I don't really understand your shock. BBCi isn't exactly rare, or difficult to get if you really want to.
I'd understand your point if the BBC weren't showing live darts, but they are, to the vast majority of the population.
I don't understand either why the BBC not showing enough live darts on BBC2 (in your opinion) is a reason to not try to get other events on TV. They aren't going to get more people interested on a regular basis just because the single annually televised tournament is promoted from BBCi (72% of households) to BBC2 (95%).
Many who don't have digital can get freeview, and almost all can get freesat. A small handful might be unlucky and not be able to get either.
I don't see why the BBC should throw away large amounts of decent telly on BBC2 for darts, snooker, tennis etc for a backward minority.
I don't really understand your shock. BBCi isn't exactly rare, or difficult to get if you really want to.
I'd understand your point if the BBC weren't showing live darts, but they are, to the vast majority of the population.
I don't understand either why the BBC not showing enough live darts on BBC2 (in your opinion) is a reason to not try to get other events on TV. They aren't going to get more people interested on a regular basis just because the single annually televised tournament is promoted from BBCi (72% of households) to BBC2 (95%).
Many who don't have digital can get freeview, and almost all can get freesat. A small handful might be unlucky and not be able to get either.
I don't see why the BBC should throw away large amounts of decent telly on BBC2 for darts, snooker, tennis etc for a backward minority.
Hold up, why are people that like to watch Darts and snooker on non digital TV "backward"
Part of the BBCs remit is to provide TV for everyone not just the masses.
Well firstly I think it a little rude to call those who dont have freeview or sky the backward minority.
Secondly, you say that its silly for the BBC to throw away large amounts of money on darts. But they are showing 7 hours day. So they are spending large amounts on it. My point is, if you are showing so much darts then why show no live action. Why cant they have the games during the afternoons when they have live uninterrupted coverage
Hold up, why are people that like to watch Darts and snooker on non digital TV "backward"
Part of the BBCs remit is to provide TV for everyone not just the masses.
But it is also the BBCs remit to promote digital switchover, and part of this is obviously offering enhanced or additional coverage over and above what scheduling is possible on BBC2.
But it is also the BBCs remit to promote digital switchover, and part of this is obviously offering enhanced or additional coverage over and above what scheduling is possible on BBC2.
Fair point but im not sure the last couple of minutes of a darts match is enhanced or additional coverage.
I've seen enough of the PDC to know how good he is, and I know how few times he has lost at the World Championships over the years. I didn't say Taylor wasn't good, I said watching him win (again and again) wasn't interesting.
Sure, once you increase the number of tournaments played during a year you find he loses more. But that doesn't make watching him win any more interesting.
No-one, other than Barney, looked like beating him at Purfleet. Sure, PDC fans can talk up the rare times he has lost but never has anyone (except perhaps John Part) provided strong competition over a few years in recent times.
Phil Taylor is the greatest player to ever pick up a dart. How in the blue hell is it more interesting to watch a match in the bdo where 45, 26, 41 are very consistant scores to watching phil taylor hit his shots and produce very consistantly an average of well over 100? Phil had some amazing matches in this years tournament including one where he had to hit a 113 average to beat a guy who averaged 102. Phil Taylor is by far the most entertaining guy to watch play darts as he is the best.
Sorry, it just isn't entertaining in my book. I recognise the quality, I just find it of very little entertainment as he walks over the vast majority of players year on year.
Sid Waddell's commentary (or is that cheerleading?) and the ridiculous notion of the "stacka" might not help matters.
Ok thats your opinion, mine is that its more entertaining watching someone trying to beat the best than it is a nobody.
For example i would rather see england facing australia than say south Africa or West Indies in cricket. Even though england lost that series 5-0 it is more entertaining as they are testing themselves against the best.
Its great watching phil taylors games as you are always certain of high class darts and its great to see people give him a game. And as you say he may thrash alot of opponents but he is a guy that can tear you apart even if you average 100 so he is bound to but its still fun to watch.
Simply i would rather see phil taylor playing as the scoring in his games is always high instead some of the appalling inconsistant play i have seen in every BDO game i have watched so far. Plus the 9 darter is always on when phil is playing and the tension and thrill of games like that final this year, the final against part and the final against painter are brilliant. And thats just in the last few years. I havent seen an entertaining battle in a bdo final since phil taylor left.
When he retire it will be a huge loss and only then may the 2 companies become more even because whilst phil taylor is playing in the pdc for that reason alone the pdc will remain the place to be.
well done BDO for showcasing what 'real' darts is all about. Some of the matches this week have been really good.
And whats good about the BDO is that there are lots of people can win the title, even at the point where some of the favourites are allready out.
Same can't be said for the PDC.
can't believe some people think that having more walk on songs and more dancing abround make the PDC better. whats that all about, its about the game and players.
no wonder the pdc is always being branded as being mere 'entertainment' as opposed to 'real' darts quoted from world number 1, Martin Adams said.
also this stuff about BBc not showing the live action.
just press a 'red button and thats it!
well done BDO for showcasing what 'real' darts is all about. Some of the matches this week have been really good.
