keepcricketfree.com

[FreddieFan]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/cricket/4229900.stm

Anyone seen this yet?

I spoke to the (cricket mad) librarian this morning, and we've had a computer on this site all day, as well as posters around school asking people to sign. I'm sure if everybody who agrees with this signs the MP's on our side would win through, the main problem is that most people won't hear about this. People - e-mail your local radio and TV stations, get the message out there!

 

[andrew_nixon]

Although you could also argue that Football is also on Sky and it hasnt stopped people wanting to the Gerrard et al.

FA Cup is still on free to air
World Cup is still on free to air
European Championship is still on free to air
Champions League is still on free to air
Some England games are still on free to air
Football gets saturation coverage on news bulletins and in the press

 

[Off spinner]

I see you've been suckered in by the ECB's spin.

What will happen when the sponsors all realise that they're not getting as much exposure? That's right, the ECB will lose money!

And what happens when there is no "shop window" for the game? The counties will lose money!

And now kids who's parents don't have Sky won't be exposed to the game, so less players in future. Cricket loses again!

This is a lose-lose situation for cricket. It really is sad that the ECB have done this.

How much does that 33 quid fund the ECB? Probably less than ?1 per subscriber.

Well, as an off spinner I like spin!

I think it is an enormous problem of funding versus exposure. Ultimately what will get more kids playing cricket is cricket in schools, not cricket on TV. This needs money because the state definitely won't provide it. So I'm hopeful the ECB will use the money to promote the game at this level. It's no good watching thrilling cricket and dreaming of being Freddie if you haven't got anywhere to play. I developed my love of cricket because it was my school's summer sport and everyone played from age 6.

FA Cup is still on free to air
World Cup is still on free to air
European Championship is still on free to air
Champions League is still on free to air
Some England games are still on free to air
Football gets saturation coverage on news bulletins and in the press

Well you have to accept the fact that, in Britain, football is the game of the people loved by almost everyone, whereas cricket is the game of the select few. I wish it wasn't this way, but that's why you have to pay to see cricket.

Weren't there some astonishing stats on the BBC website showing what a small percentage of people could actually name a member of the England side...?

 

[Stephen Bailey]

Well, as an off spinner I like spin!

I think it is an enormous problem of funding versus exposure. Ultimately what will get more kids playing cricket is cricket in schools, not cricket on TV. This needs money because the state definitely won't provide it. So I'm hopeful the ECB will use the money to promote the game at this level. It's no good watching thrilling cricket and dreaming of being Freddie if you haven't got anywhere to play....

Yes, but you need people who want to be a Freddie Flintoff in the first place. As I said earlier, no players = no grassroots = no cricket. Yes, not everyone gets into cricket through TV, but alot of people do.

Kids during the summer holiday's do alot of sitting around, so on goes the tele and what do they do, flick through the channels. There is every chance one will pick up on cricket on C4 while say a Flintoff or a Pietersen is batting, smacking it aroung, the crowd chanting away, that's instant entertainment and thats what kids love.

You say about how football is the sport the nation loves the most, but then surely cricket needs as much exposure as possible to become more popular (which it has been on C4, who have been getting record viewing figures, more than 8 million at some points, thats alot of people)?

 

[the twin]

FA Cup is still on free to air
World Cup is still on free to air
European Championship is still on free to air
Champions League is still on free to air
Some England games are still on free to air
Football gets saturation coverage on news bulletins and in the press

Here in New Zealand we get one test series a year, about 3 odis, free-to air from Prime, which is an Australian company. Otherwise all we get is a pathetic 1 hour highlights package. Sky dominate here too. Even free-to air rugby is screened about 2hours late, with ad breaks in the middle.

In terms of soccer, Everything is also on sky- English league, Other euro leagues get a game or two each week, European Champs, Internationals (even those involving NZ), world cup.
All free-to-air viewers get is a taste of the world cup, and the olympic final.

Sky has a monopoly of sport in New Zealand, and other broadcasters have to lick their shoes to even show highlights.

So I fully support this petition, we've already gone through it here.

 

[Sureshot]

Maybe next summer though more kids will go their local cricket team during the summer and/or get involved with a team.

 

[Ste]

Here in New Zealand we get one test series a year, about 3 odis, free-to air from Prime, which is an Australian company. Otherwise all we get is a pathetic 1 hour highlights package. Sky dominate here too. Even free-to air rugby is screened about 2hours late, with ad breaks in the middle.

In terms of soccer, Everything is also on sky- English league, Other euro leagues get a game or two each week, European Champs, Internationals (even those involving NZ), world cup.
All free-to-air viewers get is a taste of the world cup, and the olympic final.

Sky has a monopoly of sport in New Zealand, and other broadcasters have to lick their shoes to even show highlights.

So I fully support this petition, we've already gone through it here.

Although with cricket rights in England its hardly the fault of Sky. Channel 4s offer was less than the contract was last time and no other terrestrial broadcasters bid for live rights. The ECB really had no option, the goverment are the ones who should be introducing legislation to keep the matches FTA, but with Channel 4 not that really interested in sport anymore (even wanting to be paid money from horse racing to show it) and ITV i'm sure not willing to get rid of their day time schedule for cricket the only bidder would proberbly be the BBC meaning a massive reduction in the money offered.

 

[tomcress2000]

I wont be signing it. I wouldnt be surprised if the same crap was going on when sky won the rights to live domestic football.
The coverage is excellent and I think very good value for what you get. Without sky when would we get to watch england overseas, or test series from other countries.

