Quest has announced it will extend its EFL highlights show, ‘EFL on Quest’, for the remainder of the 2018-19 season.
Starting from Saturday 30th March, the show will run for two hours in a change from its current ninety-minute format, allowing for more action and analysis of all three leagues in the EFL as they reach their end of season climax.
Quest has responded to fans opinion in lengthening the Colin Murray hosted show, and the EFL welcomed the news. Outgoing chief executive Shaun Harvey said in a statement that ‘Quest’s move to extend the EFL’s Highlights show for the final weeks of the season is a further demonstration of the commitment they have made to EFL Clubs and their supporters this season.’
“The additional 30 minutes will help tell the story of what is shaping up to be another exciting end to an EFL League campaign with no doubt plenty of twists and turns still to come across all three divisions.’
Supporters of teams in the bottom two tiers will be hoping the extra time will allow for more focus on League’s One and Two, with both shaping up to have dramatic finishes at both ends of the table.
Afable host Murray soon took to Twitter to alleviate supporters fears that the extra half hour would be used to provide more focus on the Championship, saying the added time would be divided between the leagues.
It’ll be divided across all three leagues
— colin murray (@ColinMurray) March 22, 2019
In May 2018, Quest announced it had secured the free-to-air highlights for the Championship, League One, League Two, Carabao Cup and Checkatrade Trophy Final in a four-year partnership with the EFL.
EFL on Quest is available to watch each Saturday on Freeview channel 114, Freesat channel 167, Sky channel 144 and Virgin channel 217 while fans can catch up on the show via QuestOD.co.uk.
Our View
Television coverage of League’s One and Two has only slightly improved in the years of the television football boom in this country with a half hour run through of the goals scored being the staple of free to air coverage for many years.
Quest got off to a rocky start but have since improved the programme with Colin Murray’s enthusiastic hosting skills a real asset.
He looks and sounds both genuinely interested and knowledgable which is a welcome change from presenters who usually seem like they would prefer to be talking about the Premier League when hosting any League One or League Two football.
The different pundits also look like they want to be there with Steven Warnock especially impressive and much better than the under-researched or biased offerings on Sky’s rare live coverage.
However, you still get the feeling it’s all about the Championship which is understandable given the need for ratings but at the same time annoying given the amount interest in League’s One and Two.
No one is expecting Carragher and Neville to do an hour analysis on Walsall v Burton Albion, but a fairer crack of the whip would be welcome.
On the whole a good move by Quest which does indicate they are not only listening to fans but keen to offer the best product they can with the resources they have at their disposal.
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