I haven't done the research to check if these stats are correct but they are what i've just read. The BBC have just renewed their contract to show MOTD. The have paid more for highlights of the premier league than ITV are paying to show the champions league which gets higher viewing figures. They have paid more to show highlights of the premier league than they were paying to show EVERYTHING F1. The races live, highlights, qualifying live, practice sessions on the red button etc. A package that they dumped saying they could no longer afford it. Despite it getting more viewers than MOTD and winning them awards for their coverage. They are paying £60m a year for these HIGHLIGHTS, sky are paying £69m a year for 75 domestic games LIVE. They are paying more just for these highlights than channel 5 have for their entire sports budget for the year. They have spent £180 MILLION on these highlights which in real terms means over 1.2 MILLION households TV licence fee has just been blown on this ONE programme and that is before the production costs and obscenely high presenters wages costs are taken into account. The total cost of the BBC showing the highlights in the new deal will mean that the TV licence of every household in the whole of yorkshire will be swallowed up by the match of the day. Is this an acceptable way for the BBC to spend money in the current economic climate and while they are talking of making huge cutbacks in other areas such as local radio?
I think your figures on how much Sky pay are way off http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/feb/04/sky-premier-league-coverage-deal
They've got a package at £69m a year to show 75 live football league games I think. At least that's what I read anyway. £69m to show 75 live football league games or £60m to show just the highlights of premier league games? I know which one I think offers the best value to real football fans.
Re: I think your figures on how much Sky pay are way off I meant the football league, carling cup, play-offs and johnstones paint trophy. http://news.sky.com/home/business/article/15966292
But that says £195M and it's obviously not as valuable as Premier League rights, whatever we may think of it. Either way, it's silly money just to have the privilege of putting some cameras at the games. £1billion for PL rights. It's madness. Time to invent another sport I think. License to print money. This time next year we'll be millionaires, Rodders.
hmmmm I do like the bbc highlights ST. I will watch them through out the day but watch them on MOTD too.