[CFC91]

Back on Free to air TV - great news - Channel 4 Cricket coverage used to be brilliant.

They had 15.5m tune into the WC Final in 2019 - should be a good series too!

[Westbars Spireite]

CFC91, on 02 February 2021 - 05:09 PM, said:

Back on Free to air TV - great news - Channel 4 Cricket coverage used to be brilliant.

They had 15.5m tune into the WC Final in 2019 - should be a good series too!

I’d have watched it anyway but excellent it’s free to air. Hopefully gets a few bored kids interested and we don’t get humped 4-0.

[JonB]

Westbars Spireite, on 02 February 2021 - 07:00 PM, said:

I’d have watched it anyway but excellent it’s free to air. Hopefully gets a few bored kids interested and we don’t get humped 4-0.

Get them a score book and get them scoring as a homeschooling maths lesson.

[Mr Mercury]

Westbars Spireite, on 02 February 2021 - 07:00 PM, said:

I’d have watched it anyway but excellent it’s free to air. Hopefully gets a few bored kids interested and we don’t get humped 4-0.

Would much prefer the Sky production but I understand the need for the masses to occasionally suckle at the free to air teet.

[JonB]

Mr Mercury, on 02 February 2021 - 10:11 PM, said:

Would much prefer the Sky production but I understand the need for the masses to occasionally suckle at the free to air teet.

Tends not to be as much of an issue for away series, they use the host broadcasting anyway and for Sri Lanka all the Sky commentators were doing it from home as well.

Not sure what the C4 line up will be but hoping Mark Nicholas and Simon Hughes are nowhere to be seen!!

[Johnnyspireite7]

JonB, on 02 February 2021 - 10:22 PM, said:

Tends not to be as much of an issue for away series, they use the host broadcasting anyway and for Sri Lanka all the Sky commentators were doing it from home as well.

Not sure what the C4 line up will be but hoping Mark Nicholas and Simon Hughes are nowhere to be seen!!

They tend to double up with the TMS team so will be Michael Vaughan and co

[Mr Mercury]

Johnnyspireite7, on 03 February 2021 - 01:13 PM, said:

They tend to double up with the TMS team so will be Michael Vaughan and co

I think Mark Butcher, who was out in Sri Lanka, is part of the match commentary team who are doing the gig for English speaking viewers and Ch4 will be using that commentary. Sadly I read that the dour, totally uninteresting, establishment figure of Andrew Strauss is one of the studio bods for Ch4.

[JonB]

Mr Mercury, on 03 February 2021 - 09:29 PM, said:

I think Mark Butcher, who was out in Sri Lanka, is part of the match commentary team who are doing the gig for English speaking viewers and Ch4 will be using that commentary. Sadly I read that the dour, totally uninteresting, establishment figure of Andrew Strauss is one of the studio bods for Ch4.

Last I saw was as you say it’ll be the stock commentary during the game but they hadn’t announced who studio guests would be.

[Mr Mercury]

JonB, on 03 February 2021 - 10:09 PM, said:

Last I saw was as you say it’ll be the stock commentary during the game but they hadn’t announced who studio guests would be.

Alistair Cook was another mentioned as doing the studio gig...Cook and Straus...inspiring as cocoa lol

[clarevoyant.]

Mr Mercury, on 03 February 2021 - 10:13 PM, said:

Alistair Cook was another mentioned as doing the studio gig...Cook and Straus...inspiring as cocoa lol

As long as Nark Nicholas isn't involved I'll be happy, will miss Bumble though.

[Mr Mercury]

clarevoyant., on 04 February 2021 - 01:31 PM, said:

As long as Nark Nicholas isn't involved I'll be happy, will miss Bumble though.

Have u ever read any of Bumbles books? Laugh out loud stuff!!

[whittman]

Johnnyspireite7, on 03 February 2021 - 01:13 PM, said:

They tend to double up with the TMS team so will be Michael Vaughan and co

Except that its not the TMS team doing the radio commentary its on TALKSPORT 2 with their own set of pundits including I think Mark Nicholas

[JonB]

whittman, on 04 February 2021 - 06:20 PM, said:

Except that its not the TMS team doing the radio commentary its on TALKSPORT 2 with their own set of pundits including I think Mark Nicholas

The cricket on talksport is awful. Normally descends into the various ex players talking about things in their day while Nicholas talks drivel.