And whats good about the BDO is that there are lots of people can win the title, even at the point where some of the favourites are allready out.
Same can't be said for the PDC.
can't believe some people think that having more walk on songs and more dancing abround make the PDC better. whats that all about, its about the game and players.
no wonder the pdc is always being branded as being mere 'entertainment'
also this stuff about BBc not showing the live action.
just press a 'red button and thats it!
you can't record any interactive service, even on skysports.
You can't blame BBC for that.
I didnt record the PDC final as I watched it live. I did record some stuff on sky though when i was either working or watching something else at the time. Unfortunately you cannot record red button stuff as you say. You also say you cannot blame the BBC for that. No you cant. But you can blame them for not showing live action on BBC2. If they want the darts to be watched or enjoyed by a wider audience on this terrestrial national channel, then show it live at night or ask the BDO to have more games in the afternoon, instead of showing hours of recorded or repeated action.
This argument of mine would be the exact same if it were Sky on the PDC. As a dart fan i think the BBC isnt doing enough.
thats unfair. Skysports are totally dedicated to sports, hence the name in its platform.
BBC isn't, it has non sports programming of its own to show, so even 1 hour primetime coverage is decent enough. Anyway, they tell you repeatedly and clearly...
'if you want to continue to watch the live action, press the red button'
therefore anyone interested, wanting to get into watching darts will do just that via interactive, easy as pie.
Three days now this week BBC2 has shown 7 hours of darts. 7 hours. And not once have they shown a whole game live in that time. I personally, dont think thats good coverage. I know you will disagree because you have, if i may say, a blinkered view that all the BDO offers is wonderful and you cannot find fault. Whatever the sport and whatever the channel i just think if you commit to show 7 hours a day you should at least show one match all the way through live.
All this red button stuff would be fine and dandy..........if the bbc actually made an effort to put some kind of show on with it.
You get the matches and thats it, no interviews, analysis nothing you just have to sit there with the tele playing crowd noises off a tape till the next match.
You get no feel for who these guys are because unless you sit up till midnight or watch it again in the afternoon you never hear what they've got to say! With the PDC champs you get guys like Wynanad Havenga who you get to know during the tournament.
It wouldnt kill Stubbsy and Bobby George to do a few bits in between the games.
I've watched both events this year, and tbh prefer the BDO event - yes PDC has Barney and Taylor but take them out and the rest are much of a muchness and both events have players I've never heard of and poor matchs, but where the BDO wins for me is the fact anyone can enter it, you don't have to be a professional and invited (or negotiate a deal like Barney did) - if you play Superleague you can enter the regional qualifiers like I've done in the past, and although I didn't do very well at least I had the chance.
It's a shame really that the BDO have gone the PDC route with silly nicknames and walk on music as it seems very tacky to me (in both events).
All this red button stuff would be fine and dandy..........if the bbc actually made an effort to put some kind of show on with it.
You get the matches and thats it, no interviews, analysis nothing you just have to sit there with the tele playing crowd noises off a tape till the next match.
You get no feel for who these guys are because unless you sit up till midnight or watch it again in the afternoon you never hear what they've got to say! With the PDC champs you get guys like Wynanad Havenga who you get to know during the tournament.
It wouldnt kill Stubbsy and Bobby George to do a few bits in between the games.
Exactly. Every day I've been getting home from work, switching the darts on BBC2 at six and they are more or less straight into the match.........
Press red at seven, press the select on the 'live darts here' icon (why have they still got a photo of Barney throwing a dart now that he's switched codes?!), see the last two darts of the first match, hear Fitzmaurice's post mortem, that gets cut off (blessing in disguise?), straight onto ABC's Poison Arrow..........you get no feel for the personality of the competitors and end up watching too many matches not really caring who wins..........
At least tonight between the quarter finals you could switch over to Sky and watch the PDC awards........I wonder if the Beeb / BDO were aware of the timing of that...........
Comments
I'd understand your point if the BBC weren't showing live darts, but they are, to the vast majority of the population.
I don't understand either why the BBC not showing enough live darts on BBC2 (in your opinion) is a reason to not try to get other events on TV. They aren't going to get more people interested on a regular basis just because the single annually televised tournament is promoted from BBCi (72% of households) to BBC2 (95%).
Many who don't have digital can get freeview, and almost all can get freesat. A small handful might be unlucky and not be able to get either.
I don't see why the BBC should throw away large amounts of decent telly on BBC2 for darts, snooker, tennis etc for a backward minority.
Hold up, why are people that like to watch Darts and snooker on non digital TV "backward"
Part of the BBCs remit is to provide TV for everyone not just the masses.
