Should certain sports events be protected and not be on pay tv only?

Badger

With the Croatia vs England game only on setanta should more be done to protect certain sports events from pay per view channels.

Not every one can afford a sky/setanta subscription and not every one can get down the pub to watch the game.

Shouldn't this be a serious consideration with the u.k. holding the 2012 olympics.

RedArmySE7

I said the other day Badger that I believe that in any sport watching your country should be free. I think it should be a requirement of the BBC. Henry asked why should you get to watch it for free when people have to pay to go an watch and the players/sportsmen or women get paid? I just think that watching your country perform in any sport should be accessable to everyone. The finances i'll leave to other people.

Ledge

especially satellite tv companies from Ireland.

F-Blocker

I believe the Olympics are always free, just like the World Cup.

Pay TV can broadcast them if they want, but public service/free-to-air channels get first dibs.

vancouveraddick

[cite]Posted By: Ledge[/cite]especially satellite tv companies from Ireland.

or TV companies owned by Americans/Australians Ledge

bingaddick

I think there is a list of the "crown jewels" of British sport which has to be offered to public service broadcasting. Wimbledon is one, I think the cup final is another. Not sure whether that precludes Sky and Setanta from bidding though.

Chirpy Red

The rights to England away games are owned by the FA of the host country, Andorra, Croatia etc. They sell the rights to whoever they want, they do not take into account their opponents, they just get as much money as possible. Our FA and government have no say whatsoever as to who gets them.
Setanta did offer a highlights package to both BBC and ITV but neither would pay the asking price.

Badger

Setanta did offer a highlights package to both BBC and ITV but neither would pay the asking price.[/quote]

My point exactly, it's all about our identity and should be made mandatory that these games should be made avaialble on bbc or itv and not being bloody well bought up by sky or Setanta.

Our FA and government have no say whatsoever as to who gets them SUMS IT UP.

it's an fffing disgrace imo.

Rothko

The empire ended ages ago, so the influence over those diegos and slavs ended then.

Setanta haven't done anything wrong, ITV, BBC, Channel 4 or Five could have gone for the games but didn't, it's been this way for away games since time immemorial.. The home qualifiers are on free to air telly, so the FA haven't sold people out.

Ledge

I agree Sach abotu ITV etc but I'm sorry the FA have sold us out because they know full well the majority of the population have sky or cable and not setanta etc and they've let SETANTA nick these games so they can build up their subscription database that's the only reason they paid over the odds for the games knowing people would pay.

What annoys me more is this bloody channel keep putting their effing adverts on the radio gloating about "if you not got setanta you won't see the game" because we've monopolised it and trying to charge other channels the eart.

Even worse they're paddy's as well GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Stu_of_Kunming

[cite]Posted By: Ledge[/cite]I'm sorry the FA have sold us out because they know full well the majority of the population have sky or cable and not setanta etc

Yes but the HOST nation own the TV rights, NOT the English FA, so there is in factm jack shit they could do about it.

Henry Irving

I have cable but I don't have Sky. That's my choice. If I want to watch England or Premier league games on Sky I can subscribe, go down the pub or to a friends house or not watch them. I choose not to watch unless Charlton are on.

The England games, and test cricket, have been on pay to view for some time. The only change I can see is now they are with Setanta rather than Sky and people don't want to pay more for the England games.

Having accepted the principle of paying for football on TV and FAs selling those rights to pay to view channels as you did when you got your Sky subscriptions you can hardly complain about that practice now that it no longer suits your individual circumstances. If watching England qualifiers is that important to you (it's not to me) then subscribe.

BBC/ITV and Sky are in a battle with Setenta and Virgin over market share. Hence Sky pull SSN and Sky1 from Virgin meaning I lose the Simpsons (much more of a treasure than the current England side).

Setanta offered the highlights to BBC and ITV for £1m. They offered £200 and £250k respectively. Setanta want to make you subscribe by making their product rarer and are'nt going to give up that exclusivity cheap. Why spend a fortune on England away games and then give it away to a competitor cheap.

I might watch the game tto spot these 5 or 6 players "who would get into any other side" that I keep hearing we have.

