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Post by curlywurly on Feb 3, 2022 12:25:03 GMT
Not allowing supporters to use ifollow is ridiculous. If I’m going to watch a game on ifollow it’s because I can’t make it to the game for some reason. A little box screen, which has one camera only, and lags like feck, is no comparison to seeing hearing breathing smelling the game in person. Even when Barry has dodgy guts and is stinking out the terrace. You do realise it's the Sky Sports contract stopping games being shown not the EFL? The issue seems to be what your average football fan would choose to watch at 3pm on a Saturday, a top Premiership game on Sky or a live lower league game, the EFL seem to think some would prefer to watch the former. I think it is more complicated than that as the top down regulation comes from UEFA in Article 48 of their statutes.
and the detailed regulations here:
The fine detail is in the regulation document, but my reading of it is that it is the UEFA member association (i.e. the FA) can choose to implement a blocked hours policy of 2.5 hours on a Saturday.
The regulation states "The following matches may be transmitted during "blocked hours": a. Matches involving the senior national representative team. b. Other matches, which, according to national government regulation, are considered to be of a kind which requires transmission live on free TV. c. Any other match of national importance.
..also..
"Should a member association decide to transmit a match in accordance with this Article 4, then it must also accept the Transmission of any other match in its territory during the same period"
Whether the FA (as the member association) devolve the decision to the Premier League and EFL, I'm not sure and clearly the TV contracts and the rights issues will have a bearing. Logically, I would assume that the broadcasters are not in favour of these blocked hours.
The EFL's position is here:
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Post by curlywurly on Feb 3, 2022 12:32:07 GMT
Just to add that the principle behind the UEFA Article 48 is:
"The present Regulations are designed to ensure that spectators are not deterred from attending local football matches of any kind and/or participating in matches at amateur and/or youth level, on account of Transmissions of football matches which may create competition with these matches."
Personally, I don't agree with the thought process behind this. I would emphasize that the member association has a choice whether to implement the 2.5 blocked hours.
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Post by baggins on Feb 3, 2022 12:42:42 GMT
Just to add that the principle behind the UEFA Article 48 is: "The present Regulations are designed to ensure that spectators are not deterred from attending local football matches of any kind and/or participating in matches at amateur and/or youth level, on account of Transmissions of football matches which may create competition with these matches." Personally, I don't agree with the thought process behind this. I would emphasize that the member association has a choice whether to implement the 2.5 blocked hours. Not deterred from attending? How does that work for the World Cup in Qatar then?
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Post by curlywurly on Feb 3, 2022 13:09:46 GMT
Just a bit of further background to the black out rule (UEFA Article 48): -It dates back to the late 1950s -Member associations have the option to impose a 2.5 hour ban on broadcasting at the time that most of its fixtures are played -A member association has to request this black out before the start of each season, but is then bound by this for the whole season (unless Covid or similar intervenes Force Majeur)
-Important to note that of all UEFA members ONLY the English, Scottish and Montenegran football associations take up the blackout optionThere have been legal challenges to the rule, in particular a challenge to the European Court of Justice. Opinion of the Advocate General seemed to challenge the legal validity of the rule: ‘Measures to enforce exclusive broadcasting rights are at odds with the principle of the internal market...It is, in fact, doubtful whether closed periods are capable of encouraging attendance at matches and participation in matches. Both activities have a completely different quality to the following of a live transmission on television. It has not been adequately shown to the Court that the closed periods actually encourage attendance at and participation in matches.’ The Advocate General also stated that matches were not blocked in France, Germany and other European countries and this has no effect on live attendances. However, this did not lead to the ECJ forcing the black out rule to be scrapped, but it did force the acceptance of broadcast during these peak times in other countries - hence the VPN route.
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Post by baggins on Feb 3, 2022 13:37:02 GMT
I'll ask again, ifollow for Saturday?
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Post by curlywurly on Feb 3, 2022 13:44:59 GMT
I'll ask again, ifollow for Saturday? No. No internationals. No blocked broadcasting exemption.
Eurostar to France and watch till your heart's content.
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Post by baggins on Feb 3, 2022 13:52:17 GMT
I'll ask again, ifollow for Saturday? No. No internationals. No blocked broadcasting exemption.
Eurostar to France and watch till your heart's content.
Livescore, BBC, Sky Sports, Forum it is then.
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Post by thegasman on Feb 3, 2022 15:08:32 GMT
This then begs the question, why was the Swindon game not on iFollow? It start at 13:00, and was over by 14:45? Outside of the blackout period.
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Post by pepsi on Feb 3, 2022 15:43:01 GMT
No. No internationals. No blocked broadcasting exemption.
Eurostar to France and watch till your heart's content.
Livescore, BBC, Sky Sports, Forum it is then. Get a VPN bags, I’ve done it in the past, just looks like your not in the country so paying a Tenner from abroad. 👍👍
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Post by curlywurly on Feb 3, 2022 16:07:34 GMT
This then begs the question, why was the Swindon game not on iFollow? It start at 13:00, and was over by 14:45? Outside of the blackout period. As you rightly say, the chosen blackout period in England is between 2:45pm and 5:15pm on a Saturday. In theory there is no reason why the Swindon game couldn't have been shown.
I'm imagining that one, or both clubs need to do the behind the scenes work to make the game available on ifollow.
Perhaps a question to ask of the club, maybe via the supporters club reps, or more directly.
(...or don't worry about it and continue to use a VPN when you can't get to games???)
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Post by The Equaliser on Feb 3, 2022 16:10:50 GMT
This then begs the question, why was the Swindon game not on iFollow? It start at 13:00, and was over by 14:45? Outside of the blackout period. As you rightly say, the chosen blackout period in England is between 2:45pm and 5:15pm on a Saturday. In theory there is no reason why the Swindon game couldn't have been shown.
I'm imagining that one, or both clubs need to do the behind the scenes work to make the game available on ifollow.
Perhaps a question to ask of the club, maybe via the supporters club reps, or more directly.
Ben Garner didn’t think it should feature on IFollow as our aggressive tactics would have been X Rated and not suitable for family viewing 😂
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