Secondly, you say that its silly for the BBC to throw away large amounts of money on darts. But they are showing 7 hours day. So they are spending large amounts on it. My point is, if you are showing so much darts then why show no live action. Why cant they have the games during the afternoons when they have live uninterrupted coverage
But it is also the BBCs remit to promote digital switchover, and part of this is obviously offering enhanced or additional coverage over and above what scheduling is possible on BBC2.
Sid Waddell's commentary (or is that cheerleading?) and the ridiculous notion of the "stacka" might not help matters.
For example i would rather see england facing australia than say south Africa or West Indies in cricket. Even though england lost that series 5-0 it is more entertaining as they are testing themselves against the best.
Its great watching phil taylors games as you are always certain of high class darts and its great to see people give him a game. And as you say he may thrash alot of opponents but he is a guy that can tear you apart even if you average 100 so he is bound to but its still fun to watch.
Simply i would rather see phil taylor playing as the scoring in his games is always high instead some of the appalling inconsistant play i have seen in every BDO game i have watched so far. Plus the 9 darter is always on when phil is playing and the tension and thrill of games like that final this year, the final against part and the final against painter are brilliant. And thats just in the last few years. I havent seen an entertaining battle in a bdo final since phil taylor left.
When he retire it will be a huge loss and only then may the 2 companies become more even because whilst phil taylor is playing in the pdc for that reason alone the pdc will remain the place to be.
And whats good about the BDO is that there are lots of people can win the title, even at the point where some of the favourites are allready out.
Same can't be said for the PDC.
can't believe some people think that having more walk on songs and more dancing abround make the PDC better. whats that all about, its about the game and players.
no wonder the pdc is always being branded as being mere 'entertainment' as opposed to 'real' darts quoted from world number 1, Martin Adams said.
also this stuff about BBc not showing the live action.
just press a 'red button and thats it!
you cannot record on a red button.
You can't blame BBC for that.
I didnt record the PDC final as I watched it live. I did record some stuff on sky though when i was either working or watching something else at the time. Unfortunately you cannot record red button stuff as you say. You also say you cannot blame the BBC for that. No you cant. But you can blame them for not showing live action on BBC2. If they want the darts to be watched or enjoyed by a wider audience on this terrestrial national channel, then show it live at night or ask the BDO to have more games in the afternoon, instead of showing hours of recorded or repeated action.
This argument of mine would be the exact same if it were Sky on the PDC. As a dart fan i think the BBC isnt doing enough.
BBC isn't, it has non sports programming of its own to show, so even 1 hour primetime coverage is decent enough. Anyway, they tell you repeatedly and clearly...
'if you want to continue to watch the live action, press the red button'
therefore anyone interested, wanting to get into watching darts will do just that via interactive, easy as pie.
Three days now this week BBC2 has shown 7 hours of darts. 7 hours. And not once have they shown a whole game live in that time. I personally, dont think thats good coverage. I know you will disagree because you have, if i may say, a blinkered view that all the BDO offers is wonderful and you cannot find fault. Whatever the sport and whatever the channel i just think if you commit to show 7 hours a day you should at least show one match all the way through live.
You get the matches and thats it, no interviews, analysis nothing you just have to sit there with the tele playing crowd noises off a tape till the next match.
You get no feel for who these guys are because unless you sit up till midnight or watch it again in the afternoon you never hear what they've got to say! With the PDC champs you get guys like Wynanad Havenga who you get to know during the tournament.
It wouldnt kill Stubbsy and Bobby George to do a few bits in between the games.
It's a shame really that the BDO have gone the PDC route with silly nicknames and walk on music as it seems very tacky to me (in both events).
good point. I think bbc and sky should show more classic world champoinship dart moments.
like a 10 minute feature of the BDO or PDC events from years gone by.
both bbc and sky are very reluctant get in the archive closet.
Because thats the old darts image
The image that they are trying to shed.
e.g power v part final few years back, a great moment in darts, but as i didn't have sky then haven't seen more than 5 darts thrown in that match
its all there for bbc or sky to use.
Silly nicknames and walk on music predate the PDC by years!
Exactly. Every day I've been getting home from work, switching the darts on BBC2 at six and they are more or less straight into the match.........
Press red at seven, press the select on the 'live darts here' icon (why have they still got a photo of Barney throwing a dart now that he's switched codes?!), see the last two darts of the first match, hear Fitzmaurice's post mortem, that gets cut off (blessing in disguise?), straight onto ABC's Poison Arrow..........you get no feel for the personality of the competitors and end up watching too many matches not really caring who wins..........
At least tonight between the quarter finals you could switch over to Sky and watch the PDC awards........I wonder if the Beeb / BDO were aware of the timing of that...........
pdc= money + barney + taylor
take those 3 components out and whats left?
i don't think that needs to be answered, cos we all know
Well you have your wish because Klassan and Van Gerwen are buggering off to the PDC so you have taken the top 2 out of the BDO.