Crickets new TV deal

[Marc]

to be announced soon, the blurb from here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/4097137.stm

The England and Wales Cricket Board is set to announce a new TV rights deal covering the period from 2006-2009.

Details of the new agreement for all international and domestic cricket will be made public at Lord's at 1130 GMT.

There are fears that it could result in home Test matches disappearing from terrestrial TV for the first time.

Bloody hope C4 keep it as their coverage is class.

 

[ILOVEBHA]

I hope so too

 

[CHAPPERS]

It NEEDS to stay on terrestrial as our very own Hugh Griffiths points out, for the good of the game. No doubt the Surreys of this world are pushing for everything to go satellite though.

 

[Man of Harveys]

I hope I'm wrong but I bet it's more coverage on bloody Sky.

 

[The Large One]

Lord McLaurin went a bit further on the radio this morning saying it would be bad for cricket if it ALL went to Sky. They may well split the one-day matches and the test matches between the channels.

 

[Man of Harveys]

If they need an object lesson, look at the West Indies where the coverage went onto a pay channel and the sport's been in terminal decline there ever since.

 

[Mr Popkins]

Channel 4 actually lose money showing the cricket, but it takes viewers away from the other channels and keeps channel 4,s profile high.

 

[CHAPPERS]

And the Channel 4 coverage is bloody excellent cmopared to those tossers at Sky.

With Athers and Benaud you can't go far wrong. Not to mention Simon Hughes' EXCELLENT analysis.

I can't wait for next summer.

 

[JJ McClure]

Agree C4's coverage of the cricket is top notch and I'll be gutted if they lose the rights to show home test matches.

 

[Kev the Ape]

It was on BBC1 ages ago, i can remember when we beat South Africa at Headlingly years go. Good Memorys.

 

[The Great Cornholio]

And the Channel 4 coverage is bloody excellent cmopared to those tossers at Sky.

With Athers and Benaud you can't go far wrong. Not to mention Simon Hughes' EXCELLENT analysis.

I can't wait for next summer.

Hmmm. All well and good if you have satellite and can keep switching to E4 when they feel like showing horse racing or Richard & Judy or some such crap. I agree the commentators are good but if they are going to show it, then show it. Don't keep fannying around with channels.

 

[CHAPPERS]

Hmmm. All well and good if you have satellite and can keep switching to E4 when they feel like showing horse racing or Richard & Judy or some such crap. I agree the commentators are good but if they are going to show it, then show it. Don't keep fannying around with channels.

The alternative being that satellite have it and those who don't have it can't see any of it?

 

[Dave the OAP]

Hmmm. All well and good if you have satellite and can keep switching to E4 when they feel like showing horse racing or Richard & Judy or some such crap. I agree the commentators are good but if they are going to show it, then show it. Don't keep fannying around with channels.

This was the main reason why the BBC lost it last time...when Wimbledon and the horsies were on, cricket was taken off.

I dont know why they dont have a terrestrial type of sky sports, where footy, cricket, etc etc can be shown.

 

[Virgo's Haircut]

The BBC were, are and always will be the best for live sports coverage.

Formula 1, Cricket, etc were all better before commercial broadcasters got hold of them.

 

[The Great Cornholio]

The alternative being that satellite have it and those who don't have it can't see any of it?

The alternative should be that Channel 4 win the rights and show every ball on terrestrial TV. Or not bother at all. There is nothing worse than settling down to watch the cricket and having to change channels every 10 minutes.

 

[CHAPPERS]

They have to keep the racing though.

If the lesser of two evils is stopping the coverage causing you to move your fingers and few inches to turn over every hour or so the nso be it, at least it's available to the masses.

If it's put on a pay channel you watch the interest in the test team plummet.

 

[:J)]

Just been announced

BSkyB lands England Test coverage

Live coverage of England's home Test matches will no longer be available on terrestrial TV from 2006 onwards.

The England and Wales Cricket Board has awarded an exclusive four-year contract to BSkyB, which will run until 2009.

Highlights of each day's play in the Test matches will, however, be screened on Five, which replaces Channel 4 as cricket's main terrestrial broadcaster.

The BBC, meanwhile, has retained the exclusive rights for radio coverage of home Tests and one-day internationals.

"We understand that the decision to place all live cricket coverage on satellite and cable television is an emotive issue for some people," said England and Wales Cricket Board chairman David Morgan.

"We have made an agreement that will offer the highlights package to a peaktime audience.

"Five will broadcast highlights from 7.15-8.00pm, a time which is the most popular slot for TV viewing for children and a time when an average of 21m people watch television."

BSkyB's package also covers county cricket and women's internationals.

Channel 4 has screened England's home Test matches since 1999, when they ended the BBC's 61-year tenure.

And the decision to prevent cricket from being seen live by a terrestrial TV audience is a calculated gamble by the ECB.

 

[The Great Cornholio]

They have to keep the racing though.

If the lesser of two evils is stopping the coverage causing you to move your fingers and few inches to turn over every hour or so the nso be it, at least it's available to the masses.

If it's put on a pay channel you watch the interest in the test team plummet.

The masses who can get Film 4 I presume you mean. Still millions of people without Sky or Freeview (Is Film 4 on Freeview?)

 

[Mr Popkins]

I dont know why they dont have a terrestrial type of sky sports, where footy, cricket, etc etc can be shown. [/B]

ive been saying this for a while now.

The BBC have all these extra chanels but none are 24 hours like ITV 2 and 3

they need a channel that can show entire coverage of sports and other events. such as the london marathon, cricket, wimbledon.
but not just a sports channel though as its a public subscription service

 

[CHAPPERS]

The masses who can get Film 4 I presume you mean. Still millions of people without Sky or Freeview (Is Film 4 on Freeview?)

No, the masses who can get channel 4.

Can't f***ing believe there is going to be NO cricket on terrestrial tele. Doesn't bode well for the future of the game.