h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Today when we won back the Ashes it's just so sad that free to air cricket has finished in the UK. Someone told me the govermment are thinking of putting it back on the protected list once Sky"s present contract has run out. I do hope so. Cricket is such a part of our culture whether you like it or not. After this result against the Aussies Sky are poised to rake it in. But so many poorer people in England will no longer be able to watch it. I think it stinks that Sky can take it over.

The C4 coverage has been superb. Still should have had 'Soul Limbo' as the theme tune though.

National team sports should be on free to air telly. They represent too much to be handed over to M*rdoch.

This fortnight's Private Eye did an excellent piece on why Channel 4 should be allowed to keep the cricket, unfortunately I can't link to the piece.
Basically it said that beyond the fact people shouldn't have to pay to see a national team play international matches, Channel 4 had managed to assemble a great commentry team and introduce innovations such as HawkEye, used to check the path of a ball. It also noted how Sky's previous cricket coverage has been less than impressive and it is unlikely the standard will improve with the takeover.
Read the article if you can, it is very good

Another New Labour cock up. In 1998 test match cricket was removed from the 'Crown Jewels' list of sporting events that had to be screened free to air. They pandered to the Moredick media machine hoping to ensure the Sun and Times stay onside.

Tessa Jowell was on the radio at lunch time blaming the ECB for taking the kings shilling and that eveything would be alright as all that lovely Sky money will be poured into cricket.

In fact there is only a difference of about £7m which against a contract value of about £56m isn't a big percentage.

Sorry to be a dissenting voice, but we only have BBC1, 2 ITV and Channel 4. Sport (In all its guises) takes up an inordinate amount of airtime, and Iwould love to banish it completely from Terrestrial.

Having said that, I realise it is completely selfish and it will never happen - but a compromise could be one or two dedicated Terrestrial channels that carry nothing but sport. That would leave the other general channels free and give sports fans what they want.

Well I'm with you there Doc, I refuse to line Moredicks pockets. First up football that's got to go, it's ruining the social fabric of the nation, but can I have the occasional 6 Nations match please and we did beat the Ausies.

No, no, no....

Terrestrial TV is for everyone, and thus everyone should be accounted for.

Non sport fans, I am afraid to say, like it or lump it sport and football in particular is extremely popular. Therefore it *has* to be featured on normal TV.

There are for almost all of us 4-5 channels of terrestrial TV. At any given moment I would say that I usually dislike at least 3 of the things that are on. Do I say they should be stricken from our screens? No cause I aint that arrogant/selfish.

So come on, "cant we all just get along"...

And if not, read an effing book and stop complaining.

Tessa Jowell's promise to review the situation in 2009/10 when the present deal expires is, i'm afraid, just so much talk. When in four years time the interest in cricket is back to it's former level (or less because less people will have access) the whole thing will be forgotten.
The Government hates public criticism so much it is willing to say anything to divert attention at the time, see the 'School Lunch Scandal' for a prime example.

Unfortunately for The Dirty Digger and the government this disasterous decision for the sport has coincided with a period of huge public popularity. Had it happened last year very little fuss would have been made of the loss of the sport to the SKY monster.

While I think you lot have a point about the national team should be free to watch, I am rejoicing. Now if we can just get rid of golf and horse racing...

They'll probably just put another "so you want to be a yuppy" garden/house/clothes/thoughts makeover program in its place though.

I need to do a bit more research but I think the ECB are the villains here. I think they jumped the gun as the TV contracts didn't have to be negotiated until next year.

Watch out for performance bonuses paid out to administrators, enhanced pension packages, increased salaries and all hidden behind a smokescreen of flowing money down to the grass roots.

It's reminiscent of the management greed that invaded the Scottish Rugby Union around the early 90's that culminated in the majority of international tickets going to corporate hospitality and very few to the clubs. You can see the results even now as they desparately advertise tickets for Murrayfield matches that previously would have been snapped up by the clubs. And what good shape Scottish Rugby is in now. The same fate awaits English Cricket I fear.

Sorry to have to tell the truth, but it was 'cricket fan' John Major's Tory government that oversaw the de-listing of the home tests, thus making it inevitable they would one day end up on Sky.

1998

The decision had already been made by Major's government I'm afraid.

A bit like the 'New Labour shambles' of the Dome, it was something they were locked into by the previous government.

Can you really see the President of Sussex CCC doing a deal like that, no way. I Googled these articles that seem to put the ball very much back into the greedy ECB court.

http://sport.guardian.co.uk/cricket/story/0,10069,1550382,00.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2005/09/03/scbose03.xml

McLaurin was, and is, a buffoon.

To be honest, it's very unfortunate that this has happened, but the ECB really had no way of forseeing this series going the way it did.

If we'd lost the Ashes, nobody would give a tinkers damn about the rights for next summer, least of all Lib Dem MP's. As it is, with next year being a rather 'flat' set of five tests against Sri Lanka and Pakistan (neither of which stir the blood of Joe Bloggs as do the Aussies or the West Indies), there's absolutely no guarantee anybody would have watched it anyway.

I think people get into a habit of watching cricket on tele. I did when they first started televising one day matches and there is something special about tests. That apart I think the ECB are going the greedy route and time will tell if the interest generated this Summer will remain.

A bigger problem of course, as identified by David Gower yesterday and known to all PE teachers, is that this government has sold all the school playing fields.

A bit of a tenuous connection this but, with extended drinking hours and now cricket only available to the majority of the population in pubs, I wonder whose got their hands in the hsopitality industry's pockets?

Possibly a bit cynical but it has crossed my mind.

I wonder if Test Match Special will have a rennaissance? One of the great English institutions for humour and irony. Personally I hope Blowers stays. I know he's a buffoon, but he does create images through radio really well and he is bloody funny! I find experiencing sport through radio quite fascinating. Making the picture in your head. And it means you can be getting on with other stuff.

Christ on a bike, some people have very short memories.

The great school playing field sell-off was started before I was in secondary school, by then Minister of Education, the Right Hon Member for Finchley, M. Thatcher.

This government may be to blame for a lot of things, but it isn't to blame for *everything*.

football is popular and so is rugby and cricket.

why should rugby and crickets fans have to get sky in order to see the games while football fans always have it on terrestrial.

a couple of years ago when we were playing in the rugby world cup (which we won) my parents had to get freeview just so we could have itv2 in order to see the games. that was england playing but man c footy fans get to watch their games on terrestrial.

sport should either be scrapped from terrestrial or only games where england are playing should be played. and that should be in every sport not just football