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Rochdale - ifollow 14:17 - Jan 13 with 1788 views

Is Rochdale game on ifollow for us in UK or were Saturday matches only on ifollow during World Cup.?

If not available to us in UK has anyone ever watched it in UK but using a VPN?

Rochdale - ifollow on 17:26 - Jan 13 with 1753 views

noah4x4

I was recently on a cruise ship in the Caribbean and tried to connect to I-Follow whilst behind my (Norton) VPN. I then tried without the VPN. I failed on both occasions as a message said that the content was “not licensed for viewing in this territory”.

I am not sure if the ships (ridiculously expensive) WiFi was using satellite or an American Virgin Islands Internet provider, but I have had this problem before elsewhere in the USA. My guess is that without a VPN, the provider recognises your IP Address as (first) registered in the UK, so it could simply be that from within any USA territory such content is unlicensed. I routinely access I-Follow in the UK from behind a VPN, but have never tried on (prohibited) Saturdays.

There’s room on the second CUSA bus to Rochdale …..

Rochdale - ifollow on 13:05 - Jan 14 with 1694 views

thrillseeker

Rochdale - ifollow on 17:26 - Jan 13 by noah4x4

Sadly I was called into work this morning hence question regrading ifollow.

Doesn't sound positive regarding using a VPN - looks like I will be reliant on BBC Essex

Rochdale - ifollow on 16:05 - Jan 14 with 1670 views

Blue4U2

Just paid £2,50 for I-follow whilst listening to BBC Essex via BBC Sounds
Then at 3pmc carried on listening with NO restrictions

What a waste of £2.50!!

Rochdale - ifollow on 16:27 - Jan 14 with 1657 views

wessex_exile

Rochdale - ifollow on 16:05 - Jan 14 by Blue4U2
Just paid £2,50 for I-follow whilst listening to BBC Essex via BBC Sounds Then at 3pmc carried on listening with NO restrictions What a waste of £2.50!!

If it's any consolation, my iFollow commentary has cut out, had to switch to the home commentary for now.

	Up the U's
Poll:	How will we do in 2016/17
Blog:	Knees-up Mother Brown #24

Rochdale - ifollow on 17:11 - Jan 14 with 1635 views

thrillseeker

So game was on ifollow for UK residents?

Rochdale - ifollow on 17:22 - Jan 14 with 1627 views

wessex_exile

Rochdale - ifollow on 17:11 - Jan 14 by thrillseeker
So game was on ifollow for UK residents?

Only commentary, not streaming.

	Up the U's
Poll:	How will we do in 2016/17
Blog:	Knees-up Mother Brown #24

Rochdale - ifollow on 17:33 - Jan 14 with 1621 views

thrillseeker

Rochdale - ifollow on 17:22 - Jan 14 by wessex_exile
Only commentary, not streaming.

Ah..........understood

Rochdale - ifollow on 11:06 - Jan 22 with 1489 views

noah4x4

It appears that my Ipswich pal uses a (free) Paris, France, based VPN that allocates a French IP address to his laptop and he watches Saturday games for â‚¬11. If you Google “Paris VPN” there are numerous options. It then appears that I-Follow only checks IP location, and ignores other identity evidence (like credit card address). I guess it doesn’t care where the laptop is located if it doesn’t have a UK IP address.

Rochdale - ifollow on 12:05 - Jan 22 with 1461 views

wessex_exile

Rochdale - ifollow on 11:06 - Jan 22 by noah4x4

Police are apparently cracking down on people using dodgy firesticks to view pretty much any UK football matches that are being broadcast, including iFollow games, free of charge.

	Up the U's
Poll:	How will we do in 2016/17
Blog:	Knees-up Mother Brown #24

Rochdale - ifollow on 13:31 - Jan 22 with 1453 views

noah4x4

Rochdale - ifollow on 12:05 - Jan 22 by wessex_exile
Police are apparently cracking down on people using dodgy firesticks to view pretty much any UK football matches that are being broadcast, including iFollow games, free of charge.

Raises some interesting legal, financial and moral questions……

If people are viewing on a Saturday for FREE using “dodgy Firesticks”, or if pubs are using a domestic Sky receiver rather than pay the correct higher pub rate, then one can see the criminality as the user has fraudulently gained access and made a financial gain. But if an individual legally registers his computer in France (via a French VPN), then pays the CORRECT fee to I-Follow for a French connection (â‚¬11), what crime has been committed (notably pre-Brexit)? It might be morally wrong, but is it a crime? Would the Police be interested?

