Brave New World: EFL Matches to be Show Live Online This Season in UK Streaming Debut
In a UK first, the EFL will be streaming matches live online on Tuesday, with seven Championship matches being streamed this week.
The service, which shows mid-week games outside bank holidays which are not shown live on Sky Sports, will cost £10 per match.
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Fans will be able to access the live coverage via the iFollow digital platform, which was launched last season for overseas fans. Last season, as well as this season, overseas fans have been able to stream every non-televised match.
Seven of the ten midweek Championship clashes will be available for streaming on the iFollow platform, including Blackburn v Reading and Ipswich's trip to Derby.
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The live streaming of matches in the UK is still in its relative infancy, and clubs such as Aston Villa, Leeds United and Sunderland are yet to jump onto the iFollow bandwagon, but do reportedly have a similar service, as do QPR and Bristol City.
The EFL confirmed in a statement that the following matches that Championship fans will be able to stream live via iFollow. All games kick off at 19:45, unless stated otherwise.
- Derby v Ipswich (Tue)
- Rotherham v Hull (Tue)
- Sheffield Wednesday v Millwall (Wed)
- Blackburn v Reading (Wed)
- Norwich v Preston (Wed)
- Bolton v Birmingham (Wed, 20:00)
- Stoke v Wigan (Wed, 20:00)
The news gets even better for EFL Championship fans, as for those who have Sky Sports will have the ability to choose which match they watch. Similar to Sky's match choice feature for Premier League highlights, Championship fans will be able to access any mid-week match via the red button.
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This is another huge step for the coverage of football, which would have been seen as virtually impossible a few years ago. It is now only the 3pm Saturday kick-off which is not shown live, a rule whose days may be numbered as the demand for live football soars ever higher.
