The Open 2016 - TV Coverage

[patricks148]

I enjoyed the coverage. from what i saw there was far more golf and the filler bits all related to golf. 10/10 for Sky.

unlike the beeb, who i always felt spent too long on what Mrs Beecham from Tunbridge Wells had sent the commentators, or two guys wind sufing , or someone walking their dog miles off down the beach

 

[Slab]

I enjoyed the coverage. from what i saw there was far more golf and the filler bits all related to golf. 10/10 for Sky.

unlike the beeb, who i always felt spent too long on what Mrs Beecham from Tunbridge Wells had sent the commentators, or two guys wind sufing , or someone walking their dog miles off down the beach

My on screen feed might have differed somewhat with the different broadcaster but I still had all that (the dog getting its pic taken on beach, the trial bike on the sand, the ferry anchored off the coast, the jet skier etc etc

 

[patricks148]

My on screen feed might have differed somewhat with the different broadcaster but I still had all that (the dog getting its pic taken on beach, the trial bike on the sand, the ferry anchored off the coast, the jet skier etc etc

Really?

The Beeb did it when the last group were putting out though:rofl:

 

[Slab]

Really?

The Beeb did it when the last group were putting out though:rofl:

Yeah I think my satellite provider uses a feed from the Golf Channel (although its not branded on screen that way)
Must be some international feed as there's no studio time whatsoever over the 4 days and ad breaks of only 20 seconds of the local country sponsor (Barclays in this case) once or twice an hour, usually timed for when the leader-board is scrolling through

 

[JohnnyDee]

As someone who decried the Sky takeover a year ago I have to say that I think they did a pretty good job overall.

It wasn't 'my' traditional Open Sunday because of the irksome ads, but all in all I didn't find them too bad - just poured another glass of wine whenever Ray came on. Shimplesshh - hic!


PS.... who actually won?:cheers:


PPS - MY HEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MegaSteve]

I'd just like to point out... It's the players the spectators the officials etc etc that make for a great event not, as some are saying especially themselves, Sky flippin' TV...

 

[freddielong]

Really?

The Beeb did it when the last group were putting out though:rofl:

Where as Sky just went to another advert.

 

[FairwayDodger]

The way my weekend worked out I spent a lot of time watching the holes 6/7/8 feed on the website, I watched the bbc highlights on Saturday night and saw most of the leaders' final round in the pub.

The website stream was brilliant, so much drama on the postage stamp in particular that wouldn't have made the main coverage since it was people way down the field. Kuchar, for example, yesterday had me saying "oh no" out loud when he played backwards out a bunker only to misjudge his third shot and end up right back in there. I can see me watching dual screen in future to pair this sort of thing with the main coverage.

Sky seemed good but I probably didn't see enough to form a firm opinion. Watching in a pub meant I didn't hear any commentary or analysis. The adverts seemed pretty unobtrusive, though, I just remember the golf. My brother, though, was very annoyed it was on sky now. He thinks it's all very well for people like me they have sky but doesn't and can't afford it so he feels deprived of the chance to watch it unless he goes to the pub. He does have a point.

I thought the highlights left a lot to be desired, shots shown in the wrong order, good approaches played but we don't get to see what happened with the putts. And why we need aliss whittering on about nothing and dog on the beach shots in a highlights programme I will never understand.

I also listened to a fair bit of the 5 live coverage and I thought it was ok but I have one major criticism of it. It's great to hear a long putt described and to learn that it narrowly missed etc but they constantly failed to say his far from the hole putts finished. You didn't know if the next one was a tap in or a nasty five footer. It drove me crackers!

 

[patricks148]

Where as Sky just went to another advert.

I though the amount of ads was fine, didn't spoil my viewing, not like Mrs Beechams Dumpings etc references

 

[MegaSteve]

I though the amount of ads was fine, didn't spoil my viewing, not like Mrs Beechams Dumpings etc references

Are you saying that the multiple of times Ewan advised us of the name of his dug [and the reasons behind it] passed you by...

Really added to my viewing experience... Not!

I have more or less given up on Sky's coverage of golf but can't let 'the big one' slip me by...

They do other sports well but IMHO come up short when it comes to golf...

