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Ashes on FTA TV??

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Apparently UEFA tried to challenge the listing - sounds like the EU were supportive of the British govornment over them.

Anyways, as everyone knows, I've always been fully in favour of home Tests being relisted, I believe cricket on free-to-air TV is far more important than the Sky pot of gold (which as has also been stated by various experts, is not going to last forever - the ECB are lucky that it lasted more than one round of bidding).

What needs to happen is that someone, somewhere needs to prise control of various things away from the counties - this will be difficult but not impossible. Then the reductions that will be neccessary if TV revenue is cut back can be taken off counties (thereby stopping them wasting vast sums on overseas-players) rather than grassroots.

One of the most recent studies concluded that "the ECB has raised the price more affluent fans pay for watching cricket - both in the ground and on TV - in order to deny the vast majority of fans the chance. These more affluent fans now cough-up hefty sums for the priveledge which the ECB then gives to county clubs to pay overseas-players to play in front of empty stadia".

The counties - who after all control the ECB as things stand and always have - have an attitude similar to most Americans towards global warming. They realise their actions are bad but given that they still have the short-term option of not reducing their own luxury they take that, despite the fact that the longer-term consequences will be catastrophic. In all likelihood, of course. No-one actually knows what will happen when global warming continues, or when virtually no-one in the country has access to live Test cricket for a lengthy time. But most believe the effects will be very, very bad.
 
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Uppercut

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I think that's a poor argument though. Not many Kids will get into cricket by watching test cricket, they will by playing it and learning the game.

If you wanted to get kids into cricket through tv you'd make Twenty20's be put on terrestial tv, because if you are talking about trying to attract new people to cricket, for 99% of those people that's the only format likely to drag them in initially(imo).


IMO, some of the people that raise this issue (not on here i mean) are using the 'kids' issue as cover when really they probably think having sky is not the done thing for people of their class and they shouldn't have to pay for cricket on tv. The same people are probably pissed off at the digital switchover as well.
This is true, yeah. But none of that's on terrestrial either. You have to give folks something or it's a case of wondering whether to pay for something you've never seen. I don't know how representative my experience is, but i sure as hell would never have got into cricket if it had been on Sky when i was younger.
 

PhoenixFire

International Coach
Reckon I'll pay the 20 quid a month or whatever it is, for the duration of the Ashes and then take it off.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
it's about £35 IIRC

Story for ya, couldn't decide whether or not to get Sky Sports prior to the last Ashes, decided to get it for the Ashes only. Still had it until I moved house, because it's very difficult to get rid of it once you've had it.

I did actually have to go without when I moved house, got a promotion in work and then got it again. The credit crunch struck, is still striking etc, but I'll get rid of so many more things before I get rid of Sky Sports, eg I barely had the heating on through February. Would rather have the sports :cool:
 

Richard

Cricket Web Staff Member
Wearing a jumper and some woolly socks is a piece of piss; not watching cricket is not.

Always astounds me that people waste so much money on central-heating when all you need is some decent clothes.
 

howardj

International Coach
Heard Channel 7 got the gig.

Look forward to Bruce Macaveney waxing lyrical, with special boundary rope comments from Sandy Roberts.
 

Son Of Coco

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Wearing a jumper and some woolly socks is a piece of piss; not watching cricket is not.

Always astounds me that people waste so much money on central-heating when all you need is some decent clothes.
:laugh:

Yeah a friend I was living with in the snow used to walk out into the living room in boardshorts and a T-shirt and go '**** it's cold', and we'd look at him and go 'Mate...it's winter!'. He was a little upset when we suggested he pay more for the electricity bill as he used to sit in his room with an extra heater on all the time so it was about 30 degrees constantly.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Wearing a jumper and some woolly socks is a piece of piss; not watching cricket is not.

Always astounds me that people waste so much money on central-heating when all you need is some decent clothes.
LOL - you have a decent point, but this winter there were some really, really cold evenings that no amount of clothes were going to help!
 

inbox24

International Debutant
Heard Channel 7 got the gig.

Look forward to Bruce Macaveney waxing lyrical, with special boundary rope comments from Sandy Roberts.
Thought it was SBS?

Are they gonna show all the matches live including the ODIs?
 

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