TV Live Forum

Some housekeeping and miscellaneous thoughts

Like Formula 1, MotoGP is suffering from cancelled events in the Asia-Pacific with the Malaysian Grand Prix being lost this week with an extra race in Italy being added.
https://twitter.com/btsportmotogp/status...4055876609

With the rift between Rangers and BBC Scotland still at a never-ending impasse, I find it slightly amusing that Rangers' away Europa League qualifier later this week will be on the BBC Scotland channel.
https://twitter.com/BBCSportScot/status/...8365080576

And I think I mentioned previously, Sportscene as had a refresh like the network football coverage. No change to the studio apart from the new look being seen in the pains behind the guests, but the new football-style logo used by network has been adopted. Same titles too but with changed title card.





As Sky Sport acquired Bundesliga to use only world feed commentary and make matches impossible find on their app exclusively, BT Sport acquired Serie A to show every match possible, use their own commentary and have studio coverage with the man synonymous with Italian football coverage in the UK at the helm.
https://twitter.com/acjimbo/status/1429109418294194186
https://twitter.com/btsportfootball/stat...3724080137


I have quite enjoyed this week, as is often the case, ITV 4's snooker coverage. Though there is the negative compared to BBC/Eurosport coverage of only one table shown (ITV Hub is difficult enough for the everyday streams let alone any pop-up streams so maybe for the best) it was good yesterday to cross to the secondary table to show a conclusion of a 147 live and leave the main table for a few minutes. The team brings together some of the stronger names from the BBC and Eurosport coverage, like Rob Walker, Dave Hendon, Stephen Hendry and Alan McManus and adds to that with professional that is Jill Douglas.
On snooker, it will be interesting to see what will happen to Eurosport's studio coverage of their main events. Triple Crown host Colin Murray sadly left the team after the World Championships and other host Andy Goldstein now getting a more prominent role on talkSPORT.


Praise on the other hand has been lacking for Eurosport's Le Mans 24 Hour coverage this weekend, the low point for many being the casual sexism described below. I watched the opening section of the broadcast which had, in what has been customary for big events on Eurosport this summer, a few technical problems with no audio or very poor audio with their reporter on the grid - probably due to the heavy rain at the start (PS: Said reporter is the host of US Top Gear and was wearing a Eurosport branded jumpsuit - random appointment and outfit). Just had a bit on now and it is rather jarring on the ad-free stream there is often unnanounced and lengthy pauses of commentary whilst the linear feed goes to an ad break. The graphics are not the most hepful either; the tower uses the numbers of each car and a colour strip to identify the car which is not helpful to a non aficionado to be able to follow upon viewing (in mitigation, there is three drivers per car but it's still not helpful). On a lighter note, apparently the Eurosport Spain commentary has just been singing...
https://twitter.com/FemalesinMSport/stat...6794445828
A showcase of the graphics:
https://twitter.com/Eurosport_NL/status/...6007872513

The commentary is also missing the lead voice of Tom Gaymor who pulled out last minute with illness. Hope Tom gets well soon.
(Update: Commentary just said (0043) he is feeling better but will probably not be involved tomorrow)
https://twitter.com/TomGaymor/status/142...3793547274

Eurosport coverage of le mans has been poor and at one point yesterday during racing a rain shower happened and lots of things were happening but Eurosport went split screen and showed a recorded vt instead of the action on track.

Thanks for the round up Rhys - the difference between Serie A on BT and Bundesliga on Sky is rather stark?

As for the snooker on Eurosport - could Radzi be an option given he was part of their Olympic team and has been doing a pretty decent job on the morning coverage for the BBC.

More generally though although Eurosport might be making much more noise under Discovery ownership and obviously getting attention with the Olympic rights and other exclusive properties I'm not sure their coverage has actually improved. Some might argue it's gone backwards.

https://mobile.twitter.com/LiamHamilton1...8166802435

I think the format has been a success after some scepticism and decent figures for a new tournament but I feel the BBC should have put the finals on BBC one. Womens games have been especially excellent and hope the BBC cover them all next year. I preferred the BBC coverage as well just because it didnt have Kevin Pietersen on it.

