The BBC lose coverage of The Open

[Matt Dawson]

I should probably clarify that you need a wifi connection for this to work, but assumed that as a given

[Jon Wiggett]

I should probably clarify that you need a wifi connection for this to work, but assumed that as a given

Matt,


up here in the Highlands it is not always a given that wifi speeds are good enough to stream. Another case of West Minster and Holyrood both promising the world but forgetting to deliver   Still when the Highlands breakaway from the rest of Scotland things will be all so much better


Jon

[Sean_A]

If you buy the ROKU box it includes NOWTV which accesses Sky Sport for the above prices plus tons of other things like Netflix and Amazon Prime....and most importantly NHL Live     


Ciao

[Michael Tamburrini]

What does Sky run/month?


What programming do they offer for the monthly fee - Tennis, The Open, Sr Open, Women's Open and ?


Do they do weekly football matches the balance of the year?


Cricket (I try and watch the hi-lites on the Cricket Channel - 10 minutes and it loses me)?

I'm not sure of the price, I think it's about £30 a month (it's probably more now).  But that gets you pretty much every bit of sport there is - almost nothing is on free to air TV here in the UK.  In terms of golf, you get the last 2 rounds of the Masters live on BBC but that's the only non subscription live golf on all year (the Olympics will be an exception, I guess).  Every other  bit of live golf is on Sky.


All the live football, NFL, cricket and so on is all Sky (they have 5 dedicated sports channels so they cover damn near everything).

[Marty Bonnar]

Sky with the sports package is nearer 50 quid a month.

F.

[Craig Disher]

Sky with the sports package is nearer 50 quid a month.

F.

What Sky offers for that price is pretty extensive and compares favorably to comparable cable/satellite tv prices in the US. I thought their Open coverage was good although the short breaks for ads were annoying.

[Michael Graham]

What was particularly annoying about Sky's coverage was promos for their own shows/channels during the adverts. I don't need to see an advert for Sky Sports while I'm watching Sky Sports.

[BHoover]

What was particularly annoying about Sky's coverage was promos for their own shows/channels during the adverts. I don't need to see an advert for Sky Sports while I'm watching Sky Sports.

If this sort of thing bothers you, stay away from all American television. This is practically all we see.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

I found the advertisements ghastly.

[Sean_A]

Mark


Once you get used to no ads there can only be one opinion where ads are concerned.  They area a pain to constantly fast forward and completely unacceptable to watch.  I find the constant interruptions for new gadget effects unsettling as well.  I think the Beeb got it about right with their interruptions for interviews, Ken Brown on the course (the Beeb's version of new gadget effects  ) etc.  And I would take P Aliss over the other commentators in a heart beat.  Sure, he is more old school flying from the seat of pants without doing much homework, but I don't need or want all the ins and outs of every damn player with the commentators not knowing when to shut up. Peter is streets ahead of this lot for entertaining me even if he gets it wrong sometimes...at least he is distinctive and has character. 


Ciao

[Niall C]

Sean


I agree that I'd rather have less stats and more opinion and discussion, however had to laugh when you said other guys didn't know when to shut up and then lauding Peter Alliss. I have to say I agree with Adam, Alliss should have shut up 10 or 15 years ago.


I listened to him last night on BBC highlights and he was his usual inane self. Also I suspect that RTGC will be glad to see him go as if he ever said anything good about the place it was almost done grudgingly.


Niall

[Sean_A]

Niall


Thats fair enough.  I will take Peter and no ads over ads, busy body technical crap and talking heads anyday. But hey, you are welcome to all the tv down time you care to desire 


Ciao

[Thomas Dai]

TV golf in the UK -


The BBC used to televise quite a few tournaments, that's back in the days when there actually were a few tournament in the UK, and they did so rather nicely, if in a sort of Britain in a historical frozen timezone way and with very little talking heads time.


But they got very, very complacent and when sat-tv came along others like Screensport, Eurosport and then Sky got their foot in the door and over time pushed the door wider and wider open.


Pretty much the same in others sports, the Beeb got complacent and others saw an opportunity.


Sky came in and really upped things, showed the Beeb what was achieveable maybe, but Sky suffer from hyperbole, an excess of very friendly with each other talking heads, and are sometimes so OTT as to become boring to watch for more than a short while. Still the ad breaks and some of the talking head time does allow the opportunity to put the kettle on or switch to another Sky channel to see how things are going in the cricket or Eurosport for the cycling.


Complacency usually comes to all. It will probably do so to Sky one day. Until then......


Atb

[Niall C]

Sean


What about the obligatory watching of someone on the beach eating ice cream while Alliss witters on ? What about the Ken on the course segments with Ken stating the bleedin obvious about how a ball rolls down a slope (I actually quite like Ken in the commentary booth) or Hazel asking a golfer how they feel, just like a second rate Oprah (I'm just waiting for one of them to say they use their hands, how I'd laugh if they did). Doesn't all that count as downtime ?


I suppose it just comes down to what flavour you prefer.


