The Open 2016 - TV Coverage

[Deleted member 16999]

And most of those social media feeds are already been watched and looked at by people who are already interested in golf - I don't know how the guys on Twitter and Facebook or any social media feed attract people that aren't currently interested in the sport ?

I grew up watching the Open and the Matchplay and BMW with the likes of Seve and Co and I wanted to copy them - same with any sport that I saw on the telly - I know the Open was advertised on BBC in the run up to the event in years past - I know Sky advertised on Sky but was it advertised anywhere else and the information about all the way to watch it

The reaction on Twitter/Facebook etc mirrors the divide in regards the coverage

A lot of grassroots sports has suffered in the last couple of decades - is it just coincidence that Sky started then ? Not sure because they cover sport very very well just not watched by the mass amounts - I don't know what affect it has

Social media is the way to reach people who are unaware of sport,
Even all 3 branches of the Forces are now recruiting via Facebook, Twitter etc, it's done via advertising on those sites so you don't have to be on the relevant page or site looking for them.
You'll have more chance of getting kids interested in Sport via those means than you will showing The Open on the BBC for 4 days a year.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

It was advertised everywhere, anyone with an ounce of interest in sport could have found adverts on google ads anytime they surfed. Any sky channel the happened to watch and I've spotted also billboards advertising it.

Phil, you're flogging a dead horse. You don't like the idea sky have it and we all get that but that doesn't change facts as follows

1- Sky did a great job
2- You didn't need a monthly subscription to watch it
3- it was well advertised
4- Sky will better their coverage next year at Royal Birkdale.

Sky won't stand still in trying to be better unlike the BBC who it appeared couldnt wait to get rid of golf from our screens.

Kids nowadays are buried in social media and the open coverage was all over social media, you could t miss it.

Sky doing a "better job" isn't a fact it's an opinion - plenty will have an opposing opinion

The one fact is that less people this year watched The Open - considerably less

As for advertising - sorry but I didn't see one billboard in this area nor anything in any papers or local papers - yes on Sky but elsewhere - any golf related adverts that come up on social media will be targeted towards people that will already have golf content on their feed.

And even with the options to watch which were either known or not known to people it will still be less people watching the event

At the end of the day it's a camera following a ball - it's the same cameras every year with broadcasters then doing their producing - some people will love all the gimmicks and gadgets that sky added - some will prefer to not see that and watch the live actual golf instead - that doesn't make them right or wrong

The one main fact is less people watched a fantastic event happening - some won't care that many millions didn't watch ( through whatever reason ) where as I do care that the sport I love has pretty much disappeared from terrestrial television and I think that's a bad thing for the sport - many sports are now dominated by the top leagues because of the money and it has affected the grass roots level - I would hate to see that happen further in golf - at a time when golf clubs are struggling to stay afloat the R&A restrict the amount of people that will watch their flagship event

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Sky doing a "better job" isn't a fact it's an opinion - plenty will have an opposing opinion

The one fact is that less people this year watched The Open - considerably less

As for advertising - sorry but I didn't see one billboard in this area nor anything in any papers or local papers - yes on Sky but elsewhere - any golf related adverts that come up on social media will be targeted towards people that will already have golf content on their feed.

And even with the options to watch which were either known or not known to people it will still be less people watching the event

At the end of the day it's a camera following a ball - it's the same cameras every year with broadcasters then doing their producing - some people will love all the gimmicks and gadgets that sky added - some will prefer to not see that and watch the live actual golf instead - that doesn't make them right or wrong

The one main fact is less people watched a fantastic event happening - some won't care that many millions didn't watch ( through whatever reason ) where as I do care that the sport I love has pretty much disappeared from terrestrial television and I think that's a bad thing for the sport - many sports are now dominated by the top leagues because of the money and it has affected the grass roots level - I would hate to see that happen further in golf - at a time when golf clubs are struggling to stay afloat the R&A restrict the amount of people that will watch their flagship event

Why is your anger and criticism directed at the R&A?

As MikeH has pointed out the BBC had no interest in bidding for the coverage and that is not just due to budget restraints. They have no interest in the game and at least four years ago had been advised to "up their game", to no avail.

If you feel strongly that the event should be aired on terrestrial TV it is those broadcasters at whom your protests should be aimed. None of them were precluded from the bidding process.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Sky doing a "better job" isn't a fact it's an opinion - plenty will have an opposing opinion

The one fact is that less people this year watched The Open - considerably less

As for advertising - sorry but I didn't see one billboard in this area nor anything in any papers or local papers - yes on Sky but elsewhere - any golf related adverts that come up on social media will be targeted towards people that will already have golf content on their feed.

