As football fans finally prepare to return to grounds in the upcoming season it will naturally mean a change in the scheduling patterns for SwansTV and all the other TV streaming services that kept us as close to the action as was possible last season.
Outside of small crowds at the play off semi final and final last season, Swans fans have been kept out of the Liberty Stadium since March 2020 but with the releasing of restrictions in England coming on July 19 and Wales expected to follow suit at some point not long after next season will see us back in the Liberty even if some games are restricted capacities in early days.
iFollow – who provides services for 55 of the 72 league clubs last season – are reported as raising ยฃ42m for the clubs through revenue as more than 360,000 people from 175 countries tuned in during the course of the season.
Prior to the pandemic 3pm kick offs were not transmitted in this country but temporary streaming laws were introduced that allowed clubs to broadcast games – providing a much-needed income albeit considerably less than normal gate receipts.ย It is expected that midweek matches will continue to be allowed to be shown providing they are not selected for Sky Sports coverage.
An EFL spokesperson said: โDiscussions remain ongoing in respect of a variety of different matters in preparation for the new season following the Governmentโs announcement that restrictions on capacity are expected to be lifted later this month.
โWhile a number of matters including general preparations, protocols in place across the league and the streaming of matches require further discussion, we know that all EFL Clubs are ready to re-open their doors and welcome back their supporters.โ
More clubs have confirmed that next season they will launch their own brands for TV coverage with Blackburn and Peterborough already having confirmed this.
This could be a real problem for Wales based clubs playing in the England Pyramid as no decision has been made the Senedd.
Letโs hope opening the grounds to pre-pandemic status won’t lead to future lockdowns, illness and deaths.