Footy broadcasting - What do we have?

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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fletcherpost

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View: https://twitter.com/lewis_goodall/status/1634302297416118275?s=20


NEW: BBC confirms that none of their Match of the Day presenting team will do tomorrow night’s show: “We understand their position and we have decided that the programme will focus on match action without studio presentation or punditry.”

Never heard of this happening before at the BBC. But Lineker is very popular with his colleagues and has been presenting MOTD for ages. The Beeb's been under fire for a while now regarding dodgy links to the Tory party.
 

CodPiece XL

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As someone who watches MOTD to catch up on the days EPL highlights, I always find myself fast forwarding all the pundit back and forth between the games. I’m kind of looking forward to seeing the different format tomorrow night, my remote won’t be as busy. I’ll be curious to see what the viewing figures are. Just reading the UK press, on one side you have people claiming he is MOTD, on the other side people are saying good riddance.
 

CodPiece XL

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Now I’m reading reports that BBC commentators MAY be boycotting the games tomorrow. I suppose the studio production crew could jump on the bandwagon as well.
 

Nick Kaufman

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I don't think BBC's position is entirely without merit. It's easy to sympathize with Lineker's position. But one issue I see is that BBC wants to protect its reputation for political neutrality and the other that if you allow Lineker to freely express a controversial position and engage in day to day politics, this opens the door for other BBC personalities to do so and you give them leverage to run roughshod over the institution. Right now, you may like what Lineker stands for, but in the future you may come to appreciate BBC's stance a bit more when it's a cacophony of voices riding on its brand name expressing whatever opinion they feel like.
 

Royal Reader

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I don't think BBC's position is entirely without merit. It's easy to sympathize with Lineker's position. But one issue I see is that BBC wants to protect its reputation for political neutrality and the other that if you allow Lineker to freely express a controversial position and engage in day to day politics, this opens the door for other BBC personalities to do so and you give them leverage to run roughshod over the institution. Right now, you may like what Lineker stands for, but in the future you may come to appreciate BBC's stance a bit more when it's a cacophony of voices riding on its brand name expressing whatever opinion they feel like.
I'm very much Team Lineker here. Public service broadcasting impartiality rules only bind BBC employees involved in news and current affairs content. For example, while appearing in a popular BBC sitcom during the 2000s, actress Joanna Lumley was the public face of a campaign to allow Nepalese soldiers who'd served in the British Army to settle in the UK. The beeb also used to show a politics magazine show with Diane Abbott (roughly: British AOC) and Michael Portillo (roughly: British Mitt Romney) as recurring panelists. Andrew Neil, who presented that show and was the BBC's political editor and then their top political interviewer for years, was an extremely vocal supporter of the Bush/Blair wars, and called a newspaper critical of them "The Daily Terrorist" without censure.

It frequently shows comedians who have made direct criticisms of the governments of the day. John Peel was on the radio for decades and everyone knew he was a socialist.

What seems different here is the government has come out and criticised the individual for criticising its policy, and the BBC has pulled him, which seems pretty chilling.
 

fletcherpost

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I don't think BBC's position is entirely without merit. It's easy to sympathize with Lineker's position. But one issue I see is that BBC wants to protect its reputation for political neutrality and the other that if you allow Lineker to freely express a controversial position and engage in day to day politics, this opens the door for other BBC personalities to do so and you give them leverage to run roughshod over the institution. Right now, you may like what Lineker stands for, but in the future you may come to appreciate BBC's stance a bit more when it's a cacophony of voices riding on its brand name expressing whatever opinion they feel like.
The BBC is not politically neutral. They say they are but they're not. You just need ot watch how Fiona Bruce Presents Question Time the flagshib BBC political show to know something is rotten in TV Centre. Nich Robinson was also a card carrying Tory and he was Chief Politcal Correspondent.

Also hoist of the Apprentice and ex Spurs Chairman Alan Sugar is not shy of puttng out a political tweet...he's a Tory too.
 
