Richard
Cricket Web Staff Member
GIMH's DVDs thread brought something to my attention, that I first meant to ask about 4 years ago...
When did TV coverage start in various countries? I know a few bits-and-pieces, would be good to get the gaps filled-in.
The first TV cricket coverage was in England in 1936. In those days, though, TV was a rare thing and not many watched it. The first time cricket truly reached the living-rooms of the masses was in 1953, when countless people had splashed-out to watch the Coronation. But it had been growing since the first post-War Tests of 1946. Everything was broadcast in black-and-white until 1967 - the first colour Wimbledon. The first colour cricket was IIRR 1968 - which finished in The Underwood Test.
The first time live ball-by-ball footage from Test-cricket was broadcast from overseas to England was 1990, in West Indies. And a year later, the exact same thing happened in Australia.
South African cricket was never televised before the return, because lack of TV coverage of... anything really... was a key part of the Apartheid regime's hold on power. Nonetheless, the 1969\70 Australian series found it's way onto some British newsreels... and I wonder if any previous ones did, too?
Not a single ball of live cricket had ever been broadcast in India in 1977 at the time of the Packer Schism.
The Packer Schism, of course, resulted in Nine attaining TV rights for all home Australian cricket from 1979\80 onwards. The most interesting question of all is: how long before that had ABC been broadcasting the stuff, and when was the first colour transmission.
It'd also be almost equally fascinating to find-out when the first ball-by-ball and highlights-packages were broadcast in West Indies, New Zealand and the three subcontinental nations.
When did TV coverage start in various countries? I know a few bits-and-pieces, would be good to get the gaps filled-in.
The first TV cricket coverage was in England in 1936. In those days, though, TV was a rare thing and not many watched it. The first time cricket truly reached the living-rooms of the masses was in 1953, when countless people had splashed-out to watch the Coronation. But it had been growing since the first post-War Tests of 1946. Everything was broadcast in black-and-white until 1967 - the first colour Wimbledon. The first colour cricket was IIRR 1968 - which finished in The Underwood Test.
The first time live ball-by-ball footage from Test-cricket was broadcast from overseas to England was 1990, in West Indies. And a year later, the exact same thing happened in Australia.
South African cricket was never televised before the return, because lack of TV coverage of... anything really... was a key part of the Apartheid regime's hold on power. Nonetheless, the 1969\70 Australian series found it's way onto some British newsreels... and I wonder if any previous ones did, too?
Not a single ball of live cricket had ever been broadcast in India in 1977 at the time of the Packer Schism.
The Packer Schism, of course, resulted in Nine attaining TV rights for all home Australian cricket from 1979\80 onwards. The most interesting question of all is: how long before that had ABC been broadcasting the stuff, and when was the first colour transmission.
It'd also be almost equally fascinating to find-out when the first ball-by-ball and highlights-packages were broadcast in West Indies, New Zealand and the three subcontinental nations.
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Knew I could rely on you to provide some answers.