The Open on Sky - It's official

[6inchcup]

golf is a minority sport so having the open on the beeb isnt going to dramatically increase those playing,a vast majority who play the game as well as clubs,pubs etc will have SKY so it can be watched for free anyway,i assume it will be on the radio so you can listen to it ,the tour is a business so money talks the more they get the more they can spend on grass roots golf.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

The R&A point to golf numbers reducing in recent years whilst the Open and Master were on live telly - now imo the main reason for the drop in golf is people have prioritised where they spend their money - mainly on living and providing for their family

So now the R&A have decided to move the last remaining free to air golf event onto a platform where people have to pay To just watch it!

I don't know how they expect to gain more viewers into the sport when they restrict the people who can watch it

 

[pendodave]

The only fool in this is the BBC not the R&A or Sky. The corporation hasn't taken golf seriously for years thus it can't expect to dine out on historical links. If BBC wanted to show its corporate social committment to golf and its roots, then it would have financed its current offer better, and shown more live golf events over recent years.

No. The BBC is not the fool.

The fools are the guardians of the game who have locked it away from the majority of people in this country for ever.

And those that think that because THEY can afford it, or it suits THEIR own preferences/prejudices about the coverage, it is good for the game as a whole might need to extract their heads from wherever they are as well.

Ironically, the sport that the golf administrators/clubs are most concerned about as competition for prospective golfers (cycling) has it's 'crown jewels' event available free to air for 3 weeks in the middle of every summer for hours at a time, and has blanket free to air coverage every couple of years at its major showcase events. Coincidence ??

 

[jpjeffery]

The BBC don't do sport as it promotes winners and losers which doesn't fit with their leftist junta ideology.

That's pure cliché nonsense.

 

[SAPCOR1]

Y

Other terrestrial broadcasters are available. The BBC don't do sport as it promotes winners and losers which doesn't fit with their leftist junta ideology. Things like the Olympics are exceptional though as they promote racial harmony and a coming together of faiths and creeds etc etc etc.

I bet channel 4 would've done a great job with the Open...

Did Ch.4 or ITV & Ch.5 for that matter, bid for it?

People moan about commercial breaks with Sky and they are bound by the same regulations as the rest

 

[Piece]

Ironically, the sport that the golf administrators/clubs are most concerned about as competition for prospective golfers (cycling) has it's 'crown jewels' event available free to air for 3 weeks in the middle of every summer for hours at a time, and has blanket free to air coverage every couple of years at its major showcase events. Coincidence ??

Coincidence in that the main British Cycling team who peaked interest in the sport with Olympic success and Bradley's TdF victory is sponsored and financed by a well known satellite broadcaster?

 

[lobthewedge]

Cant say I am overly saddened or surprised to see the Open go to Sky, they do a great job with the regular golf coverage and will no doubt breath life into what was a stagnant BBC coverage.

To my mind the BBC hierarchy are entirely to blame for this. How the hell they see it as more beneficial to the taxpayer to produce and air some of the absolute drivel that appears across the BBC spectrum is far beyond me.

Snelly had it right - FOOLS!

 

[Lord Tyrion]

BBC highlights, 8-10pm. Seems a pretty good compromise. The R & A get the big bucks from Sky. Sky will give excellent coverage as they do with sport due to dedicated channels. The BBC will give a highlights package to suit people who have been at work, those who don't want to follow golf all day or those who don't have access to Sky. In this modern era I think this is a fair deal.

 

[Snelly]

That's pure cliché nonsense.

No it isn't. The BBC is culturally and politically skewed to the left and competitive sport doesn't fit with this.

 

[FairwayDodger]

It does make me wonder how poor the Open coverage will be for the next couple of years now the BBC know they have lost it.

Whatever the arguments about free to air TV and participation levels nobody can deny Sky's great commitment to golf. For those of us that do have it, it's pretty great that we can see just about every PGA and European tour event and also some LET and LPGA events (more please!) and even seniors golf.

 

[GB72]

If the BBC was so keen to show golf, perhaps it could give up one of its expensive football contracts to fund. Oh wait, the BBC would rather show third tier football than the elite level of any other sport. Lucky the open is during the off season or 5 live would drop the coverage in favour of live conference football

 

[Snelly]

Coincidence in that the main British Cycling team who peaked interest in the sport with Olympic success and Bradley's TdF victory is sponsored and financed by a well known satellite broadcaster?

No. You are completely failing to grasp the point. Cycling is in a real boom period because a huge amount of people are seeing British cyclists succeed and want to emulate them. It is that simple.

Same as when the Test matches were on the BBC, everyone wanted to pretend to be Botham and Willis and play cricket in the street, emulating the heroes that they SAW!

And I remember feeling exactly the same when I watched Tom Watson or Seve as a kid, sat with my Grandpa. I WATCHED them do amazing things in the Open on the BBC and wanted to get my hands on a golf club and copy them. My 11 year old son has been precisely the same as this when he has watched the Open with me. Straight down to the driving range for the following week.

Kids copy successful sports stars - FACT. Limiting the number of kids that can watch them perform is a spectacularly stupid thing to do by the administrators of any sport.

Even the thickest numbskull should be able to see this.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

I don't see what is so good about the Sky coverage - the US is rubbish but that's mainly down to the US broadcasters - the ET is ok but split into two sessions and again it's ok

But the main issue I have is with the commentators being so dull - Roe , Holmes two examples , Pugh etc are just bore me with all the shot centre etc - if that's what enhanced coverage is then I can do with out it

As for the live pictures - the feed on the course for OB comes from two companies - BBC and Sky use both of them - the Open is done by the same company that do the PGA

 

[Snelly]

For those of us that do have it, it's pretty great that we can see just about every PGA and European tour event and also some LET and LPGA events (more please!) and even seniors golf.

And that is just it isn't it? Those that do have Sky are perfectly happy at this turn of events but that ignores the wider perspective somewhat..

 

[NorfolkShaun]

Very sad day for golf, I do think the BBC coverage was poor at best but a real loss to the sport to limit the people who can see it

 

[garyinderry]

Is there really an influx of youngsters taking to pedals? I just don't see it.

 

[FairwayDodger]

And that is just it isn't it? Those that do have Sky are perfectly happy at this turn of events but that ignores the wider perspective somewhat..

That's not what I was saying at all. I'm against this decision, in fact I'd rather see more golf on terrestrial TV but it's plainly not going to happen.

My point was that Sky have a real commitment to golf and to showing as many events as they can. So while we can criticise the R&A for ending live free-to-air coverage and the BBC for lack of will to retain and improve their coverage, I think Sky deserve some credit.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Is there really an influx of youngsters taking to pedals? I just don't see it.

Loads around here - enough to create cycling clubs

 

[garyinderry]

Hasn't hit liverpool that's for sure. Kids doing wheelies out on the road is all I've come across.

 

[GB72]

Rugby is mainly on sky and BT and you get loads of kids up the rugby club watching it with their dadS. Maybe golf clubs with sky need to encourage members to bring their families up to watch the open.