30/07/2009

Test Cricket Ain’t the ‘Crown Jewels’

A pie chart showing the total broadcasting spe...
Telegraph (UK) reports that “BBC will not call for live Test match cricket to be restored to the A-list of 'Crown Jewel' events protected for free-to-air television”.

For the last year or so BBC’s decision not to bid for broadcasting Test cricket has been a subject of intense debate and criticism.

The BBC has covered Test matches in England for the last 50 years and hence the terrestrial relay of Test matches had an iconic status among cricket fans in England. Therefore, BBC’s refusal to bid, probably due to lack of funds, had many aficionados urging the Government to classify Test match broadcast under the A-list of Crown Jewel events.

By classifying an event as A-list Crown Jewel event, the event is considered too important to be confined to users of cable and satellite TV and hence private broadcasters are restrained from bidding for exclusive rights.

Damningly for Domestic Test cricket in England, the BBC believes that Test cricket fails to justify for addition to the A- list. Instead, it has argued for the inclusion of the finals of ODI World Cup and Twenty20 World Cup. (BTW, there is no mention of this in BBC’s report)

BBC’s recommendations clearly reveal that Test cricket is in its final throes and ODI’s and Twenty20 cricket are set to take its place.

Advertisement

Click on BBC Guide to Cricket commentaries and other classics and buy classic BBC Test match cricket stuff


Enhanced by Zemanta

2 comments:

LVISS said...

U MEAN ,A LEG HERE AND THE OTHER THERE.

Viswanathan said...

Yes, legs spread wide . :)