Sky have started doing on site presentation for the Monte Carlo tennis today. Marcus Buckland is presenting with Mark Petchey, Barry Millns, Barry Cowan and Leif Shiras sharing commentary duties. There was no pres prior to today.

For today's IPL game on Sky, Dave Fulton's in the studio with Dominic Cork and Owais Shah. The host broadcast commentary team is Sanjay Manjrekar, Ramiz Raja, Matthew Hayden, Danny Morrison and Lisa Sthalekar.

Matt Floyd has presented most of the IPL coverage so far. Mark Butcher is out in India for Sky

Thanks for the details guys, does seem a strange set-up.

Rugby League - St Helens v Catalans - Sky Sports 2

Brian Carney presented

Commentators: Eddie Hemmings, Phil Clarke, Barrie McDermott, Terry O'Connor and Stuart Cummings

Analysis came from Jon Wells, Angela Powers reported, while Jenna Brooks rounded up the week's news from Sky Studios

Colin Murray will present Eurosport’s studio coverage of the World Championship Snooker from the Crucible Theatre this week

Murray will be joined by studio analysts Jimmy White and Neal Foulds with Matt Smith working as an on-site reporter throughout the tournament.

Saturday 16 April

World Championship Snooker on the BBC

Morning session- Hosted by Hazel Irvine with Steve Davis and John Parrott

Stuart Bingham v Ali Carter- John Virgo and Ken Doherty
Marco Fu v Peter Ebdon- Willie Thorne and Terry Griffiths

Afternoon session- Hosted by Hazel Irvine with Steve Davis and John Parrott

Stephen Maguire v Alan McManus- Willie Thorne and Ken Doherty
Shaun Murphy v Anthony McGill- Dennis Taylor and Stephen Hendry

Evening Session- Hosted by Jason Mohammad and John Parrott

Bingham v Carter- John Virgo and Stephen Hendry
Fu v Ebdon- Dennis Taylor and Terry Griffiths

Challenge Cup Rugby League on Sky Sports

Batley v Featherstone- Presented by Brian Carney. Commentary from Bill Arthur, Barrie McDermott & Terry O'Connor

Dominic Dale will be a guest commentator for Eurosport's World Championship Snooker coverage.

Is there no Sky studio coverage tonight on the PGA Tour? I swear i've had it on the past hour or so and seen nothing bar a couple of Tim Barter on-site interviews.

Sarah Stirk and co were in the studio last night. Bigger question is they don't seem to be going to Tim every 10 mins or taking extra breaks - so how they filling (or showing seemingly more golf) without any studio stuff - as that is there to cover up the 'lack of golf'.

EDIT: Gary Christian (who was guest last night) has just popped up himself at the shotcenter (I guess pre-recorded, wide shot had studio empty bar him) doing a vt item on Day's swing.

IPL cricket - Kings XI v Delhi Daredevils

Anjum Chopra, Alan Wilkins, Matthew Hayden, Ramiz Raja and Simon Doull for the host broadcaster

Can anyone clarify the overall position re Sky's tennis coverage this year.

Buckland (+ others) were on site in Indian Wells (as previously posted) and now they are also in Monte Carlo.

But what about Miami - were they ever on site there?

Seems a significant change from previous years when I don't think they were ever on site for any 1000 events. And seems surprising given "reductions" in presentation of some other sports on Sky.

Sky is using tennis to pioneer IP production, which has significant cost savings, enabling them to present from site much cheaper than a) using traditional production techniques b) paying for a studio.

Thanks for your reply.

Would be interested to know more - exactly what is IP production? How are costs saved / avoided? Roughly how great are the savings?

Re paying for a studio - surely Sky own their studios anyway so there's no rental cost (*) (**) - though I appreciate there would be costs of lighting, personnel etc.

(*) I'm talking here about Sky plc as a whole - there may be some internal accounting but that would net out at the plc level.

(**) Assuming no capacity constraint - ie that there is always a studio free which is available for use. Or maybe there is in fact a capacity constraint?

Rugby Union on BBC Two NI: Zebre v Ulster- Presented by Stephen Watson, with commentary by Jim Neilly and Tony McWhirter, and analysis from Stephen Ferris and Maurice Field.

Radio Wales (normally on rugby union) commentator Nick Webb recently tweeted out to say that Glamorgan CCC will now live stream their county championship matches.

http://glamorgancricket.com/cricket/...ed-online.html

This article partially explains what Sky is doing: http://svgeurope.org/blog/headlines/...gh-innovation/



Sky owns the studios, but that doesn't mean that they don't have a cost.
If a programme wants to use a studio it has to pay for it. It may get it at a small discount to what Sky would charge an external client for that studio, but it still has to pay.

Now you may argue that it's all just internal accounting, but the point is Sky Sports has been told to spend less on programme-making, and it can make savings by not paying other bits of Sky where there is an alternative.

