The BBC has been crowing about how the Ashes home series are “set for free-to-air return”.  Let’s take a look at the reality of the situation and some of the different ways cricket is broadcast in the UK.

England won the Ashes in 2005 in what must rank as one of the best moments in sporting theatre for many years.  I cried with joy when Rudi Koertzen and Billy Bowden lifted the bails from the stumps at the Oval to signal the first home Ashes win since 1985.  But this was a series shown on Channel 4, not the BBC.  If memory serves, the BBC didn’t bid for any rights after Channel 4 won the rights.  So we had good coverage, good commentary (Mark Nicholas may be seen as a smoothie but from what I’ve seen of him he’s a nice guy, Simon Hughes is excellent, Geoff Boycott tells it straight, Tony Greig and Michael Slater added raw emotion and hype) and highlights at a reasonable (and fixed) time.

People will debate the rights and wrongs of Giles Clarke’s decision to then award the rights to BSkyB.  The money received at grass roots club level was sorely needed.  Sky’s cricket presentation has improved over the years and is now excellent.  Nasser Hussain is, as anyone who’s read his autobiography “Playing With Fire” might expect, sharp, incisive and sheds valuable light on thought processes of captains.  Michael Holding is a joy to listen to.  David Lloyd brings experience, knowledge, enthusiasm and Lancashire humour (and in commentary partnership with Graeme Fowler one afternoon had me in hysterics).  Nick Knight is a fine addition to the team, bringing technical analysis and player insight.

Then of course there is Sir Ian Botham, Mike Atherton, Paul Allott, Bob Willis and in the studio Charles Colvile and Ian Ward.  With the exception of Charles Colvile this team has played test cricket. BSkyB highlights are a two hour package usually repeated once.  Shorter highlights are on terrestrial Channel Five (Nicholas, Boycott, Hughes, reasonable and fixed times).

The BBC’s televised cricket output hasn’t been too much recently.  The 2007 CB series which England won (after that 5-0 hammering in the Ashes) had some input at the front of each show from Test Match Special’s Jonathan Agnew and Geoff Boycott (who were there for the radio commentary) or one of the other TMS summarisers.  The footage and commentary were from Channel 9.

At this point I have to say Channel 9’s commentary still sounds like Billy Birmingham’s excellent 12th Man parodies.  And no, I haven’t done the Bill Lawry parody when umpiring.

Test Match Special is an institution, essential listening for the cricket lover.  Long may that be the case.  It paints pictures with language that television cannot and rightly holds the authorities to account when they get things wrong.  Aggers, Blowers, CM-J and the rest of the team are for many the voice of cricket.  TMS is aimed at the cricket aficionado, the cricket nerd, the lover of the English language in its wonderful variety.  When the Ovalgate incident happened it was Test Match Special that provided the best reporting after Shahriyar Khan had sounded off instead of going to the Pakistan team dressing room and working to resolve the problem.  If memory serves it was Jonathan Agnew who exposed the ICC’s spin on their press conference and Doug Cowie’s involvement in suggesting to Darrell Hair that he might offer to resign.  TMS rocks in ways that BSkyB can’t.

Then there’s Cricinfo and the myriad of cricket websites and blogs out there.  Online text commentary of international games, coverage of first class and list A games, additional reporting and a humour side as well.

What can BBC tv bring to the table that Channel 4, BSkyB, TMS and Cricinfo (and all the other sites) don’t?

That is one question that BBC tv needs to ask itself before it starts shouting about how the Ashes is coming back to free-to-air tv.  It’s one hell of a question too.  Who will they look to take on as commentators?

The second is which home Ashes series will this take effect from?  BSkyB have already got the contract for the next home Ashes series in 2013.  That means 2017 is the likeliest series.  Seven years in broadcasting is a very long time.  By then the Royal Charter might have been revoked or the funding of public service television completely overhauled.

Then of course there’s the fact that the BBC article is based on recommendations from former FA Chief David Davies.  There’s a huge difference between recommendations being made and their being implemented.

So there’s a long way to go before home Ashes series return to free-to-air television.  The broadcasting arena may have changed beyond recognition by 2017.  BBC tv shouldn’t crow about it until a) they have the rights to show the series and b) are bringing something new to cricket broadcasting.

Better that the BBC focuses on cutting its spending.  £46,000 on taxi fares? Is that really best use of taxpayers’ money?

One Response to “BBC Crowing About Possible Ashes Free-To-Air”

1. Bob Harvey says:

   December 29, 2009 at 10:27 am

   I don’t much care what happens on TV as long as TMS is still available on the radio.