Play off dates

[Robie]

Are amazon firesticks any good, I was advised these are very good and can stream anything

You can run Kodi but there aint a chance in hell I'm using it to watch Oxford due to how unreliable it is.

 

[Marked Ox]

How to subscribe to Sky temporarily and legally.

Now TV.
Most people will find this the most simple way. NOW TV allows you to stream packages that you want and subscribe to them monthly, daily and sometimes yearly.
For example a day pass for all the Sky TV channels is £9.99 a month pass is £33.99.*
These are recurring subscriptions but you can switch them off really easily before they renew by logging in to the website and adjusting your package.

What do I need?
1. A TV, laptop, computer or even a smartphone*
2. An internet connection. If you are using mobile phone internet be aware of added cost of streaming large amounts of data.
3. Some smart TV's or games consoles may have access to Now TV as an app already. If you are on a tight budget check here for supported devices. However...
4. By far the easiest way is to buy the Now TV stick for 24.99 which just plugs into your HDMI port.

5. Sign up to Now Tv and, when you want to watch football, sign up to the Sky Sports package

Any hidden costs?
There are no recurring subscriptions other than the packages you choose. As an newbie they will gift you 7 day passes... just remember to log in and cancel the passes before they renew.

What's the quality like?
It frustrates me slightly. The streams are not high definition though I see you can pay £3 a month extra to boost this to HD I am yet to try it myself. I imagine that if you do not have a very good internet speed there might be some picture break up or lag.

When is the best time to purchase?
I do not usually subscribe to the Sky Sports package but I will do from Wednesday 17th June which will give me a month of football with games pretty much daily until 17th July for £33.99. With day passes costing £9.99 I would rather pay for a month.
If you are buying the smartstick I would order that ASAP so it is delivered in time and you just activate your account when it suits you.
********Update******** Currys have a deal for a Now TV stick and one month of Sky Sports for £39.99 here.


*If you intend to watch only on your mobile phone then you can pay just £5.99 a month. You can not use chromecast to watch this on a bigger screen, according to NowTV FAQ, the only way to watch the mobile subscription is on a mobile phone.

I hope this helps some people. If you have any questions tag me and I will update this post.

If you have Virgin Media (I don't know if it is package dependent (ie.top end TV/Broadband/Phone package) then you can get Sky Sports on a 1 month contract for £31.95. You also get a boost in Internet speed apparently for the month as well. I haven't read the details as I only had a quick look so there may be a catch within the T&Cs.

 

[Neville60]

Does anyone know if the finals will be free to people who have already subscribed to ifollow for the season.

 

[Robie]

Does anyone know if the finals will be free to people who have already subscribed to ifollow for the season.

Given the playoffs are only available on ifollow abroad I suspect that will be the same for the finals.

 

[m]

They may legally own the rights but given the extraordinary current circumstances I'd take an even dimmer view of Sky than I already do were they not to allow other paths to watch the games

 

[outsidethebox]

Not considering this yet. Just waiting to see if the club manages to negotiate a deal first. Possibly naive but no harm in waiting a couple of weeks.

 

[Neville60]

Given the playoffs are only available on ifollow abroad I suspect that will be the same for the finals.

I live in Australia,
I have emailed ifollow asking the question, ' As I am a season subscriber to follow will I be able to watch the finals games of Oxford United in lew of the 9 games of the regular season at no cost'

I am waiting on their reply.

 

[chuckbert]

I live in Australia,
I have emailed ifollow asking the question, ' As I am a season subscriber to follow will I be able to watch the finals games of Oxford United in lew of the 9 games of the regular season at no cost'

I am waiting on their reply.

I haven't thought much about it, but I have assumed that they will as the subscription is for a year rather than for a season, isn't it? Or did that change at some point? I seem to remember my renewal used to come up in October, but at some point it changed to start of season. Meh, I'm wittering - let us know what they say.

 

[tonto]

I wouldnt trust ifollow to do anything good. They have managed for about the fourth time this season to stop recognising my password and then failing to send a new one . I then have to contact their chat facility to resolve it yet again!

 

[Neville60]

I haven't thought much about it, but I have assumed that they will as the subscription is for a year rather than for a season, isn't it? Or did that change at some point? I seem to remember my renewal used to come up in October, but at some point it changed to start of season. Meh, I'm wittering - let us know what they say.
[/QUOTE

Their reply

Hi Neville,

The play-off matches will not be available via iFollow.

Regards,
Gemma
iFollow Support

 

[Barbadosyellow]

I bought the season iFollow pass as I'm in Barbados most of the year but I'm now stuck in the UK so I can't use it except for the sound commentary I presume. It would have been a nice gesture for all iFollow subscribers, both in the UK and overseas, to have access to the playoffs video as compensation for missing the 9 league games but I guess Sky have bought the rights and are not feeling generous. No surprise there.

