No free-to-air TV live cricket until 2014.

[The Large One]

BBC SPORT | Cricket | ECB extends deals with Sky & Five

Bloody hell.

 

[supaseagull]

Well, thats the death of English cricket as a spectator sport sorted...what next?

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

Utter, utter pricks.

 

[CHAPPERS]

Shame. Imagine being able to watch the crickers at work on bbc online!

 

[Left Footer]

Hasn`t done any harm over the last few years.
Sky do a fantastic job with their cricket coverage.

Terrestrial tv don`t have the time to give cricket the coverage it deserves.

 

[Tooting Gull]

I think some of these governing bodies, if the money and service offered was equal, would naturally edge towards the free-to-air broadcaster for the greater audience. But it isn't. The money is more, and Sky offer a lot of innovations and progress in the coverage.

When Channel 4 had the cricket they often doubled up with racing and broke off to go to bloody Newmarket four times in the afternoon session.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Utter, utter pricks.

Who are? Should they have given it to the BBC? Perhaps the BBC should have bid for it then!

 

[Brovion]

I'm in a minority but I think it's excellent news. Sky's coverage is first rate, especially since they've kept Charles Colville away from the microphone. If a terrestial broadcaster wants cricket back they've got to promise to do it properly. Towards the end of the BBC's coverage they'd moved away from ball-by-ball coverage (inserting news bulletins every hour for example), and then Channel 4 never even attempted it, preferring as they did horse racing.

 

[Withdean Wanderer]

Hasn`t done any harm over the last few years.
Sky do a fantastic job with their cricket coverage.

Terrestrial tv don`t have the time to give cricket the coverage it deserves.

Apart from the fact that Cricket viewing in the late C4 days was on the up, there was utter EUPHORIA for the 2005 Ashes. Since the move to sky, the crowds have dropped, the national interest as dropped, and the team has had a massive downturn.

I guarantee that, even if we're winning next years Ashes, the whole nation will NOT be interested like they were last time, and that is because half the nation won't be able to watch.

 

[See-Goals]

Now if Sky can just up their offer for all the golf, athletics and horse racing that exists that would make a nice hat-trick.

THen the beeb can nip in for the full football league package

 

[turienzo's lovechild]

c4 were pretty poor for cricket coverage

it used to annoy me to the MAX when they'd interupt it for horse racing

they essentially didn't have the time to dedicate an entire day for cricket

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

Apart from the fact that Cricket viewing in the late C4 days was on the up, there was utter EUPHORIA for the 2005 Ashes. Since the move to sky, the crowds have dropped, the national interest as dropped, and the team has had a massive downturn.

I guarantee that, even if we're winning next years Ashes, the whole nation will NOT be interested like they were last time, and that is because half the nation won't be able to watch.

Are you blaming Sky for the England team doing shit??

 

[CHAPPERS]

I'm in a minority but I think it's excellent news. Sky's coverage is first rate, especially since they've kept Charles Colville away from the microphone. If a terrestial broadcaster wants cricket back they've got to promise to do it properly. Towards the end of the BBC's coverage they'd moved away from ball-by-ball coverage (inserting news bulletins every hour for example), and then Channel 4 never even attempted it, preferring as they did horse racing.

Apart from the interruptions for racing I really enjoyed the channel 4 coverage. Simon Hughes was a BAD MAN on the analysis, though Atherton is getting his game together on Sky's third man and I like Nasser's input.

 

[SeagullTim]

Apart from the fact that Cricket viewing in the late C4 days was on the up, there was utter EUPHORIA for the 2005 Ashes. Since the move to sky, the crowds have dropped, the national interest as dropped, and the team has had a massive downturn.

I guarantee that, even if we're winning next years Ashes, the whole nation will NOT be interested like they were last time, and that is because half the nation won't be able to watch.

That is one moan I can agree with

 

[Man of Harveys]

How to turn the national summer sport into a minority sport for the sake of a quick buck - truly pathetic, and confirming my long-held suspicion that cricket is a brilliant sport adminstered by utter cretins. This has NOTHING to do with the quality of the coverage: I'd settle for a latter day Tony Lewis or Peter West on a pavilion roof somewhere for the sake of being able to watch it without contributing more money to Rupert Murdoch. Botham's Ashes, the 2005 Ashes, even the 1984 "blackwash" - these will never be repeated as national, epochal events while it's being watched by a minority. Truly shameful.

 

[Mendoza]

The 2005 Ashes was brilliant and hooked in loads of people that wouldnt normally watch the game.

With games going on late into the evening, Simpsons and Hollyoaks was put back and people tuning in to watch those programs acidentally saw the drama unfolding infront of their eyes, and even as non sports fans would have seen something they could recognise as pure entertainment at its best.

The cricket covergae may not have been as good as on Sky, but then you didnt have to pay £35+ a month to watch it, but at least you could see it live on a screen that wasnt a jerky picture on a laptop or PC.

 

[Was not Was]

I thought C4 did a great job with cricket. Helped explain what was going on by examining deliveries, and so on.

Sky's coverage is also very good technically, but leaves a lot to be desired journalistically. Lots of former England captains who don't want to rock the boat.

They're so unworldly that when Mushy's profile came up during a game last season, and he had the Prophet Mohammed as the 'person he'd most like to meet', Bumble and co. couldn't even bring themselves to read it out ...

 

[The Large One]

How to turn the national summer sport into a minority sport for the sake of a quick buck - truly pathetic, and confirming my long-held suspicion that cricket is a brilliant sport adminstered by utter cretins. This has NOTHING to do with the quality of the coverage: I'd settle for a latter day Tony Lewis or Peter West on a pavilion roof somewhere for the sake of being able to watch it without contributing more money to Rupert Murdoch. Botham's Ashes, the 2005 Ashes, even the 1984 "blackwash" - these will never be repeated as national, epochal events while it's being watched by a minority. Truly shameful.

Wise words.

 

[Keeping The Dream Alive.]

I dont think its too bad a decision. Becuase of the structure of cricket it's unlikely to head down the same path as football has and turn into a corrupt bussiness. Sky give excellent coverage and have first-class commentators with interesting analysis; as long as 2020 doesn't overtake Test match cricket, which I dont think it will due to several people at the head of cricket not allowing it to, then the sport will get along just fine.

 

[ack]

Oh well just adds to my woes. Credit crunch/personal problems have meant the cancelling of all sky packages saving £55 p/month including sky+ before it goes up again in sept.
I have 2 weeks left before it stops and wil miss it all, but after mortgage,gas/elec and council tax its my next biggest bill, so had to cut it out.
I'm sure I'm not alone in this cutting back and all these deals just add to the sky monopoly of all things British. The one saving grace is Motogp goes exclusive to BBC next year via the red button on freeview. BBC comentators are crap but nedds must:thud: