The Open on Sky - It's official

[colint]

Formula One motor racing is seen regularly on the BBC. Golf is mostly on Sky Sports! QED!

F1 is on 20 times a year on the BBC, and also features heavily in every news report during the season. They show one golf event and barely mention it in the news, hardly the same.

 

[SAPCOR1]

Surely we're not naive enough to think that when something is out for tender you aren't talking to the likely winners?

R&A could easily have approached Sky to "agree" a price at which they would win that would suit Sky (having all rights) but compensated R&A for the downsides/fallout they have to deal with?

Eh, no! Can you imagine the uproar, especially on here, if it emerged that the R&A and Sky had done a deal ahead of the tender ensuring that no other bidder won

 

[SugarPenguin]

at least its not on ITV

 

[delc]

at least its not on ITV

At least on ITV you don't have to watch hours of adverts AND pay a hefty monthly subscription!

 

[SAPCOR1]

At least on ITV you don't have to watch hours of adverts AND pay a hefty monthly subscription!

No adverts on ITV? Since when?

 

[delc]

No adverts on ITV? Since when?

Of course there are ads on ITV, but not a subscription as well!

 

[fundy]

6 nations to be next????

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-31163554

 

[CMAC]

6 nations to be next????

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-31163554

one can only hope, if they had done that years ago they maybe could've saved the Open.

And thats coming from someone who played Rugby through school and after school and didnt miss a 4 nations, 5 nations, 6 nations game, until it went professional

 

[MikeH]

very interesting to read this thread - I've been sat on my hands until now

here's what I wrote yesterday for the ed's letter welcome that will appear in the next issue

http://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/featu...v-rights-believe-ra-made-right-decision-65732

 

[bladeplayer]

very interesting to read this thread - I've been sat on my hands until now

here's what I wrote yesterday for the ed's letter welcome that will appear in the next issue

http://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/featu...v-rights-believe-ra-made-right-decision-65732

Just read it on twitter Mike and where my knowledge of the surrounds of the game would be minimal twords yours i take the Premiership as an example , it has grown & grown as have other leagues as a result but Sky Sports News do a thing on grass roots sports & it highlighted football and it is dying on its feet for money , where did the feed down stop ?

I agree whole heartedly with the reasons you give for the demise of the game (time , image etc) but nothing of the sky investment is going to change that , just making it more elite TV as much as it seems in reality ..

To me it should be the R&A responsibility to reach out to the ordinary , to include the people who cannot afford sky sports , the people who have sky sports would watch the Open on BBC , but the peple with BBC might not be able to afford Sky , therefore they are cutting & limiting the tv public , that can not be good for any sport


Apologies if this has been said in the thread i didnt have time to read it all

 

[Imurg]

Is that £40 million to be spread around the globe..?
If so, £10million a year worldwide isn't going have a huge effect is it..?
They can get through that on lunches alone...

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Just read it on twitter Mike and where my knowledge of the surrounds of the game would be minimal twords yours i take the Premiership as an example , it has grown & grown as have other leagues as a result but Sky Sports News do a thing on grass roots sports & it highlighted football and it is dying on its feet for money , where did the feed down stop ?

I agree whole heartedly with the reasons you give for the demise of the game (time , image etc) but nothing of the sky investment is going to change that , just making it more elite TV as much as it seems in reality ..

To me it should be the R&A responsibility to reach out to the ordinary , to include the people who cannot afford sky sports , the people who have sky sports would watch the Open on BBC , but the peple with BBC might not be able to afford Sky , therefore they are cutting & limiting the tv public , that can not be good for any sport


Apologies if this has been said in the thread i didnt have time to read it all

Good post - the opinion on this is imo split 50/50 and yours falls into the split im in

To help grow a sport means it has to be accessible to both play and also watch

It's a struggle to make it accessible to play but at least before it was accessible to watch for everyone

Now we have to pay to watch it - just like we have to pay to play

Golfers will watch it on Sky - some golfers will take up Sky or Now TV to watch it

But how many "non golfers" - the casual watchers who watched the open - they won't pay to watch it - that's a good number of lost viewers gone

As for the money for the future of the game - English Cricket gets more money into its coffers than it ever has - the telly has increased that fund yet the country game is on its knees

I'm struggling to think of one sport that Sky's money has improved the sport past the top level where all the money stays

I don't expect the money from the new telly deal will go any lower down than the top level just like the rest

 

[delc]

F1 is on 20 times a year on the BBC, and also features heavily in every news report during the season. They show one golf event and barely mention it in the news, hardly the same.

