Originally Posted by pakokelso93:
“Can I ask i've never went on the red button for bbc wales matches, what is the 'redzone'? is it fanzone type comms? or Welsh language?”
I take an alternative view to LOSG so I'll provide that and flesh out a few more details about the service.
The Redzone, which until the start of this season was known as Fanscene, has been running for around five years now (for as long as BBC Wales have been providing BBCi alternative commentaries on Celtic League games).
Even in its original form, it's not quite Fanzone commentary in the terms we know it from Sky Sports, more something of a halfway house between that and the text message-based alternative commentary service BBCi trialled with David Oates, David Croft and Steve Claridge during Euro 2004.
Since the beginning Rick O'Shea, a feature reporter for the Scrum V magazine show and BBC Radio Wales, has been in charge of the commentary (occasionally they'll be a sub for him but very rarely), where he reads out viewers texts and now tweets about that particular game and Welsh rugby in general. If the game is in a lull or is a bit boring, they'll often get into a quite general chat, albeit a straight one, about the sport with this being supplemented by background subjects (themed XVs etc) and jokes provided by viewers getting in touch with them.
Up until the start of this season, as Fanscene, as LOSG says Rick would be joined by a fan of either team playing - not just fans of the Welsh regions but also fans of teams from Scotland, Ireland and (in the days when they had Anglo-Welsh Cup rights) England.
They overhauled the format at the start of the season and renamed it Redzone. Nowadays Rick is joined by a Welsh rugby personality - usually a former player or a coach - with a producer (Bruce Pope when I have listened) also occasionally chipping in to read viewers texts and tweets. The service is now a lot more straight with Rick going into commentary mode whenever play enters "the Redzone" (i.e. either 22), hence the name, although in less thrilling moments of the game you still get the general chats about Pro12/Welsh rugby as well as the background topics for people to contact them about.
I can understand why it wouldn't be to everyone's tastes and why people used to text in to moan about the service, but I've always quite enjoyed the Redzone (and Fanscene before it) and when given the option, I usually tend to go with it above the main feed with Charlo, even though he's a superb commentator.
Let's face it, quite a lot of Pro12 games can be more than a little dull, so I find the Redzone can liven things up. Also, as someone who doesn't live in Wales and so is outside of the microcosm of Welsh rugby, I find the general chats on Redzone help get me up to speed with the comings and goings of the sport west of the bridge. I also think Rick O'Shea is a tremendous personality, he's an "every man" type I can relate to with characteristics I recognise from rugby playing friends. He's someone I rate highly and would like to see used a lot more prominently than he is at present.
To add, contrary to what LOSG says, it isn't always a case of the main commentary feed not being available of 301 on Freeview due to alternative feeds. For instance, on Friday last week the main feed and Redzone were available on Freeview while the Welsh language service was not. It used to be the norm that Fanscene and Welsh were the two feeds available on Freeview, but from the matches I've caught over the past few seasons I think this has changed in response to criticisms from people who share the same view as LOSG.