Instead, I suspect that this is a wholly civil matter of a potential breach of the provider’s terms & conditions by the account holder and also for its relationship with the EFL. It is patently the responsibility of I-Follow to check the domicile of the Account and of credit card holder? But surely this information is wholly transparent in the sign up process where such information must be honestly volunteered, else how does one pay? So why is I-Follow not blocking or closing down these accounts? Might it be that they are perfectly happy to take folks money, and argue with EFL that they are denying broadcasts to all UK IP addresses, so no breach of T & Cs there? Tighter processes would easily stop this, so why hasn’t I-Follow or EFL acted?

I wouldn’t do it as I trek across the UK following the U’s in person both home and away and value my I-Follow account for its wider benefits, so would not wish to risk losing it. Live football is my choice. But frankly, I don’t understand why the EFL won’t permit (say) exiles to watch on I-Follow if paying for a full price match ticket (rather than £10). Surely this is all about securing satisfactory revenue? Premier League Clubs can survive on zero gates and upon TV money alone. Frankly, I don’t think a fan living in Witham would pay £20 for a on-line (home match) ticket when that same sum gets him into the ground. But I bet Durham or Wessex might, which is additional revenue (albeit it was a joy to see Wessex at the Jobserve yesterday). It would also make Col U matches more “accessible” for disabled and cut down on climate change polluting miles up the A1.

Lots to debate here!…….

[Post edited 22 Jan 2023 13:39]

Rochdale - ifollow on 15:52 - Jan 22 with 1433 views

wessex_exile

You're quite right, use of a VPN is perfectly legal in the UK, and most other countries too (though not so much in less 'tolerant' societies such as Russia, Chine, N Korea and Iraq). All one is doing is obtaining access to services that are region-restricted. In the case of iFollow, it could even be argued that you're doing the club a favour by paying for streaming that you otherwise wouldn't have access to. I guess the counter-argument would be if you pay the reduced overseas fee when a game is available for streaming in the UK, then you'd be on ethical thin ice. The dodgy firesticks, allegedly, bypass paywalls, granting users free access to subscription services, and that definitely is illegal.

I'm with you to be honest - post lockdown I think the football authorities need to rethink what the new normal is. The larger clubs will be unaffected by Saturday streaming services, they'd play to virtual full houses regardless. Lower league sides might potentially be, but I'm not sure by how much, if at all. Sure we might lose a few bums on seats, but how much would that be offset by those electing to stream the match and put revenue into the club that way. Personally, for obvious reasons I've never had a season ticket, but if the club offered a season ticket deal which included a free streaming option if you couldn't attend in person, I'd be seriously tempted.

	Up the U's
Poll:	How will we do in 2016/17
Blog:	Knees-up Mother Brown #24

Rochdale - ifollow on 16:37 - Jan 22 with 1426 views

noah4x4

A season ticket with an option to live stream if absent would potentially leave a vacant seat if the owner didn’t attend. Not ideal, where clubs consistently get attendances close to capacity.

However, a live streaming season ticket with an option to exchange an on-line ticket for a live seat (where available) could be an interesting proposition. One might need to elect to take up your live seat seven days in advance of the fixture to permit its resale if you don’t, but that isn’t unreasonable.

An EFL club like Norwich would still get full houses and sell hundreds more on-line tickets. I reckon it wouldn’t make much difference to U’s live attendances, but would allow distant exiles an opportunity to watch the game, albeit at a higher price than £10. The equation has to be about price. On-line spectators need to be prepared to pay more.

I think there is merit in exploring such ideas, before more hide behind a French VPN and pay just â‚¬11.

Rochdale - ifollow on 19:47 - Jan 22 with 1403 views

durham_exile

Rochdale - ifollow on 15:52 - Jan 22 by wessex_exile

Noah prior to the world cup there was a discussion about scrapping the nonsense that allows you living in Djibouti or other distant country to watch an EFL game on a Saturday whereas UK based viewers cannot.

I would certainly be happy to watch home games for a tenner on a Saturday via iFollow.

I am sure Exiled supporters would also wish to view as you suggest.

Wessex that is interesting about the police cracking down on fire sticks which allow the viewer to watch potentially any game.

Durham_exile

Rochdale - ifollow on 20:39 - Jan 22 with 1395 views

burnsieespana

Interesting debate
As somebody living in Spain I watch streamed TV which is illegal as was watching Sky, until the satallite was moved by paying a fee to a provider of a mag box. Films offer appear only a day or two after official release in the film section. Box sets, films and TV both terrestrial and sky all for 240 euros a year.
Many people use a VPN to get TV without paying anything although the most popular VPN's often result in refusal as seems providers realise when they have thousands of the same IP address something dodgy is going on
Same applies to online betting as betting apart from the official lotteries are banned in Spain.
I follow is something I rarely use as find watching our beloved Colchester struggle week in and out is far to stressful for me!

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