Mortimerician

I think the Sun is right on this matter. Whenever England play abroad the government should simply purchase the national broadcaster regardless of price and should air the footage on ALL UK terrestrial channels. This would all be funded by a vaguely thought out windfall tax on fuel providers and other fat cats. Basically everyone should foot the bill other than the fine upstanding tabloid readers who are upset over the fact that the FA has allowed this to happen, despite having no say whatsoever in the matter.

Henry Irving

[cite]Posted By: Mortimerician[/cite]I think the Sun is right on this matter. Whenever England play abroad the government should simply purchase the national broadcaster regardless of price and should air the footage on ALL UK terrestrial channels. This would all be funded by a vaguely thought out windfall tax on fuel providers and other fat cats. Basically everyone should foot the bill other than the fine upstanding tabloid readers who are upset over the fact that the FA has allowed this to happen, despite having no say whatsoever in the matter.

LOL So I have to pay for the England Rugby, three day eventing, Andy Murray in the Davies Cup Tennis etc regardless of if I like those sports.

Good idea.

Goonerhater

Sententa have done naff all wrong. Its only what Sky etc did a few years back.


On radio 5 live today they had two Italian jurnos who said this would never have happened in Italy , Rai Uno would have made the deal re highlight.

Rothko

Ledge, the FA can do nothing about the allocation of rights by another FA, the Andorians and Croatians have taken the money, and it's up to the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 or Five to bid for a package, and none of them have offered the right money.

The BBC were happy to spend £250k on showing an Arsenal Champions League qualifer on BBC3, so the fault doesn't rest with anyone other then the free to air boardcasters.

Anyway, they'll be enough moody feeds on the web tonight to watch it free on

T

I think if anything it's a blessing that i don't have to watch the national side stumble around shambolicly for 90 minutes in which ever country they are playing in... I'm going to start a campaign so that all England home games are also on a channel that i have to pay more for so i can't just get acidently get caught up watching/swearing at them on BBC.

Hats off to Setanta though started out as a couple of blokes who picked up a live feed of one of the Ireland games in the 94 world cup from FIFA and broadcast it in a London pub at £10 a go and now have a massive multi million pound turn over business. Setanta is also available to more british households than Sky has ever been...

Pretty much agree with you Henry, although i'm not sure the BBC really care give a monkeys about ratings.

suzisausage

[cite]Posted By: T[/cite]I think if anything it's a blessing that i don't have to watch the national side stumble around shambolicly for 90 minutes in which ever country they are playing in... I'm going to start a campaign so that all England home games are also on a channel that i have to pay more for so i can't just get acidently get caught up watching/swearing at them on BBC.

Hats off to Setanta though started out as a couple of blokes who picked up a live feed of one of the Ireland games in the 94 world cup from FIFA and broadcast it in a London pub at £10 a go and now have a massive multi million pound turn over business. Setanta is also available to more british households than Sky has ever been...

I agree. I can't wait to watch the new series of "time of your life" followed at 10pm of the next episode of Desperate Housewives.

Aren't you all complaining about, what I'm sure millions of people complained about when Sky first got football rights? nothings changed for all the frustration shown towards that. its just someone else having a crack at making money.

Ketman

I can see why people are annoyed, if you had a couple of little un's desperate to see England & the pubs are non friendly for kids, you have to pay for it which is a little unfair. As for Adults sorry no excuse, if you wanna see it either go to the game or find somewhere showing it. We take the mickey out of plastics at Spurs, Chelsea, ManU who have never been to a game, how many of the people on here actually complaining have actually been to see the National side recently !

Henry Irving

[cite]Posted By: Ketman[/cite]I can see why people are annoyed, if you had a couple of little un's desperate to see England & the pubs are non friendly for kids, you have to pay for it which is a little unfair. As for Adults sorry no excuse, if you wanna see it either go to the game or find somewhere showing it. We take the mickey out of plastics at Spurs, Chelsea, ManU who have never been to a game, how many of the people on here actually complaining have actually been to see the National side recently !

I have but really to go to Wembley rather than see them

carly burn

I only subscribe to Sky sports for ' Aerobics Oz style '

Little gem of a show!