[whittman]

JonB, on 04 February 2021 - 06:24 PM, said:

The cricket on talksport is awful. Normally descends into the various ex players talking about things in their day while Nicholas talks drivel.

I suppose you are saying just like the Boring Wood commentary last week but this time cricket related lol

[clarevoyant.]

Mr Mercury, on 04 February 2021 - 04:56 PM, said:

Have u ever read any of Bumbles books? Laugh out loud stuff!!

Yes, I'm saving his latest 'Around the world in 80 pints' for summer afternoons in the garden accompanied with a bottle of Bordeaux!!!

[Mr Mercury]

clarevoyant., on 05 February 2021 - 12:02 PM, said:

Yes, I'm saving his latest 'Around the world in 80 pints' for summer afternoons in the garden accompanied with a bottle of Bordeaux!!!

Great book that one

[Mr Mercury]

Mr Mercury, on 05 February 2021 - 01:46 PM, said:

Great book that one

Just seen that BT sports have signed up all cricket broadcast by the West Indies and New Zealand for the next five years, that adds to their agreement with Australia, starting with next winters tour by England over there. Are Sky deliberately not bidding for these foreign tours? Cricket on the box is not the same without Naz, Bumble and Athers., and unless BT do a deal how can we watch the Windows v England without the glorious soothing and dulcet tones of Mikey Holding.

This post has been edited by Mr Mercury: 07 February 2021 - 11:08 AM

[Johnnyspireite7]

Mr Mercury, on 07 February 2021 - 11:07 AM, said:

Just seen that BT sports have signed up all cricket broadcast by the West Indies and New Zealand for the next five years, that adds to their agreement with Australia, starting with next winters tour by England over there. Are Sky deliberately not bidding for these foreign tours? Cricket on the box is not the same without Naz, Bumble and Athers., and unless BT do a deal how can we watch the Windows v England without the glorious soothing and dulcet tones of Mikey Holding.

I think Sky are starting to lose money, they've cut the older, higher paid pundits & commentators from both football & cricket, hence David Gower and Both's departures last year from the cricket team and Le Tiss, Charlie Nicholas and Phil Thompson from the Soccer Saturday team. The break up of the exclusive Premier League coverage has hit them hard. Add to that the takeover by Comcast who are no doubt tightening the purse strings. I'm just glad my dad took the decision to go to Virgin Media, we get everything through that so miss out on nothing except the Premier coverage by Amazon.

[Mr Mercury]

Johnnyspireite7, on 07 February 2021 - 12:43 PM, said:

I think Sky are starting to lose money, they've cut the older, higher paid pundits & commentators from both football & cricket, hence David Gower and Both's departures last year from the cricket team and Le Tiss, Charlie Nicholas and Phil Thompson from the Soccer Saturday team. The break up of the exclusive Premier League coverage has hit them hard. Add to that the takeover by Comcast who are no doubt tightening the purse strings. I'm just glad my dad took the decision to go to Virgin Media, we get everything through that so miss out on nothing except the Premier coverage by Amazon.

The departure of the Pundits is due to diversity i think, Botham certainly wanted to retire, whereas all the others mentioned definitely didn't want to. and you can get a great deal if you talk to Sky including BT sport and Netflix. Like energy bills shop around I suppose.
Also doesn't BT Sport lose BT an absolute shed load?

This post has been edited by Mr Mercury: 07 February 2021 - 05:58 PM

[Johnnyspireite7]

Mr Mercury, on 07 February 2021 - 05:54 PM, said:

The departure of the Pundits is due to diversity i think, Botham certainly wanted to retire, whereas all the others mentioned definitely didn't want to. and you can get a great deal if you talk to Sky including BT sport and Netflix. Like energy bills shop around I suppose.
Also doesn't BT Sport lose BT an absolute shed load?

Quite possibly, but the Sky Cricket commentary team was diverse before last years departures, they already had Nasser Hussain, Mark Butcher, Isha Guha & Ebony Rainford-Brent in place. I believe that David Gower didn't want to leave as main anchor from what my uncle told me at Christmas. I think you're right about Both but he only made that decision after he knew Gower was being dropped and the death of Bob Willis.