Going back to the first day of the season at home to Brentford, doesn't that seem a long time ago now, I wrote about the fact that the review details of the television "crown jewels" would be released in November, well here we are already. Two of the things recommended to be removed from the fully protected list in 2017 being the Epsom Derby, and rugby league's Challenge Cup final, neither being an event I particularly watch to be honest. One event that has been fiddled with though is the Olympic Games, a clear distinction now having been made by the panel between the summer and winter versions. The snowy one recommended to be no longer protected while the warmer one would still be free-to-air, although don't get me started again on the term "free-to-air" given that by all accounts and purposes the BBC is a pay-per-view channel unless you don't bother with a television licence. I have to say that I am disappointed that the Winter Olympics has been put forward to be ditched from the protected list, it has always been something that I have enjoyed watching as much as the summer version to be honest. It might not be everybody's cup of tea but who can forget the curlers in 2002 and Torvill and Dean in Sarajevo, Jayne and Christopher pulling in a remarkable 24 million viewers in this country in 1984 for that remarkable gold medal winning Bolero. It was 18 years later when we won our next gold medal, in Salt Lake City, Utah in 2002 when Rhona Martin skippered her team of female curlers to glory in the sport they call chess on ice. The Scot holding her nerve and defeating the Swiss with the last stone at the final end to take the honours 4-3. That early hours victory still attracting an audience of over 6 million viewers, something no-one would have ever predicted before the start of the tournament. I think it is something that could well go "satellite" as well in 2018 if these recommendations go through the previous year. Eurosport in particular very keen on their showings of winter sports, although given that we are talking another eight years down the road who knows what situation we could be in with television viewing by that time, particularly with football matches being broadcast pay-per-view on the internet in recent weeks. With printing deadlines in mind I am typing this page last Sunday night, while currently watching the NFL and sulking about the Denver Broncos losing their third game in a row, but if we defeated Morecambe on Tuesday night then we will be live on the internet ourselves soon. Norwich's FA Cup second round tie at either Brunton or Christie Park being chosen for free-to-view selection on the FA website. Now you might think that the FA is being extremely forward thinking, although bearing in mind that the first cup game they showed featured Leeds then that opinion immediately hits the buffers. Secondly the 5.15pm on Saturday evening games that they are showing are simply the Setanta package that they have been unable to sell on since the Irish broadcaster went unceremoniously pop in this country as Setanta Sports GB as long ago now as the 22nd of June. The FA are more than happy with their online viewing figures of 176,000 though, apparently a free-to-air internet record, for that 2-0 Leeds win at Boundary Park. FA chief executive Ian Watmore commenting, albeit somewhat obviously : "This has proved that there is a growing online audience eager to see live football for free on the internet that is in addition to and complementary to the live games featured with our broadcast partner, ITV." From a club perspective the money picked up for having your game shown live on the FA website isn't to be sniffed at either with both sides netting a cool broadcasting fee of £67,500. That totted up with a second round tie winning fee from the FA Cup pot of £18,000 takes you up to a very healthy sum of £85,500. Although of course the home side will no doubt see a smaller matchday attendance, most of that down to the away fans, especially for longer trips like Norwich will be facing. So given the way things are going on the internet and the fact that these new "crown jewels" rules won't come into force until 2017, it does make you wonder if a lot of the ideas dreamed up now will have become by obsolete by then anyway. Particularly the way that the world of technology is moving on so quickly, after all it only seems yesterday that I was playing Air Flight Simulator games on my Commodore 16, but sadly it wasn't, it was 1986. |