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JimD

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I don't think BBC's position is entirely without merit. It's easy to sympathize with Lineker's position. But one issue I see is that BBC wants to protect its reputation for political neutrality and the other that if you allow Lineker to freely express a controversial position and engage in day to day politics, this opens the door for other BBC personalities to do so and you give them leverage to run roughshod over the institution. Right now, you may like what Lineker stands for, but in the future you may come to appreciate BBC's stance a bit more when it's a cacophony of voices riding on its brand name expressing whatever opinion they feel like.
They seemed to be fine with Lineker criticizing Qatar during the World Cup, but this is over the line?
 

the1andonly3003

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Peacock no longer free to XFinity customers

Effective June 26, 2023, NBCUniversal will no longer include Peacock Premium with your Xfinity service at no additional charge. To re-subscribe to Peacock Premium starting June 26, say “Peacock” into your Voice Remote.
If you re-subscribe through Xfinity between June 26 and August 25, 2023, you’ll receive Peacock Premium at the discounted rate of $2.99/mo for 12 months.
 

fletcherpost

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Hallelujah !!!! Martin Tyler is retiring?

https://theathletic.com/4618461/2023/06/17/martin-tyler-leaves-sky-sports/?source=user_shared_article

At any rate he is leaving Sky Sports.
And guess who got his job?

The mighty Peter Drury.

BREAKING: Experienced commentator Peter Drury will officially join Sky Sports to cover Premier League football from the 2023/24 season
View: https://twitter.com/SkySportsNews/status/1670379011602624512?s=20
 

SocrManiac

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I wonder who NBC is going to promote or bring in. We’ve been blessed with some great match commentary over the years (as well as the usual dreck).
 

the1andonly3003

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I wonder who NBC is going to promote or bring in. We’ve been blessed with some great match commentary over the years (as well as the usual dreck).
they've simulcasted Sky Sports coverage before...can't they take the Sky Sports commentary over the world feed

Martin was calling multiple matchdays b/w world feed and Sky duties...can see Peter doing the same with NBC and Sky

Drury, who has won multiple broadcasting awards including Football Supporters' Association Commentator of the Year for three of the last four seasons, is already a member of the Comcast family and will continue his role with NBC, also providing commentary on their Premier League coverage.
 

the1andonly3003

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Peter Drury is new voice of Sky Sports after Martin Tyler's exit (telegraph.co.uk)

Drury will, most weekends, commentate on a Saturday game for NBC Sports which has the live US rights for all Premier League games until 2028. He will then take the main Super Sunday game for Sky Sports although there may occasionally be a switch depending on the two broadcasters’ priorities.
so, GW1 we get Drury for the thrilling Newcastle-Villa on Saturday, and Sky puts him on for Chelsea-Liverpool on Sunday

We can't lose with Conor McNamara or Jim Proudfoot on the world feed, or NBC continues to bring in Joe Speight

Maybe NBC can loan Seb Hutchinson from Sky:
As well as Drury, Sky Sports has an experienced team of commentators including Rob Hawthorne, Bill Leslie, Seb Hutchinson, Dan Mann, Gary Weaver and Ian Crocker.
 

SocrManiac

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Are MLS viewership numbers published? It would be wild to see the MLS subscriber bump with Messi’s signing compared to Ronaldo’s league. One more thing for Messi to hold over CR7.
 

ifmanis5

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Are MLS viewership numbers published? It would be wild to see the MLS subscriber bump with Messi’s signing compared to Ronaldo’s league. One more thing for Messi to hold over CR7.
His debut was record ratings. Not sure about the numbers since then.
Link: https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2023/07/messi-debut-ratings-inter-miami-mls-viewership-univision-apple/#:~:text=Friday's Leagues Cup match between,on ABC (1.97M).

Edit: Some MLS numbers here. They are up: https://9to5mac.com/2023/08/10/mls-season-pass-subscribers-double-messi/
 
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the1andonly3003

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The Athletic profiles Peter Drury, who made his home national re-debut today Peter Drury interview: ‘Words are my best friend and worst enemy’ - The Athletic

Most recently, he has been the lead commentator for NBC in America, a role he will continue for this season: Saturdays will be NBC, Sundays will be Sky. Those would, on the surface, appear to be two quite different roles for two quite different audiences, but not so, according to Drury.
Wonder if Drury decides to focus on Sky Sports commentaries next season

Drury is taking over from a man who has been wiping his feet on the mat for as long as most people can remember. Tyler was the voice of the Premier League since Sky started broadcasting it in 1992. For many years he was an expert at finding the right note, navigating the viewer through the game’s flow while anticipating when the action required him to take it up a notch.
Never for Liverpool matches!
 

the1andonly3003

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I see that Julen Lopetegui is the manager of choice as replacement for whoever is on the hot seat: Cooper, ETH. Does this mean Boehly pre-emptively sacks Poch to get the former Wolves manager?