Match of the day

[Monts]

No, not another scores posting thread.

Have the BBC ever come out and said why it feels paying so much for the English football rights is value for the license payers?

They paid £204 million for a three year contract, that wasn't contended by anyone else.

They also pay Gary Linekar £2m per year just to present it.

Meanwhile, in Scotland they grudgingly paid £1m for the rights to show highlights, and produce such a poor standard of show it devalues our game.

[Iain G]

No, not another scores posting thread.

Have the BBC ever come out and said why it feels paying so much for the English football rights is value for the license payers?

They paid £204 million for a three year contract, that wasn't contended by anyone else.

They also pay Gary Linekar £2m per year just to present it.

Meanwhile, in Scotland they grudgingly paid £1m for the rights to show highlights, and produce such a poor standard of show it devalues our game.

As a licence payer, and someone who doesn't have sky or BT Sport, I am quite happy that they spent that money on the Premiership highlights package as it lets me watch highlights of all of the games.

Its the going rate I suspect, Scottish football hardly has a lot of clamour for highlights package buyers in the media world. I suspect there would be more of an outcry against them paying over the odds for Scottish football coverage given the lack of competition to screen the matches?

[CockneyRebel]

No, not another scores posting thread.

Have the BBC ever come out and said why it feels paying so much for the English football rights is value for the license payers?

They paid £204 million for a three year contract, that wasn't contended by anyone else.

They also pay Gary Linekar £2m per year just to present it.

Meanwhile, in Scotland they grudgingly paid £1m for the rights to show highlights, and produce such a poor standard of show it devalues our game.

I think they pay the money for a product that is better than the Scottish one. They don't put money in to improve the product, they just buy into it. Unless or until Scottish football becomes watchable UK wide then they won't pay big bucks for it. Chicken and egg and catch 22 I agree but I feel that's where it's at.

[Lago]

No, not another scores posting thread.

Have the BBC ever come out and said why it feels paying so much for the English football rights is value for the license payers?

They paid £204 million for a three year contract, that wasn't contended by anyone else.

They also pay Gary Linekar £2m per year just to present it.

Meanwhile, in Scotland they grudgingly paid £1m for the rights to show highlights, and produce such a poor standard of show it devalues our game.
We had an extensive debate on this not long ago and the general consensus was its down to market forces, and lots in Scotland enjoy watching it, me included.

[dangermouse]

It's a much more enjoyable and informative programme than the joke that is Sportscene.

[Onceinawhile]

It's a much more enjoyable and informative programme than the joke that is Sportscene.

It has to be otherwise they'd struggle to justify spending 203m more!

[Monts]

It's a much more enjoyable and informative programme than the joke that is Sportscene.

I'm sure if 60 million was thrown at sport scene it would be as enjoyable

[HIBEES 4 LIFE]

I'm sure if 60 million was thrown at sport scene it would be as enjoyable

Would it? I would very much doubt it, the (sub) standard of the football on Sportscene will always be rubbish. However much English football is overrated, especially by the English media, its certainly 200 times more entertaining than the Scottish Premiership. Which is complete dross!!

The standard of football in Scotland is awful, we just need to accept that.

[Lago]

:top marks
Would it? I would very much doubt it, the (sub) standard of the football on Sportscene will always be rubbish. However much English football is overrated, especially by the English media, its certainly 200 times more entertaining than the Scottish Premiership. Which is complete dross!!

The standard of football in Scotland is awful, we just need to accept that.

[Monts]

Would it? I would very much doubt it, the (sub) standard of the football on Sportscene will always be rubbish. However much English football is overrated, especially by the English media, its certainly 200 times more entertaining than the Scottish Premiership. Which is complete dross!!

The standard of football in Scotland is awful, we just need to accept that.

So an extra £60m in the Scottish game would have no effect on standards?

[Joe's ice cream]

So an extra £60m in the Scottish game would have no effect on standards?

Well how would you suggest 60 million should be spent/distributed and can you quantify the direct impact that would have on our game?

[Monts]

Well how would you suggest 60 million should be spent/distributed and can you quantify the direct impact that would have on our game?

It would be distributed the same way the BBC money is distributed now, just 59 times more.

[Pete]

Would it? I would very much doubt it, the (sub) standard of the football on Sportscene will always be rubbish. However much English football is overrated, especially by the English media, its certainly 200 times more entertaining than the Scottish Premiership. Which is complete dross!!

The standard of football in Scotland is awful, we just need to accept that.

More of this type of self promotion would definitely help our game

[Scouse Hibee]

So an extra £60m in the Scottish game would have no effect on standards?

Like a tap dripping into the ocean.

[Carheenlea]

I don`t watch either Match of the Day or Sportscene. Don`t follow or have any interest in English football and if the Hibs are on Sportscene it gets recorded and fast forwarded to that segment. I gave up with it as it was a programme I was enjoying less and less as it deteriorated badly down the years. If Sportscene was a more interesting and engaging than what it is at the moment, I`m sure I would tune in every week to watch.

[jacomo]

Like a tap dripping into the ocean.

Don't be silly. It would be a massive boost to club finances in Scotland.

[Alfred E Newman]

Would it? I would very much doubt it, the (sub) standard of the football on Sportscene will always be rubbish. However much English football is overrated, especially by the English media, its certainly 200 times more entertaining than the Scottish Premiership. Which is complete dross!!

The standard of football in Scotland is awful, we just need to accept that.

