CITY are ranked third in League Two iFollow sales – but well down the list in percentage terms.

The club are averaging 879 streaming purchases so far (home and away), which puts them well behind Bolton with 1,832 and Grimsby on 1,013.

The first two away games at Forest Green and Mansfield were bought by an average of 1,167 fans, which earned City just over £11,000.

But that is again a long way behind Bolton’s 2,367 take-up. Grimsby, Tranmere and Leyton Orient are also just over the 1,000 mark.

It is understood City had budgeted for around two to three times their current away figure based on the season-ticket sales of just over 9,000.

Like every club in the lower divisions, they see iFollow sales as a vital financial lifeline while stadiums remain locked during the pandemic.

For every fan paying £10 for a stream of a City match, the Bantams receive £8.34 after VAT. A high take-up is therefore essential.

Director of communications and commercial Ryan Sparks said: “Where we are with revenue streams at the moment is slim to none.

“Commercially we are still ticking over as best we can and working very hard.

“We have our central funding but, of course, our only revenue source from a week-to-week, month-to-month perspective is iFollow because it’s essentially a virtual match ticket.

“So, it provides the supporters with a massive opportunity to have a hand in helping us move forward as a club."

All streaming costs are currently being covered by the EFL to allow clubs to maximise profit.

City were also one of the driving forces behind the rule concerning away take-up.

Money from the first 500 passes bought by fans of the visiting club goes to the hosts. But every sale above that point boosts the away club.

The Bantams have been banking on higher numbers with the size of the fanbase.

Revenue from iFollow for the Carabao Cup and EFL Trophy games is split on a 50/50 basis and City pocketed £16,500 as their share from the season-opener at Bolton.

They also received £30,000 from Sky when the Harrogate game was shown live.

Season-ticket holders can currently watch home games through iFollow for free – a deal that would effectively save them £80 on the full price if the whole campaign remains behind closed doors.

City plan to reveal their iFollow figures in full on a monthly basis – and away numbers match-by-match like an attendance from next month onwards.

“I know the platform has had its challenges and problems and the EFL are continuing to work very hard in ironing those out,” added Sparks.

“As of next week, there will be a new way of doing things. The inputting of codes, which has brought many challenges as we were quite concerned it might, is going to be dropped.

“It will be more of an automatic system where your email is attached to your account. You will automatically have the game ready to watch which should solve a lot of people’s issues.

“We’ve invested in it hugely as well. We’ve appointed a member of staff to look after the area from a customer-service perspective and have our own help desk at the club.

“We have set up what is basically a small call centre to handle the iFollow process. We have reinvested some of the money we’ve generated and are taking it very seriously.

“I think everyone will understand what I mean when I say we hope it won’t be an income stream for very much longer.

“But in the same breath, the way the virus is going there is no sign of it letting up.”

Fans with queries about iFollow should contact ifollow@bradfordcityfc.co.uk.