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The most controversial sports tv rights deals
Armagideon Time
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To coincide with the start of the new Formula 1 television rights deal (and on the eve of the expected announcement that the BBC will cease to televise another sport), I've started up a thread about all the TV sports rights deals which have caused controversy in one way or another.
Here in reverse order are my top 5:
5. The Rugby Football Union and BSkyB (1997-2002)
4. The Premier League and BSkyB (1992-to date)
3. The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Channel 4/BSkyB (1999-2005)
2. The ECB and BSkyB (2006-to date)
1. Formula One Management and BSkyB/BBC (2012-to expire 2018)
Here in reverse order are my top 5:
5. The Rugby Football Union and BSkyB (1997-2002)
4. The Premier League and BSkyB (1992-to date)
3. The England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and Channel 4/BSkyB (1999-2005)
2. The ECB and BSkyB (2006-to date)
1. Formula One Management and BSkyB/BBC (2012-to expire 2018)
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1. The WDC and Sky Sports back in 1993 which created two seperate darts codes
2. BBC losing half the masters golf to Sky
3. BBC NI losing the Northern Ireland matches to Sky Sports back in 2008 caused a lot of uproar here
Oh, you tease. ;);)
Anyway the Football League going with ITV Digital, and the FA going with Setanta were bad.
In contrast, the DCMS Select Committee hardly even bothered to ask Thompson about the F1 deal.
ECB has all of the controversy about removal from A List.
In contrast F1 has never ever been listed (not even B list) and has never been even seriously considered for listing. And of course 50% live remains on BBC.
Cricket is also considered (at least by many) as the country's "second sport" / "summer sport" - something nobody would think of F1 as.
Would be in top 5 for sure.
Seems a bit Mickey Mouse now but at the time it was a big shock.
Croatia v England did not have a highlights deal until the night after.
In Scotland the SPL to Setanta deal - barely brought in more money than the BBC deal and meant we had to stump up £12.99 a month for very little at the outset - not even a 7 day a week schedule.
The reasons for the WDC split had little specifically to do with Sky Sports to begin with. In fact, the first three WDC events were shown regionally on ITV (Tyne Tees, Yorkshire and Anglia all produced a tournament each).
When the WDC set up their World Championship, they needed a broadcaster, and Sky seemed like the natural choice - the BBC was in bed with the BDO and ITV wouldn't have made that kind of commitment to darts at that time.
The reasons for the top players leaving the BDO had a lot more to do with Olly Croft's mismanagement of the sport than Sky Sports.
It wasn't controversial in a sense it went from the BBC to Sky or anything like that but it was in but I meant that WDC and Sky getting in bed together cemented the split in darts as the WDC players still played in the 1993 BDO World Darts Championships.
are 1 and 4 really that controversial? (not know much about the others listed)
yeah that had a massive ripple effect.
Maybe not from a political viewpoint, but a lot of people were annoyed about the new F1 deal, even among people I know in real life who normally don't care about sports broadcast rights
Actually how many of those deals have resulted in less hours of coverage.... None really
They were expelled, twice, in 1998 and 1999 (the final 2 years of the Five Nations), but were reinstated on appeal.
They have just lost the rights to televise the Grand National, Derby, Royal Ascot and Qipco Champions Day. They will now all move to channel 4.
Bit of a sad day for racing as the BBC was always produced excellent coverage, where on Channel 4 we have Fat Al and Co bleating on about everything apart from having a good look at the horses ..... let's go for an ad break while the horses are in the paddock and going to post! Heaven knows what they will do at Ascot, it will probably turn into fashion week and adverts. :rolleyes:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/horseracing/9151846/Channel-4-seals-stunning-turnaround-with-15m-TV-deal-to-cover-racing-next-year.html
Its posts like this that really grate with me. Just be thankful that although the BBC have lost the rights (for reasons outside their control) the events remain on fta tv. Fans of other sports have not been as lucky.
The BBC produce great sport coverage, second to none, why should I be thankful that a second rate, advert led channel are taking over?
BBC will shortly have very few sport events. Wimbledon stay with them under loyalty, as they could command a much higher fee to to other broadcasters, and it is only the finals that have to be on fta.
Because it is still not behind a paywall.
BTW, does C4 have Cheltenhem and Glorious Goodwood exclusively, or are they also shown on either At the Races or Racing UK. Similarly with the events C4 is taking from the BBC - are they currently exclusive to the BBC or is coveraged shared?
Let's not forget that there is now NO FTA live coverage of the sport at all. All other major sports have at least some free, live coverage, cricket has none (apart from IPL cricket on ITV4, which falls outside the ECB's remit).
There's also been not a single ball of county cricket shown on free-to-air television, either in live or highlights form, since 2005.
The Sky/F1 deal is quite a way behind that, IMO.
The 1992 BSkyB Premier League football deal was probably the sports rights deal that had the biggest impact on one sport.
Biggest hit to BBC Sport: losing cricket to Channel 4 and the horse racing deal just announced.
I'd also say the last ITV FA Cup and England deal was also somewhat of a disaster for the Beeb, as it has brought about the end of live football on BBC Sport.
ITV's biggest loss was probably the Formula One going to the BBC in 2009.