T

But you'd have to pay for it if it was exclusive to Sky Sports. Difference is the cheapest way you'd get to see it is paying an £100 instillation charge and £30 a month for Sky Sports package. At least with Setanta the cheapest way you can get it is a second hand freeview box off ebay and £37 in total for the set up fee amd the minimum 2 months you have to subscribe for... cheapest still is if you have sky just order Setanta for £37 (minimum 2 month term and signing up fee) for the same price of a ticket to the game anyway and as many people as you like can watch the likes of Steve "i'm the best player in the world but only played in my best position 5 times for England and i was sh*t in those games aswell" Gerrard, Rooney and Ferdinand going through the motions in an England shirt.

It's going to be Ross Kemp on Gangs and Mutual friends for me at 8pm, might listen to some of it on the radio...it'll be like the old days again!

kigelia

the problem with the current situation is that Setanta appear to be pitching their deal for a highlights package above what bbc/itv want to pay. It is in their interest because they are looking to rapidly build subscriber numbers and are using the football to do that. In the current financial climate that is difficult for setanta to do so the cynical view will be that they will offer a highlights package to the channels at such a high level that nobody will go for it, it creates a slight grey area to deflect critisicm, whilst ensuring the exclusivity.

Whilst others are right that the FA have no say of the rights as they are held by the host country, being as they were behind the deal giving rights to setanta/itv for other games they would have been in a very good position to suggest to setanta that they need to soften their stance on the highlights package.

Rothko

and it's easy for Setanta to just shrug there shoulders and ignore the FA, they've paid over the odds for the rights in the first place so they need to get some of the money back from ITV or the Beeb.

It's a big season for Setanta, they are struggling to get the paying subscriber numbers up, last estimates are that they are 300k short to make the sums add up, so they are having to force the issue big time with the England games. Add to that, the Premier League TV rights are re tendered at the end of this season, and Setanta and the venture capital firms behind them need to be in a position to have the subscriber base to bid for them.

LenGlover

People happily pay for Sky and Sentanta and despite paying once happily pay AGAIN to watch Boxing matches and the like.

Yet invariably the Sky subscribers are the first to moan that football has been sanitised, they can't stand, blah, blah, blah. Yet it is their subsriptions which have enabled these pay per view companies to flourish and remove sport from the homes of the ordinary working man and the ordinary working man from the stadiums. Charlton being an honourary exception (for now at least).

The spivs that run these concerns will continue to take everyone for mugs as long as mugs sign up to their channels. It is called market forces.

The answer in my opinion is send back your dishes and sultanas. Sport will then return to the people rather than the corporates and those who earn a lot of money and can afford the subscriptions.

Controversial I know but that is how I feel.

Cricket (the traditional form not the 20:20 tip and run version) will die in a few years because the majority of youngsters simply don't have access to watch the proper forms of the game as it is all on Pay per view television. The same is true of Rugby to some extent.

Algarveaddick

Henry and T, sorry that your night was spoiled.

Not normally an EU basher, but it's all a knock on from them forcing the Premier League to sell at least one part of their rights to a broadcaster other than Sky, apparently to create more competiotion and benefit the viewer. The result, to get all the available English premier league matches now costs £100 more per year than it did previously, I feel so much better off...

If that hadn't have happened, then I don't think Sultana woul have been able to get into the market place at all.

suzisausage

tell ya what, sultana need to spare sky subscribers and share the rights as 20 mins listening to frikkin' paul merson was so painful! why put 2 people on the game so they can describe the same thing in the same way one after another. Merson was mugged right up as he spent 10 mins moaning about theo walcott not being ready, and wayne rooney for being booked for going back and defending and how rooney should watch teddy sheringham play (as paul merson watched soccer aid) and learn a few things. oh and how paul merson said he wants to be employed by the england set up to teach them a thing or 2.....
that was all in about 10 mins as we turned over to watch the drama with rhys ifans. only found out the score at 11pm after Desperate housewives, and didn't know the scorers till this morning. well done boys!

WSS

I think you find he called him Theo Wallcock Suze! Grrr.

Rothko

I thought Setanta's coverage last night was top draw, Chris Waddle is a great co commentator and Steve McManaman is the second best ex pro pundit around

kigelia

Waddle has come across really well on the radio commentaries he has worked on, but thought last night he was really irritating, not sure why, he just seemed to spend the whole time stating the obvious rather than giving any expert insight into the game.