News

The UniBond League has concluded Heads of Agreement with Invision Ltd to sell the rights to broadcast highlights and live matches in a six figure, three year deal, it was announced at the league's AGM in Blackpool yesterday Saturday 16th June.

The tie-up follows last season's successful roll-out of UniBond TV, a pay-to-view broadband TV service which was operated by Invision, who now become the UniBond League's official broadcast and internet partner.

The new agreement will see the broadband TV become free to view, with the re-named NPL TV website being linked to all member clubs' websites as well as the league's own site, opening up the service to an estimated 200,000 potential users.

NPL TV will feature highlights of one UniBond league match every week, in addition with up to two midweek games shown 'live' each month for a subscription fee of £3.95 per match.

As well as being beamed through PCs, UniBond football will also be seen in Pubs & Clubs throughout the league's catchment area, as CEO Duncan Bayley explains. "One of our clubs carried out a 3 month pilot scheme last season to test the effect on match attendances of broadcasting matches live into local pubs. In fact, doing so helped the club to re-kindle the interest of some lapsed supporters, whilst raising the profile of the club and league."

Service providers Invision plan to begin broadcasting to pubs and clubs around 6 UniBond clubs by the start of next season and to then increase that figure by up to 5 clubs a month over the next 2 years.

Invision has also agreed a deal with the league to provide website templates to member clubs which will include the option to view highlights from their home and away games, as League IT Manager Alan Allcock explains: "Although every member club has a website, some have very little editorial and often not updated for several weeks. This is understandable as these type of websites were created by an enthusiastic volunteer who soon realises that once up and running there is a labour of love keeping it regularly updated.

This new offer to clubs will allow them to have an official website which will be regularly updated from the centre with results and news relating to the club. An area of the website will allow clubs to show more local information such as Social Club Events etc as well as space for different club sponsors."

Alan continued: "It is important that everyone understands that this new website service is not to challenge any existing well run club websites which a good majority of clubs operate but is a service to member clubs who perhaps have difficulties managing a website of their own."

Welcoming the latest addition to the league's roster of commercial partners, chairman Peter Maude said: "we're delighted to be working with Invision on such an exciting new project. This, coupled with the other initiatives being developed by our Marketing team, will provide our clubs with financial support whilst helping to bring the league to the attention of a wider audience, and at the same showing to clubs within our feeder competitions that the UniBond League is a dynamic, forward-thinking and commercially astute organisation."

Invision Managing Director John Warrington said: " Ever since we began working with the NPL which was on the 2006 play-offs, we have realised the potential that exists to create a really strong media distribution of games to a wide supporter base. The fact that the fans were so supportive of the initiatives that were taken to distribute games on to PC's last season, has given us the encouragement to take what is a really strong product and make it available to a much wider audience where we know it will be appreciated."