Carlisle United owner says "beam-back" is under discussion in iFollow talks

The club’s co-owner says that is one of the potential outcomes for the iFollow streaming service next season.

All games have been available for fans to watch online this season because Covid-19 has left most matches behind closed doors.

With football hoping to return to normal crowds in 2021/22, though, it has raised questions over how the iFollow service will be offered in the future.

United’s chief executive Nigel Clibbens said talks on the matter remained “ongoing”.

Nixon, who represents League Two clubs at the EFL, confirmed the league is looking at the “beam-back” option if iFollow is no longer made regularly available for Saturday games.

“There have been discussions,” he said at this week’s fans’ forum at Brunton Park.

“You could take a situation like Carlisle away to Exeter, and let’s just say [in a] Covid-free [climate], and there’s still a significant number that would find it difficult to travel.

“Is there a possibility – and these are things that are being looked at – that the beam-back situation could occur through iFollow to the stadium, to Foxy’s, to the Sunset Suite?

“It would be limited in the number that could watch it that couldn’t actually travel.

“That is being looked at. Whether it will get through considerations I couldn’t be sure.”

Nixon said he “hopes there is a compromise,” given the number of fans who have relied on iFollow this season.

The service would remain a lifeline to exiled supporters if the league opts to continue offering it regularly.

But the issue of Saturday 3pm games being “sacrosanct” when it comes to screening games live will be a major hurdle.

Clibbens said he doubted iFollow would continue in the same way once significant numbers of fans were allowed back into grounds.

He said: “Discussions are still ongoing.

“There’s a policy position about streaming games at 3pm on a Saturday, then there’s the practicalities of fans being locked out.

“The position of the EFL, driven by the clubs, is [3pm games on Saturday are] sacrosanct. Regulations that stop it are carved in stone.

United beamed back a game against Doncaster in 2004 as fans watched from the East Stand (photo: Louise Porter) (Image: Louise Porter)

“A specific exemption was allowed, because no fans could go [this season]. It was a way to keep fans connected with games, a way for clubs to earn money, and, at the same time, without the expectation this would become permanent.

“The theory is if the EFL say, ‘We’re now going to allow our games to be streamed live’ the first thing that will then happen is the Premier League will then say, ‘Ok, we’ll stream English football matches live, at 3pm on Saturday’.

“The risk will then be that they sell out their stadiums and don’t lose any matchday income, but fans down the pyramid say, ‘I’m not gonna watch Carlisle United versus Crawley, I’m gonna watch Manchester United versus Liverpool.’

“Nobody is prepared to test the water and see if it works.

“While fans are locked out, it’s compensation to keep fans connected. But will it continue after that? I very much doubt it unless there’s a complete sea-change in how the English football pyramid operates.

“My gut feeling is as soon as clubs get to the stage where they can have a significant number of fans in their ground, that particular club will be turned off.”

Nixon pointed out that iFollow availability will continue as normal for midweek matches.

United have “beamed back” certain games in the past.

Back in 2004, for instance, fans gathered in the East Stand to watch the Blues’ final game before relegation from the Football League – against Doncaster at Belle Vue – on a big screen.

Carlisle this week revealed they had made about £340,000 from iFollow in the 2020/21 season.