Actually they have been showing four. The last 2 days of The Masters, the BMW at Wentworth, The Open Championship, and the British Women's Open. All the rest have been hijacked by Sky! Not enough coverage of golf by the BBC now, and even less in the future.

 

[Hacker Khan]

Much as I'd love to trust the R&A with developing the game, in its current constitution I don't hold much hope out. The move to allow female members was trumpeted by them as a progressive move with the times, an example of how they are modernising. Where as it was mostly driven by the sponsors of the game demanding it. If that would have not happened then I very much doubt there would have been any movement, and we would still be getting the mealy mouthed statements they used to make where they refused to accept that the practice was any problem.

So best of luck if you feel they will use this money to drag the game kicking and screaming into the 21st century and make it an attractive product for players and sponsors.

Still, looking on the bright side, I bet you a pound to a penny that Sky will not put up with the open presentation ceremony as it is so with a bit of luck that will change.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Nothing wrong with the presentation ceremony - they won't have the power to change it even if they would but there is no need to change it. It serves it's purpose and the people who run the game get to say their thanks to the people that help make the tournament a success - of all the issues involved in the game - a presentation ceremony is nowhere near any list

 

[Hacker Khan]

Nothing wrong with the presentation ceremony - they won't have the power to change it even if they would but there is no need to change it. It serves it's purpose and the people who run the game get to say their thanks to the people that help make the tournament a success - of all the issues involved in the game - a presentation ceremony is nowhere near any list

To some it serves it purpose, to others it's everything that is wrong with the image of the game, boring old blokes in blazers rambling on about things the vast majority of the public is not interested in. Much like this board really.

We'll see if it will be the same in 2016 then.

 

[Wildrover]

Actually they have been showing four. The last 2 days of The Masters, the BMW at Wentworth, The Open Championship, and the British Women's Open. All the rest have been hijacked by Sky! Not enough coverage of golf by the BBC now, and even less in the future.

They haven't had the BMW for a while either.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

To some it serves it purpose, to others it's everything that is wrong with the image of the game, boring old blokes in blazers rambling on about things the vast majority of the public is not interested in. Much like this board really.

We'll see if it will be the same in 2016 then.

It's a presentation ceremony - the people run the game will present the trophy , they will say their thanks and then hand the trophy over - just like in the Masters or the US Open or the U.S. PGA - of all the things to worry about ?!

Just switch it off but I very very much doubt that the presentation has any effect on people playing the game of golf

Far more other things to look at

Maybe it's because it's pleasant and shows respect and tradition without the need for fireworks or ticker tape that makes it "boring"

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Much as I'd love to trust the R&A with developing the game, in its current constitution I don't hold much hope out. The move to allow female members was trumpeted by them as a progressive move with the times, an example of how they are modernising. Where as it was mostly driven by the sponsors of the game demanding it. If that would have not happened then I very much doubt there would have been any movement, and we would still be getting the mealy mouthed statements they used to make where they refused to accept that the practice was any problem.

So best of luck if you feel they will use this money to drag the game kicking and screaming into the 21st century and make it an attractive product for players and sponsors.

Still, looking on the bright side, I bet you a pound to a penny that Sky will not put up with the open presentation ceremony as it is so with a bit of luck that will change.

I think you are still failing to spot the difference between the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews who recently voted to allow members of either gender and the R&A. The latter being the body that organises the Open, among other events, and does endless work for the promotion of the game, both at home and abroad.

If you are going to express prejudices best to at least do some research.

 

[Steve1821]

Umm when doing highlights isn't it going to be just the shots anyway ? What else are they supposed to show ?

Not sure what your point is about the prize money ?

You can't get any real atmosphere from a highlights reel compared to watching the event live - not knowing the outcome until you see it. For the Open with Sky, everyone will know the winner long before the "best of" BBC coverage begins. See previous comment regarding the atmosphere of watching at their club, live as it happens

The reference to US prize money being something like £200k more than the open was offering - so the Open had to get more cash available, I don't think it would detract the best players from turning up to compete

I probably could afford the Sky package but refuse out of some sort of loyalty to sensible coverage, be that of sport or news so it's my choice, but to too many there is no choice.