more if they end up with more streaming.

Last season the audio pass was about 1/4 the cost of the video games, it was also cheaper to watch from abroad than the UK so I would imagine a full season pass if they all in the UK will be near £200.

Thankfully, I happen to be abroad most weekends when the football season is in process. So strange how it always correlates  ;)

Does anyone know what cut the club gets from iFollow subs? They need *some* income, and this is about as close as they’re going to get isn’t it. 100 iFollow annual subs x 10% is about one average L1 players weekly wage....

This is what the email says:

iFollow is the official streaming service of Swindon Town, with at least 70% of the net revenue from your purchase going directly back to support your club.

Probably use a similar ratio of BS to the TEF though, so not sure how true that is..

Latest from the EFL on how iFollow coverage will operate.

https://www.efl.com/news/2020/august/all-sky-bet-efl-matches-available-on-tv-or-online/

The OS has also just posted this.

70% of net revenue from a £10 match pass equates to £5.83 if I've done my sums correctly. Much lower than the revenue for a ticket but I suppose it's much better than nothing. Also gives exiled supporters like myself a chance to watch Saturday games when we usually wouldn't be able to, so a little financial bonus there for the club perhaps.

Funny thing for exiled fans like me this will probably mean me watching more games than ever before!

What's not 100% clear is whether the EFL are charging clubs to provide games for season ticket holders. Or whether they are waving the fee.

You'd assume the latter, but its the EFL.

It's the BIB:

I see a couple of potential reasons for that... it could be as you say that there is a fee involved. Alternatively, it could be that some clubs want to milk iFollow for all its worth, and will know that those most likely to want to watch are those who are willing to fork out hundreds on a season ticket.

Are you suggesting clubs may force season ticket sales through ifllow exclusivity.  That would be scandalous, and also wouldn't work as away fans are able to buy £10 passes. Easy to create 23 accounts with a single long gmail address and save a whack :)

Fingers crossed its still a fiver for fans “abroad”.

I'll let you know when the season kicks off :)

Seconded. Charlton match price unavailable right now.

Its going to be interesting for sure, I imagine for some clubs it will bring in additional revenue from distant fans, which has to be offset against which locals would give up their ST's if everything is streamed?

I think that bit about "subject to the agreement of the clubs" etc might refer to a small number of clubs which don't currently allow iFollow - I think Brentford, West Brom were among them.

Being a bit of a prick about this, and not saying you do, but fans who do this then moan that Power 'won't put his hand in his pocket' have a bit of neck!

Maybe.

The reason for asking was I currently have a family ST, 1xAdult and 2xU18. That works out about £20 a game.

I wouldn't like to think the EFL are still charging the club net £4.17 each for the ifollow privilidge.

It'll make sense of any descisions the club make if we don't end up with 3.

Since its all speculation it just musings really.

In many cases its extra revenue rather than denying revenue. Already got a season ticket. Go abroad for away games and any I can't make.

Oh I know, it wasn't aimed in any particular direction its just a bug bear of mine with the Power put your hand in your pocket bunch generally quickly followed up by tickets going up 5% I'm not fucking paying that!

No, I'm suggesting they might want to not offer free iFollow passes to ST holders, to cream off extra revenue.

I think you guys need to sharpen up your maths.  The club is getting 70% of the NET REVENUE (sorry about the caps!).  The net revenue is the income minus costs - and we have no idea what costs will be deducted by SKY, the EFL and others involved in providing these streams.  My bet is that the poor little clubs like ours will not actually be making much.  However, it’s still going to be better than nothing, and the aim should be to get as big a virtual attendance as possible for every home game (I assume we get fuck all from streamed away games, although that’s not clear).

I think they'd get a lot of a backlash and demands of Pro rata refunds!

it could just mean sans VAT, as already calculated. other costs are fixed, rather than per ticket

Who actually does the filming, is it the club or do iFollow provide the staff equipment etc. I finally watched the Coventry friendly the other night and the filming of that was obviously very Coventry orientated.

Football League.

And I get the whole thing about people being tight and then expecting Power to spend.

Personally I don't expect any one person to spend their personal money on a football club. I also expect fans to watch the games for as cheap as possible. I don't get to many home games so the club are making £5 a game rather than losing. At £10, I'm picking and choosing.

I assumed it was centrally organised by ifollow (EFL) but don't know.

The Coventry on was a sports channel. I thought I read they were sponsoring or rumoured to be sponsoring Coventry. Hence the game on TV I suppose.

We get BBC Radio Wilts on out iFollow, as you probably know.