Great stuff!
If you were talking about quality there might be some value in your comments but I could watch an East of Scotland League game on occasion that was more "entertaining " than say a Spurs v Arsenal game played the same weekend.

[Scouse Hibee]

Don't be silly. It would be a massive boost to club finances in Scotland.

The question was would it improve standards,I don't think 60 million would improve the standard of scottish football on the pitch. 80 million couldn't improve Liverpool :-)

[jacomo]

The question was would it improve standards,I don't think 60 million would improve the standard of scottish football on the pitch. 80 million couldn't improve Liverpool :-)

As I've just replied to you on another thread - Liverpool's net spend this summer was way less than £80m.

And yes, no guarantees, but generally speaking in football and in sport: more money = higher performance. £60m a season would be colossal to Scottish clubs.

[Scouse Hibee]

As I've just replied to you on another thread - Liverpool's net spend this summer was way less than £80m.

And yes, no guarantees, but generally speaking in football and in sport: more money = higher performance. £60m a season would be colossal to Scottish clubs.

60 million a season is different than the 60 million one off I was referring to when someone suggested throwing 60 million at something hence my reply.

[jgl07]

Don't be silly. It would be a massive boost to club finances in Scotland.
Except that two thirds of it would probably go to Rangers and Celtic.

[O'Rourke3]

£60M more into Scotland is likely to be distributed along the lines of £30M to The Rantic regardless of the league either team is in. 15M to the 8/10/or 12/14 teams in the top league. £5M to everyone else(incl grass roots) plus a negotiation fee for the SFPL for "Prize money". The 8/10/12 etc will piss it up a wall trying to entice foreign stars rather than use home grown talent. At some point the money will stop .....

[Diclonius]

So an extra £60m in the Scottish game would have no effect on standards?

I suspect £55m of it would go straight to Glasgow Celgers.

[Malthibby]

No interest in English football so think how poor I think the value is - £200mln is obscene.

[jacomo]

Except that two thirds of it would probably go to Rangers and Celtic.

Probably true.

[Onceinawhile]

Would it? I would very much doubt it, the (sub) standard of the football on Sportscene will always be rubbish. However much English football is overrated, especially by the English media, its certainly 200 times more entertaining than the Scottish Premiership. Which is complete dross!!

The standard of football in Scotland is awful, we just need to accept that.

Perhaps if it also had another channel throwing circa £1bn at it and ensuring the marketing made it "the best/most exciting" it would be.

[Monts]

The English game is largely where it is because of the TV money it generates.

Why would Scottish football not improve of it has similar (proportional) TV money?

[SunshineOnLeith]

Well how would you suggest 60 million should be spent/distributed and can you quantify the direct impact that would have on our game?

Give it all to Hibs, obviously.

[CallumLaidlaw]

Would it? I would very much doubt it, the (sub) standard of the football on Sportscene will always be rubbish. However much English football is overrated, especially by the English media, its certainly 200 times more entertaining than the Scottish Premiership. Which is complete dross!!

The standard of football in Scotland is awful, we just need to accept that.

200 times better?? Deary me. No wonder our game is thought so poorly of when we talk it down ourselves. Some of the best games so far this season that I have watched on TV have been from the Scottish Prem - Dundee Derby springs to mind. Meanwhile some of the games between the big guns in England end up dreary affairs as they are too afraid to lose.

[flash]

What a depressing thread. Right enough I can't wait to watch dross like Aston Villa, Liverpool etc.
Even teams at the top like Chelsea rarely entertain.
I found the highlights of Aberdeen St Johnstone just as good as any game down south this weekend.

[flash]

And of course you have thousands of folk up here who would rather sit on their couch knocking one out watching other people watch matches than actually go and support Fitba in their own country.

[CallumLaidlaw]

What a depressing thread. Right enough I can't wait to watch dross like Aston Villa, Liverpool etc.
Even teams at the top like Chelsea rarely entertain.
I found the highlights of Aberdeen St Johnstone just as good as any game down south this weekend.

:top marks

[Danderhall Hibs]

I found the highlights of Aberdeen St Johnstone just as good as any game down south this weekend.

Cameraman nearly missing the 2nd goal wasn't great though!

[weecounty hibby]

What a depressing thread. Right enough I can't wait to watch dross like Aston Villa, Liverpool etc.
Even teams at the top like Chelsea rarely entertain.
I found the highlights of Aberdeen St Johnstone just as good as any game down south this weekend.
100% right. I was down ata Newcastle v Chelsea match a couple of seasons ago through a hospitality invite and it was total dross. It was 0-0 at half time and seriously if you didn't know better you could have been watching a game in the Scottish top division. The game ended 2-0 to Newcastle and that was the only thing that made it entertaining.
I then got talking to two Scottish guys ho had been at the game in the train station who were banging on about how **** Scottish football is. I asked if they went to any games in Scotland and they said no as it was rubbish they came down to various matches in england. I pointed out that what we hadwatched was one of the worst games I had ever seen and that Scottish football would never get any better when folk like them would rather spend money travelling to and paying for English football. They didn't get it unfortunately

[worcesterhibby]

while the money spent on buying the TV rights may be market forces, the BBC should provide the same standard of coverage of both the English and Scottish game...the English game has more cameras, much better production values and much more promotion of the product via the BBC. By all means spend the least you can to buy the rights, but you should then spend the same amount on delivering the highlights. IMHO this would improve Sportscene greatly and sell the Scottish game more.