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Channel Nine choosing to show “Getaway”, “Million Dollar Drop” and two hours of “CSI” from 8pm last night instead of the Australian innings of the World Cup quarter-final against India was extremely, extremely, extremely disappointing. There was a time when it was excusable. Not any longer.
Channel 9’s Rugby World Cup TV coverage is here.
In my opinion, it’s also disgusting, outrageous and pathetic. And probably quite a few other choice words that can be said by others.
Cricket Australia’s Facebook page had close to 400 comments on the match, and I’d reckon that close to half during the Aussie dig were brickbats at either Cricket Australia or Nine in relation to the dire broadcast decision.
My step-dad in South Australia had to wait until 11pm for coverage to start (although he was possibly more keen on the AFL season opener between Carlton and Richmond for a bit).
His view? “People are not happy at all…very poor.”
A work colleague and fellow sports fan simply pointed out that it “sucked”. He couldn’t believe Nine would do such a thing.
“Can the cricket rights be taken from them?”, my mate wondered.
Over in New South Wales it was also 11pm until it started, while us Victorian viewers finally got the action from Ahmedabad at 10.30pm, with about 15 overs remaining in the Australia innings.
I sat up until nearly 1.30am Friday just to give myself the 2.5 hours of viewing I’d missed earlier.
In this day of alternative digital channel options, Nine’s decision is simply not good enough. If they had no other place to put the coverage, then some might accept it. Not now. Put it on “GO” or “GEM” – as Jeremy Clarkson from Top Gear would say: “how hard can it be?!”
Like Channel Seven’s inability to either push back “Better Homes And Gardens” beyond 7.30pm to show footy live on a Friday night or screen it on “7TWO” or “7mate”, this smacks, as one Cricket Australia Facebook poster said, of a bunch of people whose main concern seems to be selling fried chicken rather than the sport of cricket.
The AFL is an annual domestic competition. This was our national team – arguably one of our top half-dozen, in fact – playing at a World Cup.
Yes, we used to cop it more often, but no, that doesn’t make it acceptable.
Australia’s Cup opener against Zimbabwe was shown only from 11.30pm. It probably took a switchboard and/or email complaint meltdown from fans before the New Zealand fixture a week later was given the full 8pm-3.30am treatment.
Why does the Australian government and/or Cricket Australia allow it to happen? Why?? WHY??? Ditto for rugby union Tests – hardly the coverage deserved by national sporting teams.
In the bygone days of summers past, there was the usual level of uppity-ness about channel Nine not making way for the good old days of World Series matches from the WACA in Perth because of “National Nine News”, “A Current Affair” or “60 Minutes”.
But this was a World Cup. Quarter final even. With Australia playing co-hosts India. And we’re the defending champs. Shame, Nine. Shame!
And I now fear greatly for the treatment of everyone keen to see the 2011 IRB World Cup from New Zealand later this year… Speak up people! Speak up now.
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