WE’LL KEEP AN EYE ON STREAM FLOW
EFL vow to monitor attendances
EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey says the effects of streaming matches will be closely monitored to protect live attendances at games.
The EFL has been conducting a trial, which concludes at the end of October, to see what effect streaming has on attendances.
Fans have been able to view selected games via iFollow, their team’s digital platform, at a cost of £10 per match.
So far, there have been a total of 130,000 live video streams across EFL matches, including 50,000 domestically and 80,000 from overseas.
Clubs are due to receive revenues from iFollow at the end of October.
Harvey was speaking on the day The Times reported a fall in Championship attendances for the midweek fixtures Sky Sports has started to broadcast via its red button service.
According to the newspaper, midweek Championship games last season had gates that were typically 4.5 per cent smaller than weekend games, but so far this season the gap has grown to 8.8 per cent.
“Comparing attendances from year to year is really difficult. There are lots of factors that go into it – who you are playing, current form, what the weather is like and so on,’ said Harvey.
“(But) The Times has used public-source information, whereas we know the number of away fans who have travelled and whether they are season-ticket holders or not, so there are a number of factors at play.
“But any reduction will be looked at seriously and taken into account as we look to the future.”
Harvey has also defended the £10 fee per game.
“We’ve gone for £10 because we did some research to see what the market will take and because the service has to be paid for.
“But it’s based on a simple premise: if you are a fan and you can go to the game, you’ll go, but if you can’t, this is an option. We know the vast majority of fans are watching more than 25 miles away from the stadium, so it’s an additional audience.”