Realise and NeuLion to drive Football League’s digital overhaul

The English Football League has agreed seven-season partnerships with Realise and NeuLion to overhaul its digital media offerings.

The organisation, which governs the three divisions below the Premier League – the Championship, League One and League Two – brokered the deals through EFL Digital, its wholly owned digital subsidiary. The agreements will run from the 2016-17 season through to the end of 2022-23.

EFL Digital launched a tender process for the contracts in March and said it received interest from over 175 digital agencies. Realise, a UK-based digital agency, will be tasked with the design and development of EFL Digital’s club web and mobile sites.

Streaming, merchandising, and payment services will be provided by US company NeuLion, which already holds contracts with the likes of American football league the NFL, basketball competitions the Euroleague and NBA, and the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

The contracts include a one-year build with new sites set to go live in July 2017. EFL Digital said the new platforms will provide video on demand of all EFL fixtures, video streaming delivered in HD and offer new commercial opportunities via the latest in video advertising.

EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey said: “Both companies understand the unique and varied challenges we continue to be faced with and throughout this extensive RFP process they have consistently demonstrated they have the skills, expertise and knowledge to deliver against EFL Digital’s objectives.

“The end user, the fans of our clubs, are very much where their collective focus lies and a proven track record, a flexible approach to platform delivery and significant experience in video streaming means we are not only confident in the proposed technical solution but also how it will perform commercially.”