I accept that, but my point (not very well made I agree) is that as the costs are fixed, then the more tickets are sold, the greater the sum retained per ticket by the club.  Bigger attendance = Even bigger club revenue. God, I would never have made it as an Economics teacher!

If the club faces fixed costs relating to iFollow then the marginal profit rises with each ticket sold. The net revenue does not increase, as it's a fixed amount per ticket with no marginal gain.

id imagine it's more likely EFL pick up the fixed cost aspect. or maybe it's split hence some clubs opting out.

I'm sure you have but where's the £1.17 coming from? I get some of that will be costs of providing the service etc just curious as to how you arrived at that exact figure?

I've got both a 20/21 season ticket and an IFollow audio subscription. Now I'm wondering if I need the IFollow at all if the ST gives me everything.

Away games won't be included in the iFollow ST offering, potentially.

There's no £1.17. Net revenue on a £10 pass is £8.33 and 70% of that is £5.83.

I've assumed all costs are borne by the broadcaster (ELF, iFollow, whoever) and not factored those in.

^^^ it's the Vat man

Ba-da-ba-da-ba-be bop ba bodda bope
Bop ba bodda bope
Be bop ba bodda bope
Bop ba bodda bope

OK, so where did the £1.67 go then? VAT is 20%, so if it's that it'd be £2. Unless there's a special iFollow VAT rate I'm unaware of.

ST only gives you home games though, not away games and what will obviously be our extensive cup run.

To calculate the Net price after removing VAT, divide by 1.2.  VAT is added to a price so you are not taking 20% off of 10 quid, rather a number had 20% added to it to get to 10 quid.

It is available now but the Rochdale game is not. Having just this minute created an account that is all that is available to me anyway.

As far as I am aware STFC get £7 out of every £10 paid,  I.e. £7 per game for each payment made.

I have no idea, I was answering the question of where the 8.33 number had come from, whether it is right is another question.

That's because I am, next?

Ask this before and I can’t remember what the answer was....

People with smart TVs who have internet on them: you can’t stream it can you?

Well, yes. But you still have to watch it through the STFC App. I know someone will you can mirror from a tablet to the TV or connect a cable, but I’ve never managed it.

So, use your Smart TV to log on to the net, download the App and watch it through that.

if your TV supports the app.

I've Chromecast it, but in my setup it read a bit jerky

The App itself doesn't work via a Smart TV Browser and can't be downloaded but, as Batch suggests, you can use things like Chromecast or HDMi cable to the TV.

Chromecast to mirror screen has never worked for me. HDMI the only reliable way to get it on the big screen.

can anyone else abroad see a price for the Charlton game?

here in the UK it's £10

Fucking hell, of course you do, what a doofus. It's been a long week already. Bloody good job I have an accountant to do this kind of shit for me.

I Chromecast to my Shield TV. Works like a charm although the resolution is shit.

I can't see a price when logged out, for the single match.  It shows the game but to the right the box is empty.  When I log in, it picks up that I am going to be auto renewed I think, so it just says I already have access to the game.  The Annual price for me is $178.

Mine says I already have access, which surprised me.

On further investigation, it seems I've always had access. I've been paying every month since the last season ended.

Fuckwit.

^^^^^^

thanks both..

MacAnthonys such a twat

https://www.peterboroughtoday.co.uk/sport/football/peterborough-united/peterborough-united-supremo-says-ifollow-fee-too-cheap-non-season-ticket-holders-2953202

Hopefully they'll release viewing figures for the individual fixtures. I can see it being potentially quite lucrative for certain games like Sunderland at home, without having the costs for stewarding/policing etc. and we make the square root of nothing from the catering anyway.

Interestingly he mentions fans logging in via the club stream...so are there 2 streams available and the club only gets revenue from a link they have ?

I assume the 2 streams referenced are for the ifollow pages of the two teams playing - 70% to the team whose site you're viewing on and 30% to the other team.
So he's saying Peterborough fans should sign in through the Peterborough site, rather than the site of whoever they happen to be playing. Don't know why anyone would do otherwise.

Club announce free home games to season ticket holders, and provisions are in place so all season ticket holders can attend when allowed

Think the 30% goes to the company that streams,  not the away club,  can't see the stream being streamed for nothing.

I read it as 70% and 30% of the money that goes to the clubs, after iFollow etc have taken their cut, otherwise the whole comment about specifically signing into the Peterborough stream doesn't make sense.
...


That's it isn't it - MacAnthony in 'saying-something-that-doesn't-make-sense' shocker.