And even with the options to watch which were either known or not known to people it will still be less people watching the event

At the end of the day it's a camera following a ball - it's the same cameras every year with broadcasters then doing their producing - some people will love all the gimmicks and gadgets that sky added - some will prefer to not see that and watch the live actual golf instead - that doesn't make them right or wrong

The one main fact is less people watched a fantastic event happening - some won't care that many millions didn't watch ( through whatever reason ) where as I do care that the sport I love has pretty much disappeared from terrestrial television and I think that's a bad thing for the sport - many sports are now dominated by the top leagues because of the money and it has affected the grass roots level - I would hate to see that happen further in golf - at a time when golf clubs are struggling to stay afloat the R&A restrict the amount of people that will watch their flagship event

Sorry Phil and without looking to argue, there was adverts in EVERY national paper, features in each. It was on main news programmes building up as well as all over social media. To be honest there are a number of golf playing celebrities both here and in the US that posted about the golf. A lot of their fans will not have been golf fans but will have still seen the messages

You have to ask yourself why sport has disappeared from terrestrial TV. Not just football, but rugby, cricket golf and many others. Tennis will inevitably go the same way at some point. I am sure if terrestrial TV really wanted to bid they could but the truth is most mainstream TV is about frothy TV, the celebrity/reality market with a few nuggets of quality comedy, drama and documentaries.

Golf clubs struggle for many reasons and the Open not on TV (one week a year) is not one of them. Badly run clubs will close. They've done that for decades even when it was on BBC. If clubs want to attract new members and in particular juniors they need to be seen as inviting places to go, and the R&A has a huge job to play with the Sky money. If they can support and introduce initiatives at grass roots the game will flourish. Not because it isn't on mainstream TV

 

[FairwayDodger]

It's actually a nonsense to suggest that the bbc showing the open would attract casual viewers in this day and age.

When we think back to the halcyon days of people discovering golf because it was on the bbc we need to remember that there were only four channels (or less going back further) so a large number watched it simply because there was nothing else on. That doesn't apply any more, we have 100s if possible channels, video on demand etc. Nowadays nobody would watch golf on terrestrial tv unless they actively wanted to do so.

I do feel sorry for those who can't afford sky tv or a broadband connection and who want to watch.

 

[williamalex1]

Going back to attendance figures, when The Open was held at Muirfield in 2013 the attendance was 142000, 2014 Hoylake 202000, 2015 St Andrews 228000 ( but this was over 5 days with a £10 ticket on the Monday when 37000 extra people came in so take the revised figure of 191000) 2016 Troon 173000, 2011 Royal St Georges 180000.

Hoylake is the most UK central on that list and that is probably why it has the highest attendance, for me its a 3 hour drive, so very doable, Scotland is a 6 hour drive at best and is therefore more effort, you would have to go for a couple of days at least to make it worthwhile, which costs,

Likewise if I was living in Scotland, its a monster trip to Kent and Royal St Georges

Golf will attract the diehard fans, who will go anyway, many from The States and will also attract members of the public who are relatively local. If you have a lower local population, then you will have lower crowds especially as bad weather forecasts will put off the casual visitor who buys his ticket on the day

Interestingly The Scottish Open the previous week had a big fall in crowds from 65000 ish to 42000 ish blamed on the weather

It certainly helps if you get a freebie :rofl:

 

[Deleted member 15344]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jul/18/open-sky-sports-bbc-troon

Viewing figures drop 75% from last year

 

[Val]

Phil, did you watch it on sky? If so do you think their coverage was poor? If so why?

 

[Val]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jul/18/open-sky-sports-bbc-troon

Viewing figures drop 75% from last year

Of course they will, it wouldn't take an accountant to work that out

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Phil, did you watch it on sky? If so do you think their coverage was poor? If so why?

