EA Sports has signed on not just as an official sponsor of the English Football League (EFL) as its on- screen data partner, but also as the first ever sponsor of the league’s innovative, ground-breaking new digital streaming service iFollow.
The new six-year deal extends the long-standing, data and gaming led relationship between EA Sports and the EFL which has been led by an official licensee alliance for the previous past eight years.
The on-screen data partnership strand of the alliance will ensure EA Sports benefits from a significant presence on the league’s domestic broadcasts, while the iFollow tie-up will see it become part of the league’s international broadcast streams spanning 175 countries around the world
Both will include branding set on all broadcast fixtures in the form of on-screen stats that themselves aim to enhance the live match experience for the audience.
Overseas #EFL fans.
iFollow match passes are now available.
Sign up here >> https://t.co/yw3qBvsGj1
And download your club app! pic.twitter.com/048WqGFL8k
— EFL (@EFL) August 12, 2017
The EFL’s inventive iFollow service will see the league itself take control of the live-streaming of more than 1,500 matches this season to fans around the world.
The platform, which launched this summer ahead of the start of the new season, is a genuinely innovative digital live streaming and content platform enabling the EFL to offer a live match service directly to fans based outside the UK and Ireland.
The new agreement includes:
Non-exclusive rights to use:
> Official Partner of the EFL
> Official Licensee of the EFL
Exclusive rights to use:
> Official On-screen Data Partner of the EFL
> Official Digital Streaming Partner of EFL Digital
iFollow sees the EFL works with partners Realise and Neulion to provide the league and all its clubs with an exciting new digital platform that replaces the current club websites and PlayerHD product.
All EFL clubs within the league-wide digital family (58 of 72 current EFL clubs have signed up to adopt iFollow) have had their player platforms rebranded, retaining the ability to have the product directly associated with their Club name or nickname.
The key change within the new platform is live streaming: it offers the ability for clubs to stream full live video coverage of matches for fans based overseas only (outside of UK and Ireland) on a paid-for subscription model through club media services (eg website and app)
(As part of the iFollow product, live audio commentary for those within the UK & Ireland will continue to be available.)
The cost of a season pass for the live streaming product is £110.
“EA Sports is one of the leading sports entertainment brands in the world and I am delighted to see our relationship grow into a wider partnership that will reach millions of football fans worldwide,’ comments EFL Chief Executive Shaun Harvey.
“The new iFollow platform provides a significant opportunity and new revenue stream for EFL Clubs that will also present fans living abroad with improved and regular access to the team they support, week in week out. This new partnership will also enhance our traditional broadcast coverage globally as well providing EA SPORTS with an important marketing and communications vehicle that will assist in the continued engagement of their target audience.”
The new partnership will also see EA Sports use the EFL as a marketing platform to promote EA SPORTS FIFA 18 (see our previous case study on the game’s new launch campaign), and leverage its global audience of football fans.
EA Sports will also become more involved with the matchday experience with interactive activations set to take place at grounds around the country – including at the five showpiece finals at Wembley.
“We are excited to be extending our relationship with the EFL by becoming an official partner and we look forward to working closely with them and their 72 clubs,” said Dan Holman, Director, EA SPORTS FIFA Partnerships.
“Our aim is to deliver personalised and authentic season-long content and build a closer connection to both the clubs and their fanbases.”
Comment:
iFollow is a fascinating development and will be watched by sports leagues around the world as a tested for a property owner taking control of its own broadcasting offering.
If the platform proves a success, then surely the official partnership will offer plenty of value to EA Sports – which, in the form of EA SPORTS FIFA 17, already boasts the biggest selling console videogame in the world.
Links:
EA Sports
https://www.facebook.com/easports
https://www.instagram.com/easportsinsider/
https://www.youtube.com/user/EASPORTS
EA Sports FIFA
https://www.youtube.com/user/EAsportsfootball
https://www.facebook.com/easportsfifa
https://twitter.com/EASPORTSFIFA
https://www.instagram.com/easportsfifa/
EFL
https://www.facebook.com/theEFL/
https://www.instagram.com/efl/?hl=en
https://www.youtube.com/user/TheFootballLeague/videos