BT Sport 3's coverage of Nice v Marseille has only just come off air (an hour late) after crazy scenes with the Nice ultras coming onto the pitch to fight players after Payet was hit by a bottle which he threw back into the crowd. After a lot of filling, they went back live to see the match restarted and immediately abandoned with only Nice players on the pitch after Marseille refused to come back out.

Can't blame Marseille for not coming back out - they'd had bottles thrown at them two weeks ago at the season opener as well. I wonder if Nice will have to play some games behind closed doors as punishment for this?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58301034

Seb Hutchinson (as far as I am aware) making his Sky Sports debut tonight on MNF for the West Ham v Leicester match. As previously stated he joined Sky to be their WSL commentator but good to see him being used on the Premier League. Wonder if he will still appear on BBC or ITV this season now with his Sky work?

https://twitter.com/Seb_Hutch/status/142...8079955973

A few titbits-

MNF - a bit of use of the now-in-vogue floating 3D in the studio tonight at the beginning, US broadcasters have been at it for a while and we saw some limited use during the Lions tour (host broadcaster SuperSport also loves it) so maybe we’ll see more of it on Sky in the future, I personally think it’s a bit tacky.

Golf - the final round of the Northern Trust postponed until today and got a further postponement into our prime time, which I guess Sky is probably happy about though their EPG hasn’t been updated. This is CBS last event of the PGA Tour season and while they use recoloured graphics for it (as its a FedEx Cup event) there’s still no sign of the new CBS Sports graphics which debuted at the Super Bowl (and then went back into hibernation).

CBS do have a preseason NFL game on Sunday though, which as it happens is being shown on Sky Sports NFL, which returned today.

MNF much more enjoyable tonight, found the fact they can use the whole studio again and the standing at the big touchscreen helped the programme, especially with some of the demo's they did. No longer stuck to the chairs at the desk.

Not sport presentation but some sad news from the world of Darts this morning as Australian PDC player Kyle Anderson passed away at the age of 33, he was most famous for winning the 2017 Auckland Masters and hitting a 9 Darter at the World Championship in 2013 a few hours after Terry Jenkins. A bit like Sean Lock last week absolute shock to hear this today and may he rest in peace.

https://twitter.com/OfficialPDC/status/1...6957006848

I wonder if the Draw for the World Cup next year will end up getting put back to July or September as a possible partial resolution to this issue.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58322829

Certainly last years Champions League titles on RTE2 tonight…feels odd to see Bayern Munich still lifting the trophy three months after Chelsea did so.

Gather there has been a bit of a cock up with the Caraboa Cup, certain clubs (cough.. Leeds United) having sold UK viewers access to a stream of tonight's Crewe match and having to pull it 20 minutes in due to a slight lack of rights.

Seems to still be on internationally, I'm in a bar in Spain that has somehow managed to conjur up a feed of it, I suspect the club are producing it themselves with just two or three badly racked cameras and very basic graphics, but better than the potato-vision Sky used to do of midweek Championship games on the red button.

Uodate on Dutch Eredivisie rights:

https://twitter.com/EredivisieMike/statu...8021771265

https://twitter.com/EredivisieMike/statu...2209161217

The 9:16 feed wasn't the only special features and innovations trialled in the DFL Supercup last week. Saw a collated and different version on last week's Bundesliga Weekly magazine show - main difference was there was no interviews which make the YouTube. That also introduced a drone cam that looked like it flew around the stadium to get extra shots. It also said there was ten 9:16 cameras not the nine stated in the video below.


Intorducing the 'Cinematic Look Camera', the Railcam and the 'Starcam'. The railcam I really like the look of. Not sure if the starcam would be successful in practice but the tech behind it could certainly be explored further.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJeogJcLt_8

Bonus soundless video on the Railcam, the info is self explanatory though in German
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urwiFCsRizU

Ditto on the Starcam, info not as self explanatory though
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZDgB_NM7ME

Further info on the 9:16 feed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyvgPLnAG_g

And some Augmented Reality glasses graphics viewing idea (might be rivalling Vertical Video for most gimmicky gimmick):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYqOG_Tzi4I