Some common sense at last TV and Sport

[someblokecalleddave]

Some common sense at last TV and Sport

Here in the UK common sense seems to have lost it's way. Today Englands 'Soccer Team' played the Ukraine in some match that was connected to the world cup. Here in the UK we have this weird perception that the world cup is somehow ours, I'm nearly 50 and all my life I have had this sense that 'Normality' will resume soon and the World Cup will be ours once again as it used to be. (It only ever has been once). But despite our obsession with Soccer and the fact that it's our national game and the fact that it permeates virtually every aspect of our culture the match today was only broadcast on the internet and you had to pay for it. Additionally it was rumoured that the website/server that broadcast the match had a maximum capacity of a million viewers. More and more sports here in the UK are becoming the property of those that can afford to view it, pushing aside and denying millions of working class and 'Under-class' kids the chance to see 'their' sport and watch their heroes.

Similarly cricket has been subjected to the same marginalisation. In 2005 when the Ashes came to town 7 million viewers watched the final on terrestial TV. This year a privellaged 2 million viewers watched it and these would have been primarily 'Football types' looking in to see what all the fuss was about.

I reckon that both the governing bodies of both cricket and football in the UK are taking an exceptionally short term view with selling their/our sports to the likes of SKY and any other broadcasting company so that they can then sell it back to those privellaged enough to be able to pay to watch sport on TV/Internet. Someone in one of our national papers this summer also noted the SKY affect saying that not once did he notice any small boys playing cricket on the local field as he had done in 2005 nearly every day. The fact is the small boys - The very future of both cricket and football can no longer access the coverage for free. The fact is especially with football and increasingly with cricket it's working class boys that become the next generation of gifted players.

So today I spotted this.............


The Ashes to return to free-to-air television - Telegraph

At last some common sense.

 

[mas cambios]

Re: Some common sense at last TV and Sport

I wouldn't hold your breath just yet on the Ashes returning to free to air. I'm guessing there will be some pretty big opposition to it, especially from Giles.

You know it makes sense to have cricket on free to air, I know it makes sense it's a shame that the powers that be can't see it.

 

[a for effort]

Re: Some common sense at last TV and Sport

"Giles Clarke was unavailable for comment as he was going for his morning swim in his money pit"

 

[hattrick]

Re: Some common sense at last TV and Sport

I doubt if this would happen. It would make sense but unfortunately the boards get mega bucks from the subscription based operators. We have the same issue here in South Africa and only the national side home series matches are shown on the national broadcaster.

TV money is something which the game could go without and spread the game to the masses but the Boards are profit orientated companies which want to make money and profits.

 

[Boris]

Re: Some common sense at last TV and Sport

Here in Australia we don't quite have the same issues. There is a big campaign at the moment to keep all major sport free to air, and finally with the ONE HD movement Australia is going back to the old ways.

All away tours, not including The Ashes, are Pay TV only, but everything else isn't, and that that is Pay TV, you can see on the internet for free in highlight packages usually, or just watch the score on cricinfo or similar places.

Since a large majority of cricket games are played in Australia we get many games free to air thanks to the Packer movement that has kept channel Nine in the clear.

 

[Kram81]

Re: Some common sense at last TV and Sport

Here in Australia we don't quite have the same issues. There is a big campaign at the moment to keep all major sport free to air, and finally with the ONE HD movement Australia is going back to the old ways.

If you can get it, I'm only 250kms from Perth and we can't even get any digital tv. They should bloody put all their channels on with Foxtel like ABC/SBS, it's annoying having pay tv and not having any way to watch the champions 20/20.

 

[Boris]

Re: Some common sense at last TV and Sport

If you can get it, I'm only 250kms from Perth and we can't even get any digital tv. They should bloody put all their channels on with Foxtel like ABC/SBS, it's annoying having pay tv and not having any way to watch the champions 20/20.

Well the problem with Australia is that it is huge. England don't have any trouble with digital TV, the only time they can't get it is when they are too close. In general that is.

England is smaller then Victoria, only marginally bigger then Tasmania. Australia is bigger than all of Europe excluding Russia. That means the digital TV roll out is going to be slow as thousands of tours have to be put up, and they will be.

I live away from any major cities and have trouble with reception too, I cannot get channel Nine or GO! and in rain I have trouble with Seven, Seven HD, SC Ten (our regional Ten) and ONE HD. Even with that I wouldn't have TV any other way, I am never going back to analogue, and I wouldn't like to go back to standard definition either.

Call me spoilt now but once you are able to get it you will notice the difference.

I think pay tv should be below free to air in hierarchical TV order. Only the sports that free to air don't take should be played on there. It is used as a back up. Pay TV is a rip off, you pay for the same amount of channels that other countries get free and you still get the same, if not more, amount of adds. Plus most of the shows are repeated constantly. I am not against, I would love to have it, it's just in comparison to other countries we have it worse off.

But TV is a luxury that we should expect in a country like ours. In Australia sport has single handedly formed our society and socialisation. If everyone knew exactly how sport plays a role in absolutely everything we do, we would all be surprised.

Australia should have free to air sport for everything that has changed the ways of Australian society. I am part of that movement, you should be too.

Anyway this is an England & Wales thread...

 

[isport]

Re: Some common sense at last TV and Sport

BBC have just slashed sports budgets. If it comes down to Ashes vs Premiership, I know which one they'll go with. Such a shame...

 

[mas cambios]

Re: Some common sense at last TV and Sport

The BBC slashing budgets will have an impact on the free to view debate as I'm sure many would be looking to them to take on the contract. Without them in the race (if it gets that far) the fee can only drop lower, leaving C4 or 5 to grab them.