There was a point where Sky Sports did have a shortage of studios, but not any more.

OK, many thanks - very interesting.

However I remain slightly puzzled. If Sky Division A pays £100 to Sky Division B the net cost in Sky plc's accounts is zero. Whereas if Sky Division A spends £50 on air fares / hotels etc then the net cost in Sky plc's accounts is £50.

So whilst Sky Division A has saved money, Sky plc has lost money. I'm surprised the Board would allow the company to be run in such a sub-optimal way.

I guess it depends exactly what you mean by there not being a shortage of studios - ie are studios actually being left empty? Or if Sky Sports doesn't require a studio is it then being rented out to a 3rd party? If the latter then it would make sense to spend the £50 but not if the former.

From my experience, Sky aren't renting their studios to others very often, if at all

Also, Miami pres was done from Sky Studios

The accountants for Division A are only interested in saving money for their department though - that's what management has told them to do.

Other broadcasters work in exactly the same way. ITV, for example, leaves its own edit suites empty while programmes are edited at third-party facilities. This saves money on the programme budgets, even though it may cost ITV substantially more.

Peter Ebdon joined the BBC commentary team now. Alongside JV on the Maguire V McManus match

Aviva Premiership Rugby – Friday 15 April (BT Sport 1)

Round 20 – Gloucester v Exeter Chiefs

Martin Bayfield at Kingsholm with Austin Healey, Lawrence Dallaglio and Mike Tindall.

Commentators: Alastair Eykyn, Lawrence Dallaglio & Austin Healey

Reporter: Sarra Elgan


Aviva Premiership Rugby – Saturday 16 April (BT Sport 1)

Round 20 – Saracens v Harlequins

Craig Doyle at Wembley with Maggie Alphonsi.

Commentators: Alastair Eykyn, Lawrence Dallaglio & Austin Healey

Reporter: Sarra Elgan

Round 20 – Northampton Saints v Leicester Tigers

Martin Bayfield at Franklin’s Gardens with Jordan Crane and Paul Grayson.

Commentators: Nick Mullins, Alex Corbisiero & Paul Grayson

Reporter: Chris Hollins


Aviva Premiership Rugby – Sunday 17 April (BT Sport 1)

Round 20 – Newcastle Falcons v London Irish

Craig Doyle in the studio with David Flatman and Mark Mapletoft.

Commentators: Nick Mullins, Ben Kay & Paul Grayson

Reporter: Chris Hollins


Aviva Premiership Rugby – Sunday 17 April (ITV)

Round 20 Highlights

Mark Durden-Smith at Wembley with David Flatman.

GLO v EXE: Alastair Eykyn, Lawrence Dallaglio & Austin Healey (as BT Sport)

SAR v HAR: Alastair Eykyn, Lawrence Dallaglio & Austin Healey (as BT Sport)

NOR v LEIC: Nick Mullins, Alex Corbisiero & Paul Grayson (as BT Sport)
WOR v WAS: Martin Gillingham

NEW v LIR: Nick Mullins, Ben Kay & Paul Grayson (as BT Sport)
SAL v BTH: Richard Henwood? (reporting)

Other full-match commentaries on premiershiprugby.tv:
WOR v WAS: Charlie Brougham
SAL v BTH: Martin Gillingham

What was Corbisiero like on commentary? I know he's done punditry on Sky & BT before, but is this his first time in the box?

I think he did a game a couple of years ago whilst injured. I didn't see all of the game but of what I saw he was decent, not as good as the regulars but not awful either. Attwood was probably better a couple of weeks ago, but if Corbs were to want to go into commentary and not back to playing he would probably be quite good with practice.

BOD wasn't that great when he started, and I now find him a really good listen. I have a feeling Corbs would be the same.

I have to say I am a little surprised that BT aren't showing Bath v Sale this weekend, given they still have 3 Premiership games to show in the last round (with the simultaneous kick-offs – be interesting to see how they do that, if indeed they do) if they are going to show the 69 games they promised this season. Their schedule is empty of live sport as well in the usual Saturday timeslot, and would provide an alternative (for good or for ill) to Sky's Champions Cup coverage.

Slightly apropos of nothing but I was watching one of the Crucible Classics on the iPlayer last night and was rather surprised when I heard a female voice commentating on the match.

A bit of research revealed that the lady in question was Vera Selby, who was the first women's world champion and was part of the BBC's World Championship commentary team in 1982 alongside the likes of Ted Lowe, Clive Everton and Jack Karnehm.

I was just struck by how remarkably progressive that seemed for 1982 - and how there are no former women's snooker players used as commentators in these current days of heightened equality.

Isn't the deal for 'up to 69' games?

Looks like it might be actually, though it's a shame if they end up showing fewer.

It would be, but given the circumstances of the postponement/rescheduling and the fact that the renewed deal starts next year I don't think there'll be much unhappiness at the top