Football League Show

[Kernow Yellow]

The BBC is set to lose the rights to show Football League highlights to Channel 5.

Which initially horrified me, but thinking about it the BBC treats the Football League (particularly Leagues 1 and 2) with such contempt I don't suppose it will make much difference apart from having to sit (or fast forward) through loads of adverts. Maybe C5 will even broadcast some action when the Championship is having a week off? And 9pm football highlights on a Saturday has got to be a good thing surely (though Mrs KY may not agree)...

[Kairdiff Exile]

Agreed. The BBC have done a really poor job with the FLS. And to not show it on Boxing Day or New Year's Day because of other scheduling priorities is barmy when you look and see that it's just being bumped for old repeats.

The FLS has to be different from MotD because people watch it for different reasons. Does anyone watch the FLS from start to finish? I'd guess not - we all just want to see as much as possible of Our Team, primarily for goals, but also ideally with a bit of insight into how we played. What we definitely DON'T give a toss about is superficial analysis which tells us what we already know about how Our team is doing ("[Manager] has got them playing well", "they're on a bad run"), or pointless space-filling fan e-mails/texts.

Come up with a format that does that and you'll have hit gold. Whether Channel 5 are the broadcaster to do that is another question entirely. Two possible changes to the format though:

1) Scrap the idea of one of two extended highlights games, and use the time to have an extra 30 seconds or so for all the games so you can see more than just goals or sendings-off.

2) At the other end of the spectrum, have extended highlights of just five or six games (with goals of all the others available online instead), making sure that each team gets a roughly-equal number of 'turns' throughout the season. I'd rather see extended highlights of Oxford twice or thrice a year and would probably stay up for it, rather than a short goals clip which tells me nothing of real value about how we played.

[Mr T]

The most annoying thing about the FLS is when it doesn't appear at all, simply because the Championship have a weekend off. I much prefer SKY's FL72 Review programme, broadcast from the SKY staff canteen!

[Kernow Yellow]

Well I finally got round to watching some of the inaugural Channel 5 highlights programme which I'd recorded on Saturday. What a load of rubbish. Why was there so little actual football? Is it because, like their cricket highlights programme (don't get me started on that), they only have the rights to show about 30 minutes of action which they flesh out with banal chat? They played the goals (and nothing else) from our game while some bloke waffled on about the league in general - they didn't mention the goalscorers at all or any other relevant detail. Very disappointing.

I hope we at least get a bit more exposure on the League Cup highlights show tonight but I'm not holding my breath.

[theox]

I agree with KY. It was a terrible show. What is with the current trend of doing highlights shows with live audiences full of idiots lurking just over the presenters' shoulders?! Surely they should learn from the BBC's Wimbledon disaster?

What is wrong with simply showing as much action as you can? If they really want to then they can have a bit of 'expert' analysis/contextual stuff thrown in at intervening periods.

Don't agree about the cricket highlights though - I enjoy that show as it has a good blend of action and analysis. I think this might be because I enjoy analysis in relation to cricket but hate it for football as, with football, it just tends to be coming from an ex-pro who talks in clichés without ever actually giving any knowledgeable insight at all. The same applies to co-commentators on football matches.

[Dr Bob]

Another excellent article from one of my favourite websites:
http://twohundredpercent.net/?p=27643

[Kernow Yellow]

Don't agree about the cricket highlights though - I enjoy that show as it has a good blend of action and analysis. I think this might be because I enjoy analysis in relation to cricket but hate it for football as, with football, it just tends to be coming from an ex-pro who talks in clichés without ever actually giving any knowledgeable insight at all. The same applies to co-commentators on football matches.

My problem with the cricket highlights is the fixed format - they divide it up into morning session, afternoon session and then two slots for the evening session regardless of what action has happened in each. Thus in the last test they fitted us bowling the Aussies out and then batting a bit into the first quarter of the programme, which didn't do the action justice at all, with little or no replays of some of the wickets.

I also have a strong suspicion that some or all of the commentary is added afterwards, ie we are not getting their realtime reactions to the events, which spoils it for me.

[YF Dan]

In defence of the Channel Five cricket show, there are a few things that basically dictate why it pretty much has to be that format, the biggest one being that they are on air at 7pm, usually 30 mins after play finishes. Indeed, they finished on air in one match (Sri Lanka at Lords?) while play was on-going (I think play finished 10 minutes before the end of the programme. Basically, you have to edit in chunks. You can't be dramatically re-editing the morning session while editing the final session at the same time, especially when allowing for advert breaks and contractual rights regarding the amount of play they can use.

In terms of FLT, while I agree that studio audiences are generally pointless, I think everyone would agree that the FLS was a pretty tired format that desperately needed a rejig. Also, turning around highlights from 36 matches, in 4 and a bit hours, is no mean feat. Fitting it all into pretty much an hour, with a bit of chat which you need for balance, is a challenge. Remember, if you give every match a minimum of 2-3 minutes, which every fan would like for their own team, it means the programme would have to be on air much later, and you'd have to wait much long for your team to be on air, sitting though what would seem like hours of missed Oldham chances.

[Snake]

I thought it would be great before MotD as a taster for Linker and Co, but it just jumps all over the place. As for the audience, it’s not Top of the Pops or Top Gear. I never thought I’d miss the boring Steve Claridge and bland Manish Bhasin lulling me to sleep on a Saturday night while I wait for the #oufc clip that usually appears way past the witching hour. Utter crap.

I actually admire the cricket highlights they do. Sometimes the test is still in progress when the prog starts so it must be a ‘mare for the producers to put together.

[Mooro]

First up - please drop the studio audience - this never really works except for Top Gear, and only then because of the slickness ofthe presentation and the fact that they are largely ignored.
Secondly, as a result, please sit down - you don't need to wander around to look dynamic - just look at Soccer Saturday. It doesn't have to be as staid as Manish & Co, but just calm it a little to appear a bit more professional. With two hosts they also have the opportunity to step away from the 'cliches' that the guests bring and potentially add a bit more insight into what is happening.

Hopefully as the season progresses, they can then throw in features on issues which only affect the FL that aren't covered anywhere else on TV/Radio; perhaps some analysis of form tables, and take the opportunity to become more than just a highlights show. Alternatively, launch a second show before the weekend to provide more considered content and then just focus on the highlights Saturday night.

[recordmeister]

Erm, who actually watches a TV show when it is on at its scheduled time, any longer (save for the news)? What is, 2011?!? ;)

Like any sensible person, TV fits around my schedule these days, not the other way around. So no matter how bad a TV is, you have the power to 'fast forward' through as much of it as you like, be it on your recordable TV box or online.

Alt, just save yourself some valuable mins in life and watch OUFC goals on their free YouTube chanel. The idea of a 'football show' simply for highlights and goals, on at a set time for a set length is as moribund as the idea of tube drivers.

Get with future and just watch stuff online when you like, when it suits you, without annoying (boring?) presenters and dusty old formats.

[SWA]

Strange post, I should think many millions watch TV shows at their set times.

[Werthers Original]

I find watching online a bit rubbish, small glitchy screen as against big screen and sofa!

[recordmeister]

You can't beat a big screen, sofa and BBC iPlayer, to watch what you want, when you want it.

[Kernow Yellow]

You can't beat a big screen, sofa and BBC iPlayer, to watch what you want, when you want it.

iplayer, live, whatever, the programme is rubbish. Not even worth recording for the OUFC goals. Unlike the Yellow Player highlights these days - 10 mins of each game In HD quality so far this season. That's worth the subscription alone for an exile like me. Finally some value for money from the PTV contract.