Another Celtic blank from BBC Scotland

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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