The Sport Thread

[Tom]

Has the commentary for the games in Paris/Rome been on site or off-tube?

Also see BBC1 is networking Six Nations Sin Bin. Last week they slotted it on Friday night when they needed half an hour filler before the Winter Olympics, but tonight they're repeating a preview of the Wales v Scotland game hours after the game has taken place, which seems a bit pointless.

I think the commentary is off-tube for the French and Italian games so far and will be tomorrow too.

[RhysJR]

Has the commentary for the games in Paris/Rome been on site or off-tube?

Also see BBC1 is networking Six Nations Sin Bin. Last week they slotted it on Friday night when they needed half an hour filler before the Winter Olympics, but tonight they're repeating a preview of the Wales v Scotland game hours after the game has taken place, which seems a bit pointless.

Looks like today's commentary from Rome will be onsite as Nick Mullins says he is flying to Rome.

https://twitter.com/andNickMullins/statu...7927490566

[Steve Williams]

The Match of the Day contract (as it were) is full of restrictions, including the time it can be broadcast. I wouldn’t be surprised if that includes a clause that it must be on BBC 1. Presumably there is an allowance for planned (like Last Night of the Proms or the Festival of Remembrance) or unplanned events that might cause it’s time (or channel) to change.

Well, I don't want to get into an incredibly pedantic argument here, but if there are several opportunities to show it on BBC2 or later than usual, then clearly the contract doesn't demand it has to be on BBC1.

New Year's Day was a Saturday this year and operated as a normal Premier League Saturday, and yet Match of the Day wasn't on at 10.30, but later, to make way for Mrs Brown's Boys. That does not sound like a particularly restrictive contract to me if they're able to move it for that reason. Similarly when Brucie did Strictly it would always overrun because he'd talk too much and MOTD would regularly start five minutes or so late. If the contract demanded it started at 10.30, it would have started at 10.30 on the dot, not near enough, and Brucie's bits of business would not be an excuse.

I can imagine that the contract does say it should be as prominent as they can make it and if the Beeb started dumping MOTD much later or on BBC3 on a regular basis they'd start complaining. But the Beeb wouldn't do that anyway, because they want to make the most of it.

In the past twenty years, BBC2 has shown the Olympics, World Cup, Euros, Premier League, FA Cup, Six Nations, Open Golf, Formula 1 and pretty much every other sporting contract the Beeb has had.

It would be a bit rich for Formula 1, especially, to moan at the BBC about prominence given where it is now - ie, behind a paywall for all but one race a year. That's acceptable, but showing some of qualifying on BBC2 is not, apparently. Similarly endless pedantic regulations over when and where MOTD can be shown in an era when Amazon are merrily tweeting videos of goals in their live games minutes after they're scored.

I don't doubt that contracts do have several restrictions included, but pedantic ones about BBC1 and BBC2 are hardly worthwhile. In an era when sport can be shown behind a paywall, on obscure channels at the arse end of the EPG or streamed via an app with no linear presence at all, I would be very surprised if sports bodies were quibbling over whether it's on one channel freely available to the entire population or another channel freely available to the entire population. How more prominent can it be?

[Brekkie]

In the past twenty years, BBC2 has shown the Olympics, World Cup, Euros, Premier League, FA Cup, Six Nations, Open Golf, Formula 1 and pretty much every other sporting contract the Beeb has had.

It is fair to say though some events have noteably been shown on BBC1 where previously they would have been on BBC2 in the last decade or so though, whether contractual or just getting maximum exposure for the rights. In the latter years of the exclusive Six Nations for example they were almost exclusively on BBC1 when a few years earlier most of the later Saturday kick-offs and the France v Italy game tended to be on BBC2.

Still annoys me MOTD2 carries that branding years after it left BBC2, but personally thought viewers were better served with it airing at 10pm on BBC2 than 10.30pm on BBC1, but presumably ratings suggest otherwise.

As you say though it is ridiculous to think BBC2 is lower profile than the channel below it but it would be an interesting experiment next time a live final is simulcast on the BBC and ITV to see how airing it on BBC2 instead of BBC1 affected the split.

[mark]

Extremely niche observation...

The EPG for Sky Sports NFL says they should currently be showing the NBC Superbowl pre-game show. However, they're actually showing the NFL Network coverage - (slightly) ironically featuring CBS Mornings co-host Nate Burleson.

[Rdd]

That’s an odd one, they show Football Night in America every week of the regular season (unless the 9:25pm KO runs really really late). The NBC graphics, or what I’ve seen of them dipping into the pre game show, are actually quite nice btw.

[TIGHazard]

Sky finally switch at 19:45, 1hr 45 mins late.

EDIT: NBC showing Olympic highlights. Wonder if that's why they've been hesitant to switch.

[mark]

To be fair, there was nothing wrong with the NFL Network coverage. It's a big-budget production with, in my view, better presentation positions than NBC.

NBC's main studio across the lake from the stadium is quite nice, but NFL Network has one on the other side of the water right by the big 'LVI' sign, with a really stunning view.

[Scratch_Perry]

Looks like the Sky Sports News presenters are moving to ‘set shifts’ from this week. I’ve seen a number of new posts from different presenters seemingly confirming it…

For Good Morning Sports Fans, in a similar vein to BBC Breakfast:

Monday- Wednesday: Tom White & Bela Shah / Thursday - Saturday: Pete Graves & Jo Wilson

[JAS84]

Sky finally switch at 19:45, 1hr 45 mins late.

EDIT: NBC showing Olympic highlights. Wonder if that's why they've been hesitant to switch.

Almost certainly, as they don't have the Olympics rights, the BBC and Eurosport do. They could get in trouble for showing them outside of brief clips on Sky Sports News.

[radiorebel]

Dodgy sound and frame rate on BBC super bowl coverage, over to sky it is for me.

[Michael]

All good via BBC Sport website rather than iPlayer.

NBC scorebar looks ok, if slightly retro / skeuomorphic

[TIGHazard]

BBC using NBC coverage, but World Feed for replays (presumably will also use it to hide sponsorship messages)

[mark]

Dodgy sound and frame rate on BBC super bowl coverage, over to sky it is for me.

Seems pretty decent now the game is underway. NBC graphics and commentary.

A slight issue with the transition from BBC2 to BBC1 just before the start of the game.

They signed off on BBC2 just before Match of the Day had finished on BBC1 - but it felt like the Superbowl gallery was expecting BBC1 to pick up straight away and carried straight on, as BBC1 ended up crashing into the coverage a minute or so later.

[Rdd]

The scorebar (which was real) is actually the worst part of the package, it’s overall quite nice. And it isn’t as big as I first thought. Al Michaels more or less acknowledging it was his last game for NBC in the pregame with Collinsworth.