Let me understand this. The Times (owned by Rupert murdoch) is negative about BT Sport (unlike Sky Sports, not owned by Rupert Murdoch). Tricky.

That Times article is exactly how I felt about the weekend's coverage. Very well said.

I really enjoyed the Liverpool game. I was watching it in a pub so didn't really pay any attention to the build up or commentary but the game was exciting at least

Fulham v Arsenal should be good as well with Jol seemingly making good progress and Wenger edging closer to the first serious threat to his job.

BT/Sky/ITV/BBC/Channel 5 - to be honest i've never really cared what channel was showing the football. I don't think much of Chiles but I've never been that bothered with match build up or analyst. It's rare you'll hear anything other than the usual cliches and 'say-what-you-see' comments.

I must say that it's the incessant use of hyperbole by Sky (and, from early evidence, BT too) that annoys me. In most cases, it just builds stuff up to be a letdown. OK, that Liverpool game, as 1-0s go, was good. However, it probably wasn't as good as BT would've had you believe.

I get that both parties have to try and win subscribers, but the vast majority of people who are watching any given game are those that don't need to be sold to - ie. have already signed up.

For all the flack that Chiles gets on ITV (and rightly so - he's dire in the main), at least he'll happily criticise a dull game. You'll rarely get that on Sky.

I, along with everybody on here I would think, would appreciate the honesty a bit more than the overhype.

Having said all that... I'll let BT off as it was their first PL game and all that. Plus, there are bigger issues for BT to deal with, such as their less-than-adequate choice of pundits (and I don't think there are any exceptions to that rule). Or, maybe it's just that Neville is so good now that that's what we expect from everybody.

I think the coverage itself is much better for the football than either Sky is or ESPN was. However, in the past 2 days, I have seen 'Serie A Season Preview' 4 times. There is not enough programme depth, likely due to the effort put into certain programmes.

Where can I find a schedule for BT Sports?

Just read it and have to agree....rather one sided to say the least.

Certain parts I do agree with but you can tell the rather positive exposure to Sky.

Ah, so a little dig at Niall Quinn, along with the criticism of SNF, is 'positive exposure' now? Wow, my grasp of the English language isn't quite what I thought it was...

Ultimately, BT's promises of being different and all that nonsense put them up there to be shot at. What we see, in reality, isn't very different do their well-established competition.

Indeed. It said that SNF was Sky Sports' "worst idea in 20 years" !!!!!!!

Wow sarcasm at it's very best

It does!!

I'm wracking my brains for a worse Sky Sports idea now.

Perhaps giving Hawthorne the 2005 CL Final only manages to make it to Number 2...

The tone of the piece is pretty sarcastic if you ask me - not overly biased towards either broadcaster.

I happen to agree with most of it.

Two words - 'United' and 'Charlton'!

In order, starting with the worst:

1. Ali Douglas presenting live SPL.

2. The bottom left scorebar with an absolutely huge area of solid blue blank space.

3. The two letter abbreviation on the scorebar - eg NU for Newcastle.

4. Ben Shephard presenting live football - and continuing to do so for 4 seasons.

Yes, indeed - that's certainly worthy of a place on the list.

Ah I'd forgotten about Ali Douglas doing SPL. Yes, she was awful on that.

5. MNF circa 2003 when it was fronted by Ian Payne and featured a "fans panel" of one supporter from every Premier League club.

I said exactly this in the BT Sport v Sky Sport thread.


And I'll repeat it here. There is nothing that much different about BTs football coverage at all.

Ultimately after 20+ years of ever changing coverage across different channels, it was always pretty unlikely BT were going to able to bring a significantly different look to how football is broadcast.

Would taking Sky Sports News off of Freeview qualify as one of their worst decisions? Certainly a lot of people who did watch it previously don't get to see it now, and the chance to advertise that and other Sky shows to Freeviewers has gone?

My uncle (who doesn't have Sky,VM or BT) thought it'd gone back on FTA last weekend, didn't realise it was a one-off free Sky day...

What other things can be done with the football coverage?

Perhaps refcam - so we can follow the game via the ref (with a cam strapped to his forehead), and also the threat of players abusing the ref being picked up on the microphone might improve behaviour? This could then utilise Mark Halsey better, and even lead to a spin-off 'You are the ref' segment. Also, if the ref is mic'd up, he could talk directly to the studio or the stadium, explain why a decision is given etc...

Dugoutcam - a camera in the dugout, see the game as the manager sees it (or even put a camera on each manager, so we would know if Wenger did actually 'see it' this time...). Some of the best action can be the touchline squabbles of the opposing managers...

A reporter in with each set of fans - so you'd get a real sense of the atmosphere within the supporters.

Player microphones - as used in T20, put a microphone on one player per team, and during a game, in a break in play, the studio team can talk to one of the players and get a real time perspective of what's happening out there.

Less obvious studio guests, who might give a different perspective of their love of a particular team (e.g. for Fulham-Arsenal maybe Hugh Laurie and Tom Watt).

BTS - make more use of the pitch - recreate the previous week's debatable issues (like Phoenix from the flames from Fantasy Football League back in the day ).

Upgrade the pundits - BTS in particular have assembled a less than impressive crew (though hopefully all will develop as it goes on). They could even hire a sports psychologist and see if they can provide a different view on things. Or even one of the European pundits to come on the panel for the PL games, and give a different, more detached perspective?

Get into the BT pubs - for the areas where the teams are that week, get into the local BTS friendly pub, and get the views of the very common man - always funny to watch when a goal goes in, the reaction of the fans in these pubs, some go nuts!

Get out of the studio, host it from the local mall! So if West Ham are at home, get into Westfield and make an event of it - make it into more of an event perhaps?

Alternate commentary streams (this may already be used?).

And the most positive comments were about the BBC - not Murdoch's favourite broadcaster, I think.

Don't really have a problem with Owen he was a bit biased and talked about liverpool for 90mins but who cares

Way I see it all football pundits tell us every player is great and they work hard and they're a fantastic footballer. Never known any pundit to say a player is average or not bad. They're all great players. So what's the point in bothering when apparently they're all great?

the best thing about ESPN was the repeats, i hope BT dont change this.

This has been tried out in the USA, and I must say, it is weird, plus rugby league in this country have stared utilising this as well.