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    BBC claw back lost ground

    By Will 2 years ago, mid-September Leave a comment on this post

    So, the BBC are going to broadcast highlights of the Ashes this winter - an interesting development as it appears to have come from nowhere. Sky, who were awarded the rights from the ECB almost exactly 12 months ago (earning the English board a reported £200m) - a decision which caused the ECB to hide under the table, with just their greens for comfort in the Anderson shelter. The doodle-bug passed by, though.

    Initially I was angry at the ECB - angry at Sky, too. But it’s not Sky’s fault they have the money to beat off the competition; it’s also the apathy, or disinterest of certain other broadcasters, which ended free-to-air cricket. I wonder now if the BBC are starting to regret it.

    At the BBC’s Sports Editor’s blog, the director of BBC Sport, Roger Mosey says:

    Now, before anyone says it: yes, we’re talking today about highlights and not live cricket on TV. The question of live cricket returning to the BBC is something we’re keeping under review for the future when the contracts next become available.

    Perhaps I’m reading too much into this, but “…something we’re keeping under review for the future” is either a typo or suggests the Beeb are almost certainly going to bid for the rights in 2009. When I first read it, I thought Roger said “keeping under wraps” and it still smacks of that.

    A criticism, though. With the greatest respect and understanding of the arduous task a TV scheduler must have, the decision to air the highlights a mere couple of hours before the next day’s play is ridiculous. It’s almost not worth having them at all. If I was just a fan and not writing about the game, I’d still sign up to Sky in spite of the BBC’s highlights gesture.

    I remain a fan of the Beeb though. Their website is outstanding; they’ve grasped Web 2.0 and are breaking new ground each year. It’s just a shame that they spend more money on makeover shows like What Donkeys Shouldn’t Wear At Christmas rather than what the public really want: live sport.

    Anyway, it’s very much a moot point and outdated too. Sky have it, so get over it. They’re ploughing a lot of money into the English game, too.

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    One Response to “BBC claw back lost ground”

  • Jim wrote:
    September 15th, 2006 at 1.27 am

    I have a certain sympathy for the BBC. I assumed they’d stand a good chance of picking up the rights after C4 starting backing off, but the ECB’s objective from the word go, was money, money, money. They added in an insistence of ball-by-ball live coverage, which is a piece of piss for Sky but involves ripping up contracts, or launching new channels for the BBC. I think the BBC must sniffed it early on in the proceedings and backed off.

    I think the BBC’s attitude in picking up the highlights, whatever time they show them, is very good news. They didn’t need to pick them up, could have left it to five, or no-one. But it’s a sign of commitment.

    Long term, I believe it’s best for the game to be on the BBC. I have no issues whatsoever with Sky - I’m a huge fan, was a happy subscriber when I lived in the UK, and have no issues in paying a premium for all the sport. But I’m a cricket nutter and I’ll watch it all.

    I want as many people as possible to understand why it’s so important! The BBC with its audience size, and also its production standards, would do that comfortably. Look at the way they throw the kitchen sink at the 6 Nations, Wimbledon, The Open Championship - your Mum has an opinion on sport when the BBC are involved. Now imagine what they’d do with a home Ashes series and a few quid in the budget.

    I think the ECB-Sky partnership depends heavily on what happens this winter. If we get hammered in Australia, and then Sky have a couple of years of home series against New Zealand, Sri Lanka etc, then all that talk of the ‘new football’ will seem a distant memory. It should get some brains whirring in the ECB, and it will also allow the BBC to do something with a digital channel and their website, to get over the scheduling grief.

    Booker T, the return of Richie, get Atherton, Geoffrey, Nicholas, Nasser and some of the 5 Live lads involved, and cricket will never have it so good.

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