Yes I did watch it on Sky - as a sports fan and massive golf fan I had no choice to watch it on Sky

I also never said their coverage was poor

I'm just not a fan of their commentary team , the adverts , the more talking in the studio when live golf is going on and showing the Openzone with people and Sky Cart with people when live golf was going on - many times I got alerts and saw people getting birdies on the Open app only to then see it happen a minute later with Sky because they were on an ad or talking to someone but what they did was produced well and some will prefer all the gimmicks and stuff

I prefer the BBC no thrills just golf and their commentary team

That doesn't mean the BBC are better or worse - just different and some prefer their way of doing it

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Yes I did watch it on Sky - as a sports fan and massive golf fan I had no choice to watch it on Sky

I also never said their coverage was poor

I'm just not a fan of their commentary team , the adverts , the more talking in the studio when live golf is going on and showing the Openzone with people and Sky Cart with people when live golf was going on - many times I got alerts and saw people getting birdies on the Open app only to then see it happen a minute later with Sky because they were on an ad or talking to someone but what they did was produced well and some will prefer all the gimmicks and stuff

I prefer the BBC no thrills just golf and their commentary team

That doesn't mean the BBC are better or worse - just different and some prefer their way of doing it

The BBC didn't always show the birdies and shots as it happened, especially if they were chatting to someone coming off the course, showing Ken on the course etc. It's not just a Sky thing

 

[Deleted member 18588]

I prefer the BBC no thrills just golf and their commentary team

That's unfortunate as I would bet a lot that you will not get the chance in the foreseeable future. No money and no interest on their part.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

Yes I did watch it on Sky - as a sports fan and massive golf fan I had no choice to watch it on Sky

I also never said their coverage was poor

I'm just not a fan of their commentary team , the adverts , the more talking in the studio when live golf is going on and showing the Openzone with people and Sky Cart with people when live golf was going on - many times I got alerts and saw people getting birdies on the Open app only to then see it happen a minute later with Sky because they were on an ad or talking to someone but what they did was produced well and some will prefer all the gimmicks and stuff

I prefer the BBC no thrills just golf and their commentary team

That doesn't mean the BBC are better or worse - just different and some prefer their way of doing it

During the highlights of the fantastic days play, BBC interviewed players and we were even subjected to Ken Brown on his hands and knees watching one of the greenstaff painting the hole on the 18th, there had been 13 hours of play and the BBC couldn't fill 2 hours with non stop Golf, so bit unfair to claim Sky got distracted from the Golf, without adverts our subscriptions would be greatly increased, unfortunately adverts are good for TV Companies.

 

[Val]

Yes I did watch it on Sky - as a sports fan and massive golf fan I had no choice to watch it on Sky

I also never said their coverage was poor

I'm just not a fan of their commentary team , the adverts , the more talking in the studio when live golf is going on and showing the Openzone with people and Sky Cart with people when live golf was going on - many times I got alerts and saw people getting birdies on the Open app only to then see it happen a minute later with Sky because they were on an ad or talking to someone but what they did was produced well and some will prefer all the gimmicks and stuff

I prefer the BBC no thrills just golf and their commentary team

That doesn't mean the BBC are better or worse - just different and some prefer their way of doing it

No thrills just golf you say.

No interviews with players whilst live golf is on?

No Ken on the course whilst live golf is on?

No stupid images of dog walkers or ice cream eaters whilst live golf is on?

I'm sure you see where I'm going....,

You prefer the BBC, we get it but when all is said and done the real main difference between the coverage of BBC and Sky is adverts and Sky had 1 minute of them every 20 minutes or so which was hardly intrusive. The BBC had their share of gimmicks too over the years. It wasn't all just live golf all the time.

For what it's worth, I much prefer listening to Andrew Cotter than Ewan Murray but give me Butch Harmon over Mark James any day.

 

[JohnnyDee]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/jul/18/open-sky-sports-bbc-troon

Viewing figures drop 75% from last year

Very interesting.

if we could perhaps park the personally anecdotal comments of "service X is better than service Y because I have access to X etc. etc."

A lot of us on here as golf fans, and therefore Sky subscribers by necessity rather than choice, have seen no real change in coverage this year - other than different voices describing events and irritating adverts breaking up the hitherto uninturrupted action. We love our chosen sport and choose to do whatever we must to ensure we see it unfold as if happens.

However it cuts a bit deeper for the sport's overall wider reach. Golf is still seen stereotypically by many as being all outlandish tank-tops and chequered troos, so the need to dispel that myth is important. Well how better to do that than show the sport's contemporary exponents in the cut and thrust if battle. But with Sky's limited reach then this simply isn't happening.

It is patently obvious with viewing figures down by 75% then the R&A has sold its soul for a short term 30 pieces of silver. Money in, yes, sport showcased to many more, no.