Perhaps them telling me how good they think they are, is part of the problem...

Richard Boxall and Howard Clarke are spot on and that's about it...

 

[patricks148]

Are you saying that the multiple of times Ewan advised us of the name of his dug [and the reasons behind it] passed you by...

Really added to my viewing experience... Not!

I have more or less given up on Sky's coverage of golf but can't let 'the big one' slip me by...

They do other sports well but IMHO come up short when it comes to golf...

Perhaps them telling me how good they think they are, is part of the problem...

Richard Boxall and Howard Clarke are spot on and that's about it...

Didn't hear any mention of a dog TBH only saw one, but she was working in the studio

 

[MegaSteve]

Didn't hear any mention of a dog TBH only saw one, but she was working in the studio

 

[User62651]

No sky for me but I attempted to watch the last 9 from a streaming website which was better than nothing but just not sharp enough a picture and with the obligatory bufferings - poor viewing.
Watched the 2nd hour of the BBC highlights show last night, after watching The Open live most years since 1984 I do miss the Beeb coverage, yes Alliss and co can get tedious at times but it's tradition! I cant get Sky anyway as no satellite signal where I am due to a hill in way. Dont get infinity rolled out for a few more months on my street, perhaps by next year the internet will be quicker and my illegal feed will run smoother!
BBC are a bit of a joke now - Eastenders, Strictly and Bake Off seem to be what they're about. They had Davis Cup tennis on instead of the Open - enough said.

 

[Captainron]

I'm 100% in the sky camp here. I thought their coverage was superb.

 

[GB72]

I did not see much of the Open this year as had a lot of family commitments on this year so everything was a bit sporadic but I did end up using all of the available sources.
I was at home waiting for a parcel delivery on Thursday so got a few hours of the free Sky 1 coverage and thought it was very good. Compare the technology used to show information on Sky to Ken drawing on a portable white board on BBC. The ads were unobtrusive and the breaks were short. Not sure how much of the ad intrusion for the other Majors is based on the US broadcasters cutting away from the feed to their own ad breaks.
When I was out for the day I watched the BBC highlights on Iplayer at night. They were a bit disappointing, slow to get to the action and, as has been said before, too much putting.
When in the car I followed 5 Live and this was up to the usual high standard. Good commentary that they seem to fit seamlessly into their other shows and obligations.
Outside of that, I used the BBC website to follow the live text updates. A bit slow on being updated but informative and did the job.
So, plenty of ways of watching it or following it and many were free (I do not have Sky Sports as I just do not get to watch it enough to justify the cost). As for whether it should still be on BBC, simple fact is that it is expensive and the cost is just not justifiable to put on something that is watched by a minority. There will always be stuff that the BBC cannot afford to show or does not feel is within its remit many of which could get viewing figures that would dwarf the golf. Millions would want to see Game of Thrones or other series. Should the BBC ditch other programs to buy these in because people cannot afford Sky. It is often forgotten that sports fans are a viewing minority.
That said, my personal feeling is that the BBC should ditch Match of the Day and spend the money on a wider spectrum of sports (The Open included). The BBC is a public service broadcaster and should focus on TV and events that other services cannot provide or that are not represented elsewhere. It is a simple fact that if the terrestrial TV football rights were up for grabs then they would be snapped up and shown on another channel that is free to air. As such, the BBC is not providing a service that others would not provide by showing it. If you free up the cost of Match of the Day and the rights package, you would have funding for the BBC to show a wider and more diverse sporting package. Whilst you are at it, you could take away the 6 Nations rights as well. The BBC shows no commitment to club rugby and ditched Rugby Special. ITV picked up the mantle of a highlights show and should be offered the 6 Nations rights at the same time.
Bit of a rant I know but there is much talk about spreading and growing sport, especially over the Rory/Olympics thing. On that basis, I am strongly of the opinion that the rights to big sporting events should be tied to an obligation to show and promote the sport in general. On that basis, The Open would require other events to be shown or a weekly highlights/news package, the 6 Nations coupled with a commitment to club rugby, Wimbledon with a wider commitment to tennis etc. Showing one event for a few days once a year will not spread the following or interest in a sport, being able to follow that up with coverage or highlights over the rest of the season/year just might. And do not even get me started on 5 Live moving everything non football to Sports Extra which most people would like to listen to in the car but cannot get as in car DAB is still fairly rare.