Niall

[Adam Lawrence]

I don't watch Sky golf generally, as I hate the idea of giving Murdoch money, but I ponied up £6.99 for a NowTV voucher to watch yesterday's play (and I watched a lot of the first day courtesy of a voucher freebie that Sky were handing out).


First thing is to say that I don't like watching TV with commercials. I've grown up watching the BBC, and that's the Platonic form of telly for me, if you like. Commercials get on my nerves, especially when it's the same ones over and over again.


That said, I thought the Sky coverage was first rate. The ads weren't as intrusive as they would normally be -- they were keeping ad breaks down to a minute, I'm sure because they were treading on eggshells in their new relationship with the R&A.


Commentary mostly good to excellent. I am not normally a fan of Monty in this context, but given his deep knowledge of Royal Troon it would have been silly not to use him, and I thought he was very good indeed -- he didn't witter on about himself too much, only really referencing his own round when asked. Faldo is brilliant imo. Critchley, Murray, Beem et al were fine.


And no Alliss!

[Sean_A]

Niall y Adam


None of it matters. You lot got yer way.  Its ads and modern style coverage if you live in the UK.  Luckily, I can opt out.  No pay no foul.  Its time I limit myself to one golf event a year anyway.  I can just about cope with fastforwarding thru hockey...I can't see myself doing it for golf.   


Ciao

[Adam Lawrence]

Sean -- believe me I didn't get my way. I was appalled when the BBC decided not to make a serious attempt to keep the Open rights. I don't have Sky and won't have it and I only watched the Open on a day pass on my laptop. But the coverage was better than I expected.

[Niall C]

Adam


I think that a fair summation, I'd much rather have it on the BBC and included in my Licence Fee but they haven't been trying a leg for years. This was Alliss's swan song year in any case but I think the issues with BBC coverage go much deeper then just him.


Niall

[Sean_A]

Adam & Niall


It seems like you are saying you want the Beeb to cover the Open, but in the style of Sky....or maybe you don't care how its covered so long as there are no ads.  You can't have it both ways as they each present sport in a fundamentally different manner.  The Beeb is a kinder, gentler way while Sky is revved up like a boy racer. There is no question the Beeb had its day, but I will miss the old fashioned coverage.  Times have moved on...I think regrettably in this case. 


Ciao

[Niall C]

I certainly don't think you need to have adverts to do things better. It's just that the guys who do ads are also doing a better job in golf coverage despite the ads. The BBC have the advantage of being ad free and still can't beat the other guys.


Niall

[Adam Lawrence]

The BBC has basically abandoned golf, as it did cricket and many other sports. So it's kinda irrelevant what I'd like. I would prefer the Open still to be on the Beeb, though it'd be better still if they ditched Alliss. But the BBC hierarchy has decided that, in the new world of funding restrictions, golf is too expensive. C'est la vie.

[Sean_A]

I certainly don't think you need to have adverts to do things better. It's just that the guys who do ads are also doing a better job in golf coverage despite the ads. The BBC have the advantage of being ad free and still can't beat the other guys.


Niall

Well I guess for me not having ads easily trumps the bells & whistles with ads.  Ads are a huge negative for me...the absolute #1 worst box to tick. 


Ciao

[Duncan Cheslett]

The BBC has basically abandoned golf, as it did cricket and many other sports. So it's kinda irrelevant what I'd like. I would prefer the Open still to be on the Beeb, though it'd be better still if they ditched Alliss. But the BBC hierarchy has decided that, in the new world of funding restrictions, golf is too expensive. C'est la vie.

The BBC's abandonment of golf (as well as other sports) has long been inevitable. Their funding model makes it impossible to compete with world players like Sky. People moan about paying £150 a year for the BBC and then cheerfully stump up upwards of £50 per MONTH for Sky!


Golf is a very expensive event to televise. Multiple cameras on all 18 holes plus a studio. Sky has the infrastructure to move this circus around the world covering maybe 20 events per year. Where are the BBC going to find the cameras and crew necessary for a one-off event once a year? Even if they could manage it how would they justify it over other demands on their resources?


The BBC is shrinking into a News and Current Affairs organisation with an emphasis on web content. Broadcast TV is on its way out other than for News and Sport. Everything else will follow the Netflix/Amazon model.


I will happily pay my licence fee however, for as long as Radio 4 is still there! 

[Jon Wiggett]

I will happily pay my licence fee however, for as long as Radio 4 is still there! 

Duncan,


as long as Britain has nuclear weapons there has to be Radio 4 


The BBC not making sure of the Open coverage was disgraceful and that the R&A allowed that to happen shows how little interest they have in growing the game in the UK.


Jon

[Ally Mcintosh]

Sean is completely right. Everyone against him is wrong.

For me, it's not even the ads. It's the ridiculous segways in to the ads with the beating drum emotional music and slo-mo's. And Ewan Murray's sycophantic cheerleading.

I liked falling asleep to the continuous coverage with frequent silences and just the odd swish of a club and cheering crowd that you used to get on the Beeb.