I don't have an axe to grind really as I have had Sky Sports for 20 years and watch tons of their golf coverage week in week out, I think they do a great job, however I feel that once again allowing the market to dictate the game is ill-advised in the medium to longterm. Less people exposed to the game during its showpiece is not a win, far from it, it is in fact a shoddy loss.

 

[Jimaroid]

The reality is that 16-24 year olds now watch less than half of the amount of live TV as the same age group did 5 years ago and it's continuing to decline fast. They're all moving to streaming and social networks. It's not just YouTube or Netflix or FaceBook. One of the biggest successes is the BBC's iPlayer because they are amongst world leaders in making content specifically for that age group and content is king.

I think kids will love golf if it's presented to them in their language and in a way that fits their lifestyles and habits. But right now it isn't.

Golf can be exciting, modern and fresh if it could just let go of the past but so many people just won't let that happen.

I mean, look at us, we argue about shoes being too modern. And God forbid we allow junior members out on Saturday morning tee times!

Really, is it any surprise kids are losing interest and they're going off finding content made by their contemporaries on YouTube instead? What hope does the game have if we carry on looking backwards instead of forwards?

 

[steveo77]

leaving aside the fact that SKY now has this and the BBC does not the main problem I have moving forward is the abysmal SKY coverage.
to put it bluntly their commentary team is BORING. Compare the SKY coverage with that of radio 5 and you would think there were 2 separate events going on. One of the most exciting final rounds in Open history and yet the SKY commentary team failed to convey any kind of excitement whatsoever.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

leaving aside the fact that SKY now has this and the BBC does not the main problem I have moving forward is the abysmal SKY coverage.
to put it bluntly their commentary team is BORING. Compare the SKY coverage with that of radio 5 and you would think there were 2 separate events going on. One of the most exciting final rounds in Open history and yet the SKY commentary team failed to convey any kind of excitement whatsoever.

Sorry but I disagree. There are some excellent and knowledgeable commentators and on course reporters in their team and I thought they pitched their commentary perfectly. Hard to compare TV and radio where the viewers can see the action in one and the commentator has to paint the scene and describe the other to the listeners imagination in the other.

I would rather listen to Murray, Harmon (in particular), Faldo, Boxall etc than an over the hill Alliss or Andrew Cotter who has hardly been there done it at any level of the pro game

 

[Deleted member 1418]

leaving aside the fact that SKY now has this and the BBC does not the main problem I have moving forward is the abysmal SKY coverage.
to put it bluntly their commentary team is BORING. Compare the SKY coverage with that of radio 5 and you would think there were 2 separate events going on. One of the most exciting final rounds in Open history and yet the SKY commentary team failed to convey any kind of excitement whatsoever.

Disagree with you on the coverage being abysmal. I think what Sky did in terms of engaging with the players on the range, and their different camera shots (i.e. in the bunkers on the Postage Stamp) were excellent. And with the money that they have available their golf coverage is only going to get better and more innovative as the years progress.

However I do agree with you on the point about their commentary team. They still have a fair few who could do with replacing (Critchley, Murray and Roe send me to sleep!), but getting Poulter and Faldo in the studio was great. Rich Beem and Nick Dougherty have been really good additions to the Sky team. From the BBC I've always been huge fans of Cotter and Brown - if Sky were able to pinch them then that would really enhance their commentary team.

The Radio 5 point is a very good one though. IMO Radio 5 has the best commentary teams across nearly all the sports - certainly during Euro 2016 whenever I watched the matches on the BBC, I used the red button to have the Radio 5 commentary. IMO they have to be more entertaining and engaging due to the fact that they're on the radio so have to be more descriptive than their TV counterparts.

 

[freddielong]

No thrills just golf you say.

No interviews with players whilst live golf is on?

No Ken on the course whilst live golf is on?

No stupid images of dog walkers or ice cream eaters whilst live golf is on?

I'm sure you see where I'm going....,

You prefer the BBC, we get it but when all is said and done the real main difference between the coverage of BBC and Sky is adverts and Sky had 1 minute of them every 20 minutes or so which was hardly intrusive. The BBC had their share of gimmicks too over the years. It wasn't all just live golf all the time.

For what it's worth, I much prefer listening to Andrew Cotter than Ewan Murray but give me Butch Harmon over Mark James any day.

I would disagree that the adverts were not obtrusive everytime you relax and get into it there was another advert, it would have been better if they had there 15 - 20 minutes all at once and then concentrated on golf.