I earn bugger all money but i am prepared to sacrifice 1 night out a month to pay for it.

Time will tell of course if it would somehow damge english cricket, but i would very much doubt it.

 

[andrew_nixon]

I wont be signing it. I wouldnt be surprised if the same crap was going on when sky won the rights to live domestic football.
The coverage is excellent and I think very good value for what you get. Without sky when would we get to watch england overseas, or test series from other countries.

I earn bugger all money but i am prepared to sacrifice 1 night out a month to pay for it.

Time will tell of course if it would somehow damge english cricket, but i would very much doubt it.

The issue is about home test matches, not test matches from overseas.

The simple fact of the matter is that there is now no "shop window" for English cricket. Very few people are going to accidentally stumble across cricket, which can only be bad for the game.

And as I've said elsewhere, less exposure for the game means that sponsors will not be willing to pay as much money, which is going to off-set the increase in TV money.

 

[Off spinner]

Time will tell of course if it would somehow damge english cricket, but i would very much doubt it.

I don't think it will either. On my way to work this morning I heard 2 10 year-old boys talking about how great it was that we won the Ashes. Is their enthusiasm worth anything if they can't find a way to get into cricket? The only way they're going to get into cricket is through ECB sponsorship of junior cricket programmes and providing equipment and resources to schools.

 

[andrew_nixon]

I don't think it will either. On my way to work this morning I heard 2 10 year-old boys talking about how great it was that we won the Ashes. Is their enthusiasm worth anything if they can't find a way to get into cricket? The only way they're going to get into cricket is through ECB sponsorship of junior cricket programmes and providing equipment and resources to schools.

But how will the ECB be able to fund extra programs when they start losing sponsorship money?

 

[Stephen Bailey]

I wont be signing it. I wouldnt be surprised if the same crap was going on when sky won the rights to live domestic football.
The coverage is excellent and I think very good value for what you get. Without sky when would we get to watch england overseas, or test series from other countries.

I wasn't aware it was a problem Sky showing the away test series? I for one don't have any problem with Sky showing the away series, they've been doing it for years now. It's also nothing to do with the quality of coverage, which is very, very good.

In some cases Sky has been good for football, but it other ways it hasn't. Spending on the whole has increased to ridiculous amounts, so much so that many clubs are in debt. There are many clubs outside the Premiership right down to those who play non-league football (and probably some in it) that are in debt or potentially going to go out of business. Isn't football suppose to be a sport that has plenty of interest and lots of money in it? How will cricket survive when it is far less popular than football stuck away on pay TV?

Also, as Andrew says, what will happen when the sponser's will want to give less money or withdraw completely because of a lack of exposure?

 

[tomcress2000]

I wasn't aware it was a problem Sky showing the away test series? I for one don't have any problem with Sky showing the away series, they've been doing it for years now. It's also nothing to do with the quality of coverage, which is very, very good.

In some cases Sky has been good for football, but it other ways it hasn't. Spending on the whole has increased to ridiculous amounts, so much so that many clubs are in debt. There are many clubs outside the Premiership right down to those who play non-league football (and probably some in it) that are in debt or potentially going to go out of business. Isn't football suppose to be a sport that has plenty of interest and lots of money in it? How will cricket survive when it is far less popular than football stuck away on pay TV?

Also, as Andrew says, what will happen when the sponser's will want to give less money or withdraw completely because of a lack of exposure?

Who ever said it was a problem Sky showing away test series?

We will see, I dont think cricket will die because its on Sky, infact the complete opposite i think it will grow. Sky is a massive company they will market it and use it as a way to get more subscribers, it wont be in their interests to just hide it away so no one knows its going on. Im certain they will be marketing it in a big way, better than BBC or C4 ever did.

I would like to think the people running the game know what they are doing and certanly have a greater understanding of the difficulties they face than people on a bulletin board, im sure they would have considered the pros and cons of choosing sky and without a doubt would have considered the issues you raise.

These petitions are a total waste of time, they are not going to suddenly cancel the contract with Sky. We will have to wait and see but im very confident that there is nothing to worry about.

 

[Stephen Bailey]

Who ever said it was a problem Sky showing away test series?

Sort of miss understood what you said, sorry about that!

We will see, I dont think cricket will die because its on Sky, infact the complete opposite i think it will grow. Sky is a massive company they will market it and use it as a way to get more subscribers, it wont be in their interests to just hide it away so no one knows its going on. Im certain they will be marketing it in a big way, better than BBC or C4 ever did.

Not denying the attention and marketing Sky will give it, but you still won't find many children who will stumble across cricket through TV.

I would like to think the people running the game know what they are doing and certanly have a greater understanding of the difficulties they face than people on a bulletin board

Which is why they appointed a county chairman (Giles Clarke) to head the negotiations?

These petitions are a total waste of time, they are not going to suddenly cancel the contract with Sky. We will have to wait and see but im very confident that there is nothing to worry about.

Not if this one does what it is aiming for, to get the major home test series of the summer put on the A-list of sporting events. I to hope there is nothing to worry about, but, there seem to be thousands of people (inc. myself and others on here) who seem to disagree with that.

 

[andrew_nixon]

We will see, I dont think cricket will die because its on Sky, infact the complete opposite i think it will grow.

So you think a sport that has less exposure will become more popular? How does that work?