Public service
Tomorrow night’s Celtic-Sporting Braga Champions League qualifier will go largely un-noticed by BBC Scotland.
As well as no live television coverage or highlights package there won’t be any live radio commentary of the match.
Celtic’s decision not to screen the match live is understandable, the BBC’s decision not to offer radio commentary or television highlights is harder to reason.
In an unusual move the BBC have decided to comment on the radio decision claiming that Celtic ‘declined to make broadcasting rights available for the clash.’
Without knowing the ins and outs of the case I don’t imagine that Celtic were demanding silly money for radio commentary of the match.
Last season’s qualifier with Dynamo Moscow had live radio commentary and it’s a long time since anyone claimed that live radio commentary had any effect on attendances.
Readers of a certain vintage will remember how in the distant past radio stations weren’t able to publicise which match they would be providing second half commentary on although the background music in the preview was usually a bit of a giveaway.
BBC Scotland seem to be adopting a fairly relaxed nature to their football coverage this season. Last week, despite Celtic, Hibs and Motherwell all playing away ties in European competitions there wasn’t any radio coverage from any match with the decision not to televise the Braga-Celtic match equally strange.
Football fans in Scotland do seem to be getting especially short changed by the BBC. English Premiership highlights are shown on Match of the Day with ten Championship matches being shown shown live.
For Champions League football you have to tune in to Sky Sports or ITV whilst the Europa League coverage is split between Channel 5, ESPN and ITV.
Scottish viewers will be able to watch two live Scottish Cup ties plus the Scottish Cup Final with BBC Alba, for those that have access to the service covering some Scottish League matches live.
The BBC have a difficult balancing act to provide a public service in a commercial world, clearly they can’t compete at the top end with Sky for live Premiership or Champions League football.
However their Football League coverage shows that there is scope, and an audience, for football outwith the bright lights of the Premiership giants.
Scottish license payers have to wait until Monday evening to get a glimpse of weekend highlights although some highlights are available on-line on Sunday.
By failing to provide radio or television, what would be wrong in showing a 20 minute highlight show of the Celtic-Braga tie? the BBC are failing to provide a service of interest for a good number of people.
Coverage of the Celtic match would have attracted Rangers fans hoping that Celtic would fail just as Celtic fans enjoyed watching Walter Smith’s Champions League campaign last season.
When the BBC decide that Champions League ties aren’t worth re-investing the license fee in, license payers may start to wonder and question what they are getting for their hard earned money.
Radio commentary of the Motherwell- Aalesunds match has very limited appeal but will be broadcast tomorrow night.
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Celtic withheld ALL broadcast rights.
Nothing to see here; move along
i think it is a stupid thing to do celtic want the fans over to watch the match but instead of putting it on tv people havent the money to get over to watch the match even thow the fans would love to get over and cheer the team on they think if they dont put it on tv the fan would go over how wrong are they they are pushing the supporters away you would of thought after last year they would do everything they can to get the suppoters on there side but that will not happen now
I for one is glad there is no coverage. It is about time “fans” got back supporting “their” team from inside the stadium rather than inside the pub. Players can’t hear you getting behind them when you are in the pub.
We have known since the end of the season that we would be playing on these dates so they could have saved up for their ticket for the game. No money is a poor excuse for not going to see Celtic but how come they have the cash to go to the pub to watch them.
Joe…you’re forgetting…the mighty rangers aren’t involved….they’re the ones to follow follow if you want to see them on BBC Scotland for goodness sake…..( or were you too polite to say )…this mob needs investigated.
wonder how much the beeb spent a couple of years back on that wee jaunt to lithuania for the kaunus game against their own mob ? now that was worth every penny of the license fee alone !!!!
I have just complained to BBC – no point moaning amongst ourselves.
Here is the weblink. Flood them with complaints and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/complaints/forms/
There are some of us who are too far away to make it up to the game for a Wednesday night, but that obviously makes us “rubbish” fans, I don’t remember them having a low turn out for CL games when Sky broadcast the games previously
Are you all cerebrally challenged or just looking for a focal point for your frustration?
I’ll say it again just so it sinks in, lhads: Celtic have withheld ALL broadcast rights – TV and radio – from tender to ensure a full house on the night.
If you’re looking for someone to gripe to then look no further than the club itself.
Personally, I think you’re all a bunch of moaning windbags who like nothing better than a good moan about a percieved injustice because it fuels your intellectualy flawed notion that there’s some sort of establishment conspiracy against us.
Btw, is the BBC not slated in the right-wing media for being to leftist? And are we not a leftist leaning club? Conspiracy indeed! Get a grip!
Thanks for your comments TK, it’s great to get a thoughtful structured argument from yourself.
Your use of the word ‘us’ wasn’t very convincing.
Rest assured that we’re all looking forward to the wall-to-wall coverage of the Champions League group stages wondering if Walter Smith will alter his tried and tested 4-1-4-1 formation
Talk about proving my point. Well done, Joe, you played a blinder. Listen up, Einstein. There were no broadcast rights for the Beeb to tender for – either TV or radio – because the club didn’t put them up for tender. Therefore there is no conspiracy to deprive OUR fans of coverage unless it’s by the club itself.
Now if pointing out that glaring inaccuracy in your article makes me a hun in your mind then so be it; I’d rather be thought a Hun by some dimwit without the intellect or maturity to question his warped, one-sided world view than be that said dimwit.
There nobody hiding under bed ya silly old fool.