 

[MikeH]

hello all
been reading this thread with interest
Think everyone knows by now my views on how golf has been covered by the BBC/Sky winning live rights to show the Open so wont repeat those but very keen to get an understanding of awareness of the fact you didn't need SKY to watch the Open so if you have 2 mins can you give me some answers/views on the below

Did you know you didn't need to have a sky box/ sky sports subscription to watch the Open?
Did you know you could have taken out a NOW TV pass to watch the whole of Open week for £10.99
Did you know that you can watch NOW TV on a host of devices - one of which is probably whatever you are using to look at this post - at home or, data allowance permitting, on the move without wifi?
Is £10.99 really too much to ask for 40 plus hours of broadcasting one of the biggest golfing events of the year?
Have we all been weaned on free content to the point that we have the mindset of "I want tons of great content, but I don't want to pay for it"

 

[GB72]

I am very familiar with Now TV and use it quite regularly. If there is a good weekend of sport I will buy a weekend pass and do that quite often for rugby internationals.
This weekend would have been great value as your tenner would have not only got 4 days of top golf but also what turned into a cracker of a test match. If I had been at home I would have certainly signed up.
I know that I can watch Now TV on any number of devices but I am not a massive fan of the smaller screen on my phone or tablet or sitting at a desk watching on my computer. Luckily I have a TV rigged up with an Xbox and watch it on that so as not to impose my sports viewing on my wife.
I think now TV is a great option for the less dedicated sports watcher. People are complaining about the cost of Sky to watch golf but seeing as £40 will get you all 4 majors plus any other golf or other sport on that week and suddenly it does not seem that bad.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

hello all
been reading this thread with interest
Think everyone knows by now my views on how golf has been covered by the BBC/Sky winning live rights to show the Open so wont repeat those but very keen to get an understanding of awareness of the fact you didn't need SKY to watch the Open so if you have 2 mins can you give me some answers/views on the below

Did you know you didn't need to have a sky box/ sky sports subscription to watch the Open?
Did you know you could have taken out a NOW TV pass to watch the whole of Open week for £10.99
Did you know that you can watch NOW TV on a host of devices - one of which is probably whatever you are using to look at this post - at home or, data allowance permitting, on the move without wifi?
Is £10.99 really too much to ask for 40 plus hours of broadcasting one of the biggest golfing events of the year?
Have we all been weaned on free content to the point that we have the mindset of "I want tons of great content, but I don't want to pay for it"

This is all very well for a younger generation - but I suspect a lot of elderly who have enjoyed the Open just wouldn't or couldn't go there.

 

[Slab]

YES, those of us of certain vintage had decades of the Open 'free' on BBC, adjusting to not having it anymore will take a year or three. Sometimes it's hard to move on!

Just what I was typing...

The problem isn’t whether it’s worth £11. In today’s sport pay TV market it clearly is

The problem for some is a temporary one and is the transition period from paying naff all one year to £11 the next year (‘naff all’ being the measured proportion of one year’s license fee divided to 40 hours viewing)

It’s still played over 4 days, it’s still 72 holes etc etc so the event hasn’t changed from last year

In 10 years folk will yearn after the days where £11 would buy a weeks sports viewing or hark after a double digit monthly subscription but it’s still a bit new/raw to expect all the ‘it should be free’ camp to embrace pay tv for their fav comp in its first year as a subscription only service

It’ll just take a bit of time so the Pay tv guys should ease up up a bit and show a bit of understanding and the free guys need to accept change is inevitable and the sooner they accept it the sooner they can find a viewing option that's at least palatable

 

[User62651]

Was aware of NowTV but don't like pay per view for any sport on tv and dont want my credit card details stored by companies like this, maybe my age or I'm a tight git but that's how it is. Used to watching The Open live and free for so many years years, unwilling to change, not enough of a golf fan these days to pay more, only want to dip in and out of live coverage, not sit glued to tv for 7 hours - no time with job, kids, stuff to do. Only want the last 9 on Sunday live, could BBC not negotiate for that coverage only for us old skint fogies, leave the rest to Sky?