Masters viewing figures 2016: BBC vs Sky

[WillC]

Ok enough's enough

I was happy to let it stand when it was just one person but not two...

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Haha don't worry some of us got it!

 

[faroyon]

Not only won it he could probably spell it.

 

[sawtooth]

Out of interest why?

He just grates with me , I think he goes overboard with his comments about players and stuff in general. Comes across a bit false and cringy.

 

[SyR]

What this does show is the huge number of people who won't be watching Golf on tv anymore..
Some will get Sky, some will use NowTV or similar and some will use streams but there will be many many more that won't want the extra expense/hassle of using another system and will, therefore, not watch...
It will be interesting to see the figures for The Open this year...if an average of 300/350k watched The Masters they won't get anywhere near the Beebs numbers..
I just find it sad, whatever the reasons, that the majority won't be able to watch Golf on the TV.

Agree with the above. BBC golf coverage has and is a gateway for people to get into golf. Sky's eventual monopoly of the sport is bad for the sport in this aspect.

 

[GeneralStore]

I have Sky and chose to watch it on BBC, prefer the commentary and no ad breaks

 

[freddielong]

What the figures clearly show is that if the BBC ever totally give up showing golf then the game will reach a much smaller TV audience, and that can only be a bad thing.

Let's not forget it's the BBC that put golf on the TV the BBC carried on showing the Ryder Cup through the lean years. I remember finding the 1985 Ryder Cup on BBC 2 whilst flicking channels and have loved it ever since.

All Sky do is make people pay for what they used to get for free, that will always reduce the audience and be bad for the sport.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

What the figures clearly show is that if the BBC ever totally give up showing golf then the game will reach a much smaller TV audience, and that can only be a bad thing.

Let's not forget it's the BBC that put golf on the TV the BBC carried on showing the Ryder Cup through the lean years. I remember finding the 1985 Ryder Cup on BBC 2 whilst flicking channels and have loved it ever since.

All Sky do is make people pay for what they used to get for free, that will always reduce the audience and be bad for the sport.

When was it possible to watch the PGA Tour for free?

Putting Sky's motivations to one side, they have greatly improved the quality of the coverage of pretty much every sport they cover.

I agree that it's a shame that the open won't continue to be shown on the BBC for the reasons you note, in particular kids getting to watch big events without necessarily needing to have sky.

But in general, I'm very happy with the service that I get from Sky and I'm more than happy to continue to pay for it.

Also, in general terms, which sports do you think Sky have damaged via their coverage?

 

[freddielong]

I don't have any information, do you know of any sports were participation has increased because of reduced viewing figures.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

I don't have any information, do you know of any sports were participation has increased because of reduced viewing figures.

I don't have any information either, but I wasn't the one claiming that Sky is going to kill golf so it's not me that needs to substantiate the point I'm making.

It's not hard to point to sports that have enjoyed a far greater profile as a consequence of Sky coverage and money.

Arguably, Sky has been a big factor in the hype that now surrounds the Ryder Cup.

There's a balance to be struck, yes it might be the case that Sky has a smaller audience than the BBC for the Masters and some people might not watch when they otherwise would, but equally, Sky whip up a lot of hype about events that would pass by on the BBC with no fanfare thereby generating interest in people that might not otherwise be interested.

 

[freddielong]

I would argue that the Ryder Cup became massive prior to Sky trying to treat it like a football match, I don't think Sky can take any of the credit for that.

I don't remember saying that Sky would be the death of golf just pointed out that reducing the number of people who could watch it doesn't sound like a good thing.

 

[Tongo]

I don't have any information either, but I wasn't the one claiming that Sky is going to kill golf so it's not me that needs to substantiate the point I'm making.

It's not hard to point to sports that have enjoyed a far greater profile as a consequence of Sky coverage and money.

Arguably, Sky has been a big factor in the hype that now surrounds the Ryder Cup.

There's a balance to be struck, yes it might be the case that Sky has a smaller audience than the BBC for the Masters and some people might not watch when they otherwise would, but equally, Sky whip up a lot of hype about events that would pass by on the BBC with no fanfare thereby generating interest in people that might not otherwise be interested.

I do wonder whether the Ryder Cup has started / will end up going like other sports covered by Sky though; a day out for people not really interested in the sport but rather getting hammered and hollering plenty. Look at PDC darts and T20 cricket in this country. Crowds largely not interested in the sport but rather drinking as much as they can and behaving like tools. These sort of events talk about attracting new fans but what they are really hoping to attract is the punter who will spend cash aplenty on all the tat and fripperies that go with said event rather than watching A v B. I hope it doesnt but you do wonder whether the Ryder Cup is heading down that slippery slope.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

I would argue that the Ryder Cup became massive prior to Sky trying to treat it like a football match, I don't think Sky can take any of the credit for that.

I don't remember saying that Sky would be the death of golf just pointed out that reducing the number of people who could watch it doesn't sound like a good thing.

You couldn't even watch uninterrupted Ryder cup coverage until sky took it on in 1995.

I'd be interested to see where the European tour's revenue comes from, I'd be astonished if the biggest chunk didn't come from sky buying the coverage.

It's the hype and the audience that then ramps up the sponsorship and so the event grows and grows.

im not saying sky being the only broadcaster of golf is a good thing, but it's not to say that sky is evil and damaging sport either. The bbc coverage was poor in comparison. Same with most sports.

I don't know what the impact of the open going to sky will be. You seemed to think it would be detrimental, I'm not so sure.

 

[Canary_Yellow]

I do wonder whether the Ryder Cup has started / will end up going like other sports covered by Sky though; a day out for people not really interested in the sport but rather getting hammered and hollering plenty. Look at PDC darts and T20 cricket in this country. Crowds largely not interested in the sport but rather drinking as much as they can and behaving like tools. These sort of events talk about attracting new fans but what they are really hoping to attract is the punter who will spend cash aplenty on all the tat and fripperies that go with said event rather than watching A v B. I hope it doesnt but you do wonder whether the Ryder Cup is heading down that slippery slope.

I would agree if it were all golf competitions that were going that way.

It's only the Ryder cup, which is a kind of exhibition really. If it were the open I'd agree it's an issue.

I think there's room for variety. If that attracts a different demographic of people to those that will turn out at Troon then that can only be a good thing, surely? The more golf can move away from being for a certain type of person the better in my opinion.