Crown Jewels Shake-Up
The Ashes and other big sporting events could soon be broadcast on free-to-air television channels if a proposed ‘Crown Jewels’ shake-up goes ahead. Crown jewels in this sense are sporting events which are considered to be so important to the UK that they have to be made as accessible as possible to television viewers, which means broadcasting them on terrestrial and free-to-air television channels. Right now The Ashes isn’t on the crown jewels list, but David Davies wants that to change from 2013.
A report published by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport has recommended that three events be removed from the current list of crown Jewel events (the Challenge Cup final, Winter Olympics and Epsom Derby) so that room can be made for new additions. As we have said, one of the propose additions is the Ashes Series, but others include the Rugby World Cup, all England football World Cup qualifiers and Wimbledon.
The proposed shake-up comes after the 2009 Ashes Series pulled in less than two million viewers because it was broadcast only on subscription-based television channels. Earlier Series’ that had been broadcast on free-to-air channels had enjoyed much larger audiences, with more than seven million watching some key matches.
Whilst sports betting fans who enjoy watching events live on television might be pleased with these proposals, not everyone is happy about them. The England and Wales Cricket Board has argued that it should be free to sell broadcast rights to the highest bidder, and that if it is not allowed to do so then it won’t have the money required to invest in coaching – something that could obviously affect the future of the sport quite significantly. The Welsh Rugby Union and other governing bodies have expressed similar concerns.
When the proposal is viewed from that much longer term perspective, the idea of forcing all ‘important’ sporting events to be broadcast on free-to-air channels does seem flawed. Yes, it might make for some cheap sporting viewing over the next few years, but eventually the lower levels of money going back into the sports would lead to lower levels of skill and ability, potentially leaving us with teams that are outclassed by their better financed counterparts overseas. That wouldn’t be good news for the sports themselves or for the viewers, and it certainly wouldn’t be good for sports betting enthusiasts.
Whether the proposed crown jewels shake-up is eventually approved or whether the governing bodies will succeed in retaining the right to sell their wares to the highest bidder remains to be seen, but we think there will be quite a few (possibly heated) discussions over the coming months. Watch this space and we will of course bring you the latest developments as they happen.
Article Published: 21/05/2010 11:56:30