 

[Neville60]

My reply back to them

I live in Australia
Play Off Dates Confirmed
12 June 2020

The dates for the Sky Bet League 1 play-offs have now been confirmed
There are two days set for the games: Friday 3rd July and Monday 6th and Oxford United will take on Portsmouth in the earlier kick off each day with the first leg at Fratton Park and the return at the Kassam Stadium three days later.
The games will be behind closed doors but live on SKY TV, which means they can only be shown on iFollow overseas. The final will take place one week later

 

[Barbadosyellow]

Why does iFollow always seem to make things a lot harder than necessary. They've been going for 2 years now and should be a bit more professional in their service delivery by now.

 

[Manorlounger]

Why does iFollow always seem to make things a lot harder than necessary. They've been going for 2 years now and should be a bit more professional in their service delivery by now.

You would think so but, time and again they go out of their way to display a level of incompetence and a lack of any customer service ability.
I'm astounded that they have retained the contract. We can but hope that either, they improve (unlikely) or, they are replaced by somebody with the right acumen to provide the service that we pay for.

 

[Robie]

What have ifollow done wrong exactly?

They don't have the rights to broadcast 1500hrs Saturday games or televised games inside the UK which is why you have a separate international account to create.
This is clear when you subscribe.

 

[Barbadosyellow]

What have ifollow done wrong exactly?

They don't have the rights to broadcast 1500hrs Saturday games or televised games inside the UK which is why you have a separate international account to create.
This is clear when you subscribe.

They've done nothing wrong in terms of their price and rights negotiations as far as I'm concerned. The problems are around service delivery eg being unclear/wrong about televising of cup matches, quality of streaming, helpline response to questions/service issues, half time Radox cutouts etc.

The low point for me was sitting in a hotel room in Prague and unable to stream the match video under an international contract . The iFollow agent kept saying that the system was showing that I was in Prague. I responded that I'd just told her that but wanted to know why it wouldn't provide video. She couldn't give me an answer. I don't think their training is up to scratch.

 

[Robie]

I can understand that then. I tried to watch a game whilst I was abroad, paid for the video stream as it showed as an option. I got a quick response to my chat help to say that I needed to set up an international account rather than just use my UK account to purchase. Frustrating, but when the service has been working for the games I am allowed to watch it has worked very well.
I was an early adopter of the ifollow and yellow player services and remember many problems in the past but think it has come a long way now and must be a huge feat to stream so many games at the same time.

I am very against the relaxation of televising 3pm kick offs and would rather it be cheaper to watch the game in the stadium than laze at home and watch it.

 

[ZeroTheHero]

I am very against the relaxation of televising 3pm kick offs and would rather it be cheaper to watch the game in the stadium than laze at home and watch it.

I agree with that, but for these play-offs (where people *cannot* be in the stadiums) it would have been good if those subscribing to iFollow could have watched them on that platform. However, if Sky have the rights and won't allow it I guess there is nothing they can do.

 

[Manorlounger]

I can understand that then. I tried to watch a game whilst I was abroad, paid for the video stream as it showed as an option. I got a quick response to my chat help to say that I needed to set up an international account rather than just use my UK account to purchase. Frustrating, but when the service has been working for the games I am allowed to watch it has worked very well.
I was an early adopter of the ifollow and yellow player services and remember many problems in the past but think it has come a long way now and must be a huge feat to stream so many games at the same time.

I am very against the relaxation of televising 3pm kick offs and would rather it be cheaper to watch the game in the stadium than laze at home and watch it.

The service offered, in principle, is acceptable. The problems start with the customer service response. Invariably the answers given differ from agent to another, the logic behind the response is often flawed and as @Barbadosyellow just mentioned, sometimes the impression given is that the agent doesn't really listen or understand what has been said.
I had several heated exchanges with agents regarding the interruption to audio coverage at half times, they insisted that they were acting on instructions from the club (OUFC) and yet, I had a clear response from Chris Williams (OUFC Comms Manager) that this was not the case. At least once they then, in a fit of petulance I suspect, delayed the resumption of coverage until after the second half had kicked off!
If iFollow acted in a more professional and customer friendly manner, they would gain more respect. As it stands, they have a monopoly and treat everyone with disdain.

 

[Manorlounger]

I agree with that, but for these play-offs (where people *cannot* be in the stadiums) it would have been good if those subscribing to iFollow could have watched them on that platform. However, if Sky have the rights and won't allow it I guess there is nothing they can do.

And, playing Devil's advocate, Sky have lost a large amount of revenue recently having suspended payment for Sky Sports channels. They have a deal and probably see nothing, legally, wrong with sticking to that deal.