The Sport Thread

Live coverage all week, though essentially a simulcast of the IOC Olympic Channel feed. More on the BBC than Eurosport, though despite them selling out the main events these still fall within the BBC rights window. No highlights show to speak of though - I'm sure last time they did a weekend round up on BBC1/2 and possibly daily shows on CBBC.


Anyway - Break Dancing. Doesn't really work in a practically silent stadium with very straight laced gymnastics commentary.

I'll try to find out more from a friend who's working on it (or more likely SVG), but I believe OBS are producing a fair bit of their coverage from their HQ in Madrid.

In Roger Mosey's book about being Head of Sport when they axed Grandstand, he says they had a meeting in 2005 to confirm they were axing it, and one of the people there said they only needed to keep it going for another seven years because the 2012 Olympics wouldn't be the same without it.

*cough*

Any better chaps?



(Disclaimer - I literally ripped the videos off this discussion, stitched them together, used a stock animation in Windows Movie Maker to replace the diamond cut, used a clock off 625 Andrew Wiseman's TV Room, found some old pres audio, adjusted the pace slightly and made sure the ball hit the net at the timpani. I am NOT an expert and it is VERY rough round the edges. So there.)

Just a footnote to the collapse of sports rights group MP & Silva earlier this summer: the French Tennis Federation has issued a winding-up petition against them in the UK High Court for the ~£5m they're owed. It's been stayed for a week, so watch this space.

Eleven Sports are trying to persuade UEFA to let them show football over the blackout period on Saturdays - but have apparently already snuck out a couple of La Liga games:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/oct/11/uefa-fa-eleven-sports-la-liga-saturday-afternoons

Alas, the new Heineken Champions Cup titles look like they were put together in about 3 minutes. They’ve also retained the previous graphics set even though it no longer matches the new logo and identity.

Edit: there is a new replay wipe, to be fair.

Interested to read yesterday that Andrea Radrizzani, the Leeds United chairman wants to turn the EFL Championship, into Premier League 2 - so (and it's this one again) they can get more money for the television rights.

Tell you what Andrea, next time your club plays Derby County, go and have a word to their idiot chairman who forced a re-negociation of the tv deal with Sky, thinking it would spark a multi-billion pound bidding war with BT Sport and Sky Sports, over what is basically the 2nd, 3rd and 4th division of English football tv rights.
It didn't, and Sky ended up paying £600 million. Far less than the £1 billion+ they were hoping for.

Anyway, good luck with your Premier League 2 idea, Mr Radrizzani.
Oh, and by the way, if this comes off, I hope the EFL exclude Eleven Sports from bidding for the rights, seeing as you are also it's chairman.

Nations League ..... Sky's Goal Zone has been busy tonight.

After 60mins play in seven matches, TWO goals only have been scored, one each by Moldovan and Belarussian players.

(They eventually got NINE before the seven final whistles were blown)

It actually took me a while to adjust to the Championship, League One and League Two as the names of the second, third and fourth tiers of English football - I was *that* used to calling them Divisions One, Two and Three respectively.

I've become so used to the current names, though (and, indeed, they've now lasted longer than the 1992 names), that if these tiers were renamed again I'd probably refuse to refer to them by the new names - a bit like those who choose not to refer to Starburst as anything other than Opal Fruits...

Is there any Challenge Cup coverage at all?

Not in the UK & Ireland, no, at least during the pool stage. Probably indicative of the slow death the competition has suffered. France Televisions and BeIN Sports France are screening games in France.

Maybe when the knockout stages come.