From a trailer I saw on Match of the Day tonight, I notice that BBC Two will be showing the Oxford v Cambridge Varsity rugby union game on Thursday afternoon.
I thought it was fairly curious that the BBC would pick up rights to a one-off, minority interest university game played during weekday daytime hours - particularly given the cuts the BBC have announced they are planning to make to their sports budget. With reports on Friday suggesting they are planning not to renew their contract with the BDO World Darts Championship, it appears that even events that require comparably modest amounts of money to acquire rights to and produce are threatened by this.
I'm guessing the cost of the rights to this game were minimal, if anything at all? I think I'm right in saying that the Varsity game has been televised on Sky Sports in the past, so with them cost cutting as well (i.e. discontinuing shows like Tight Lines and Ringside) perhaps Sky dropped it, allowing the BBC to come in and pick the game up for free simply for the exposure it would bring? That's pure speculation on my part, but I'd be surprised if the BBC are prepared to pay for rights to something like this when they are cutting other areas of their sports output.
I thought it was fairly curious that the BBC would pick up rights to a one-off, minority interest university game played during weekday daytime hours - particularly given the cuts the BBC have announced they are planning to make to their sports budget. With reports on Friday suggesting they are planning not to renew their contract with the BDO World Darts Championship, it appears that even events that require comparably modest amounts of money to acquire rights to and produce are threatened by this.
I'm guessing the cost of the rights to this game were minimal, if anything at all? I think I'm right in saying that the Varsity game has been televised on Sky Sports in the past, so with them cost cutting as well (i.e. discontinuing shows like Tight Lines and Ringside) perhaps Sky dropped it, allowing the BBC to come in and pick the game up for free simply for the exposure it would bring? That's pure speculation on my part, but I'd be surprised if the BBC are prepared to pay for rights to something like this when they are cutting other areas of their sports output.



