iFollow Questions

Discussion in 'Bulletin Board' started by Old Goat, May 27, 2020.

  1. Old Goat

    Old Goat Well-Known Member

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    I've not used iFollow before and I have a few questions, if anyone has a mo.

    1. What's the quality like? High definition, mid, low?
    2. Can you get it onto your smart tv? When I've used NowTV I've used Chrome cast to get it on to the telly. Is this an option with iFollow.
    3. Any other technical issues to consider/overcome?
    4. Commentator?
    5. How does coverage compare to, say, a BBC or Sky live game?
    6. Cost? (sorry... being a bit lazy now... )

    Thanks in advance. Apologies if I'm being a bit dim.
     
  2. Bak

    Baka Well-Known Member

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    5. It doesn't. Some games have only one camera, others might have three or four. But even in the latter case, if you're used to a slick Sky product, iFollow won't be remotely similar.

    6. It's £10 per game - or was - and you don't get to watch the ones which are on Sky.
     
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  3. JamDrop

    JamDrop Well-Known Member

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    1. Quality is pretty good, it claims to be high definition but that depends on your connection really.
    2. I always hook my laptop up to the TV. You probably can Chromecast from your phone.
    3. It does have it's own technical problems quite often where it stops streaming occasionally and a message scrolls across until they fix it.
    4. Commentator is the highlight for me. He was commentating when I first started listening to Barnsley in the Premier season so to me, that's what listening to Barnsley sounds like. He gets a bit of stick off people as he sometimes mixes players up in the heat of the moment but I wouldn't swap him. You also get the passion (and bias) of a die hard Barnsley fan.
    5. You don't get all the fancy stuff that you would if it was on Sky, it's basically just the game and the commentary on top (you do get full match replays after 24 hours though which is good)
    6. Think it was £40 ish pound for the audio. You can't normally stream matches on Saturdays at 3pm, or if on Sky, but that may change this year if behind closed doors. You can pay £10 per match to watch it if it's on at a different time/day (no idea if you can buy a pass that includes matches without the extra spend on top)
     
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  4. YT

    YT Well-Known Member

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    Four-camera footage on every game began this season, in the Championship. High Def. Graphics, close-ups, replays, and club commentary. It might not be a proper TV production, but it's way better than you're crediting it here.

    To @Old Goat, if you go onto the iFollow Barnsley page and find the Fulham Vs Barnsley 'RE-WATCH' video on there (24th March we uploaded it), it's available for free, you'll get the exact replica of what was on the system on that day at Craven Cottage. Which will give you an idea of the product. Linked below.

    https://www.barnsleyfc.co.uk/search/?q=rewatch#hiddenVideo-search

    Genuinely no reason why streams can't be made available (for the remainder of this season) and next season if necessary. The tech is there. It's up to the EFL and Sky to sort.
     
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  5. Farnham_Red

    Farnham_Red Administrator Staff Member Admin

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    Assuming as seems likely we are in League 1 next season does that mean we are back to one camera even if games played behind closed doors. IFollow TV coverage this season has been quite good. Last year it was not so great.
     
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  6. YT

    YT Well-Known Member

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    I wish I could give you an answer to that, but it's something I don't know yet. Genuinely like walking through slowly clearing fog for us right now.
     
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  7. Old Goat

    Old Goat Well-Known Member

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    Thanks everyone for your replies. Much appreciated. I'll definitely be having a look at the Fulham rewatch sometime soon.

    It's a tricky decision, given the uncertainties. Do my son and I part with £498 and risk seeing only £460 worth of iFollow matches? We wouldn't bother with away games under normal circumstances, but it would seem silly not to under the proposed offer.

    Perhaps, for us, a better way of looking at it is this:

    Usual ST cost East Upper £390 × 2 = £780
    For 23 games
    Cost per game £33.91 (two people)

    Offer price £249 x 2 = £498
    (a) if normality returns
    For 23 games at Oakwell
    Cost per game £21.65 (two people)
    Saving per game £12.26 (£6.13 each)

    (b) if watched via iFollow
    For 46 games
    Cost per game £10.82
    Saving per game £23.09 (£11.54 each)

    So either way, we're saving money.

    For us, the iFollow alternative (£10.82) works out to be only 82p per match dearer than the normal iFollow price (£10). Plus, on the off chance that football does resume as normal, our usual seats are reserved and we'll have saved £282 (£141 each).

    It's a much better deal if you're a single supporter household. At £249, the iFollow cost would be £5.41 per game. Not so good if there are more than 2 of you at the same address. Three people = £747 = £16.24 per iFollow game (plus the added misery of knowing you've shelled out £747 for iFollow that would only usually cost £460 for the season).

    It may, of course, be more complicated than that. It could be part season of iFollow, and part Oakwell.

    Please feel free to shoot holes in my logic, or maths, or both.

    Edit. The above assumes that all 46 games are available via iFollow. If any of them aren't, due to Sky, then it becomes even trickier.
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2020
  8. Old Goat

    Old Goat Well-Known Member

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    Supplementary questions.

    When was the last time the iFollow price increased? Just wondering if the £10 might go up.

    Who sets the iFollow price? The club or someone else? (I don't even know if there is a "someone else", that's how little I know about it).
     
  9. Dep

    Deputy Dawg Well-Known Member

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    The remaining games
    there are going to be 3 or 4 a day at staggered times on Pay TV SKY BT etc
    if they were to show all BFC matches
    they are on Ifollow or not.

    same if next seasons games no crowds
    if on PayTV
    no ifollow or both ?
     
  10. JamDrop

    JamDrop Well-Known Member

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    Hi YT, what’s happens if we have iFollow already and let it automatically renew for next season? The subscription has always been completely separate from a season ticket. What would an iFollow subscriber get and how would it be different to what a season ticket holder will get? My dad gets iFollow every year but never a ST as he works shifts and some weekends. Would he still be able to listen to matches and get full match replays or not? Thanks.
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2020
  11. YT

    YT Well-Known Member

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    Very good question and again, I don’t have an answer at the minute. But all will have to become clear. Once there is clarity for us, we will update accordingly.
     
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  12. Prince of Risborough

    Prince of Risborough Well-Known Member

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    I've never had a problem with iFollow live matches, or watching full match replays in the following days. As a long-term subscriber I've seen the quality of the product increase significantly year by year to the point where it is now on a par with a Sky sports broadcast. I'm not interested in the views of professional commentators and pundits. I want to hear Barnsley fans and current or ex-Barnsley players talking about the match as I enjoy the action.

    No criticism from me - not now, not ever. It's been worth every penny to me but, then again, I live away from the town, so miss the odd home game and most away matches. Perhaps those who live near Oakwell see it as a waste of money. For me it's a superb service and light years ahead of the tranny pressed up against your ear listening for news of our match on the BBC: ".....and we hear there has been another goal at Oakwell...crackle hiss crackle etc etc" :).
     
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