Today is a great day for Australian sport and modern day sporting TV as Cricket Australia announced the New Cricket TV Deal which sees Foxtel and Channel 7 taking over the broadcasting of Cricket in Australia.
It also signals the death of Cricket on Channel Nein after four decades and more of their coverage.
We say, good riddance.
The Channel Nein commentary – voted as 2016 Jerks of the Year by our readers – had steadily got worse in a direct relationship to the growing absence of Richie Benaud, and once the great man passed away, it had hit rock bottom.
No longer was cricket the main focus,
How many Trivia Questions or Memorable Moments revolved around the commentators themselves. As if they had a requirement to ensure all viewers remembered that they were great cricketers once as well as the current players. And when they weren’t caressing their egos, and discussing their latest golf day or lunch, they were so over the top it was unbearable.
It made watching the cricket unwatchable, which is awfully sad in an Ashes year.
Like most of Channel Nein broadcasting, they didn’t care how little people thought. When challenged on their rubbish they pointed to the experience of the commentary box or the length of service with cricket broadcasting. Their coverage in the end offered very little for the casual cricket fan not in on the in-jokes and banter, and for the knowledgeable cricket followers the on air rubbish just grated.
It was however marginally better than The Cricket Show which polluted the lunchtime break with even more commentator-centric garbage.
So the question is will Cricket be any better on Fox/Seven?
If we’re honest, probably not with Channel Seven. Talk of James Bradshaw being a part of the coverage disappoints, and one can only imagine the plethora of cross promote between balls and overs. The dreaded phrase After the Tennis will be replaced with After the Cricket, but the quality of program will remain. But that’s the price you pay to have the coverage free.
Talking of paying, the big bonus for Cricket fans is that Fox Sports will show it all now, and will no doubt do for Cricket what they did for a sport the last time they stole it off Channel Nein with rugby league. Yes you have to pay, but it will be worth it, and be MKR free.
There even appears to be room for broadcasting of Sheffield Shield. Talking about ticking some boxes for The Gurgler. I guess Fox Sports needed some Summer filler after losing the EPL.
We do feel sorry for Channel 10 losing the Big Bash. They took a risk when they went big on the coverage, and were deservedly rewarded during their years in charge. They also made changes to the way it is broadcast, showing that it doesn’t always have to be the premium players and captains that make the premium commentators. Take Channel Nein for instance, the best commentator is Mark Nicholas, because he doesn’t really have to talk about himself, and has a broad knowledge of cricket from all around the world. If he were to move as part of the coverage, that would be quite acceptable. Certain others less so. One in particular almost a deal breaker.
That deal breaker for the New Cricket TV Deal is of course no surprise to regular readers of The Gurgler. One Michael Slater.
It would be a shame, and almost a waste of money if they switch the coverage from Channel Nein, and allow Michael Slater to be part of the wave. For the love of god, please don’t let Slater come with the new coverage.
We could debate the merits of one over another for the rest of the commentary team, but for us it doesn’t matter if some of the Nein team find a new home elsewhere, as long as it isn’t Slater.
Now we look forward to a return of Summer sloths on the lounge, and hours of Test Match Cricket. And thanks to the New Cricket TV Deal, we can say No to Nein for at least the next six years. Hopefully forever.
Happy days.
