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.
Gordo
Guest
I live in south Australia I thought we won they oneday cricket and we will not have AFL this year because its on foxtel so much for the workers???
Brain Currathers
Guest
As an Australian I was totaly embarrassed during the award cemomony.Sure Warner played a great innings, single handedly rescused Australia, but didn't. New Zealands David Bracewell did so for New Zealand, his contribution won that Test , 6 for 40!! including prime wickets of Ponting, Clarke and Hussey,that stands above of Warner. It was a disgrace in the way voting was conducted, via Vodafone, it was certainly not a reflection on the outcome of the game.
Philby93
Guest
How does Channel 9 get away with it? Watching the Wallabies v Boks this morning the Boks had a kick for goal and C9 cut to an ad break and we missed the kick... Appalling respect for the viewer.
Reggie
Guest
All the AFL scribers are protective of their patch, they won't show any sport against AFL. We get that a lot in Melbourne never see a Melbourne Storm game at a decent time. AFL is a prime sport in Victoria, still looking over the shoulder in fear of competition.
Phil Osopher
Guest
People are very dumb, and actually like watching those trite shows; Getaway; anything with Eddie over it; they cant get enough of CSI. Why would they bother to disrupt that cosy arrangement? Why do you think the new channells offer nothing new - dopey people are happy with what they have. Free to air has robbed us for years of sport viewing, its not going to get any better. Just get fox or austar, who even they just show whats on free to air because its so popular, but with slightly better sport viewing. The trick is to continuously threaten to disconnect, then they start throwing offers at you which makes it much cheaper. They won't let you go, just keep saying no to their offers and wait for the big guns to give you a call then some decent discounts start coming in. They run at a loss and need customers, not the other way around, and they'll do anything to get them.
Pete
Guest
If they treat the RWC as well as they treated the 2002 World Cup, we're in trouble. We have to remember that they don't buy the rights to be able to show the sport. They buy them to stop other networks showing it. I was keen to see the Eagles games this year (to see how they've come along) but I don't think they'll show any of them.
Gary
Guest
Channel 9s sports coverge is pathetic. In WA the Super Rugby Highlights program is show in the middle of the night when most people are asleep. As a previous correspondent said, use one of the digital channels. We won't miss endless reruns of 30 plus year old sitcoms.
Jeff
Guest
Channel Nine should realise that they don't really want to cover Sports (or at least, not whilest they have old copies of 'Skippy does Dallas' and other such crap to show. Sports administrators need to recognise this and remove them immediately from their options of who gets the rights to show their respective sports. The sooner Ch Nine has NO SPORTS to cover, the better for all Ozzy Sports fans... Ooops sorry I forgot, let them have AFL back, at least they gave that the respect it deserved....
johnno42
Guest
suck it up guys... i have been paying $100 a month to austar since 2004 because back then there was NO rugby on free TV. thats $25 a week... not outrageous, really of course, now paytv has discovered advertising and now i'm paying to watch endless life insurance and tampon adds!!
Guy Smiley
Roar Pro
Ben Carter, I don't like Murdoch any more than you, and I appreciate the moral dilemma to a degree. But I had exactly the same arguments prior to subscribing as you have right now, and I feel it still represents value for money. All those channels I thought I'd never watch I actually do, more often than I thought. Speaking of 7 and 9, I note that 7 are broadcasting Friday night football (Cats v Saints) in regular definition whilst on their '7mate' HD channel we have the crowd-pulling 'Reaper', whatever the f**k that is. Probably not in HD either. We've gone backwards. Even last year's grand final replay was not broadcast in HD.
FunkieD
Guest
Look it comes down to this. Channel 9 pay a lot of money to not show the cricket (and to keep another channel from getting it and doing a great job - a-la SBS Ashes 2005). Australia are so uncompetitive at the moment that Ch 9 only bought the rights on the off chance that we ended up playing better than our form suggested, and then they'd have a gold mine. I'm sure James Sutherland could tell you all the reasons why Channel 9 are so good for the game in Australia and how their continued awesome coverage continually builds the cricket brand. Oh hang on, Right now CA can't even manage to build their brand, what hope that Ch 9 would follow suit. Ch 9 are a disgrace, they will ensure that Rugby have money in their pocket but no coverage to build the game (just as they have with cricket and countless other sports). Perhaps they should rename their show WWODS - Wide World of Delayed Sports.
jamesb
Guest
Channels nines rugby world cup coverage: So lets see, Mark Nicholas would host the coverage, Andrew Voss will be the head caller, Matt Burke will be his co-commentator (from time to time I see Burke on WWOS) and Ian Healy will be on the sidelines. Also if there happens to be a double header on the same day, the second tier commentators will be Eddie "million dollar drop" Macguire, Fatty Vautin, they''ll throw in Nick Farr Jones as a commentator because he sort of played the game of rugby and Tony Greig on the sidelines, just to check out the pitch err the conditions out on the field Exciting,........ isn't it! Still the One!....................Channel 99999999999999999999999999999........................................not!
Ben Carter
Roar Guru
Hi Guy and Chris - for multiple reasons I don't feel like paying Rupert Murdoch any money: cost, inability to choose only the handful of channels I'd actually want and paying for 25+ that I don't care about/have time to watch. Yes, Nine has the rugby World Cup. Yes, I'd prefer Ten/ONE.HD at least. It's pitiful that Seven/Nine in particular still don't bother showing stuff live when they each have TWO other choices of digital channels.
chris mackinnon
Guest
comes down if u want to watch sport properly its foxtel time, im happy to pay 100, iv watched most of the world cup, i get champions league, 4 afl games a week live, plus replays, super rugby union live, the rugby union world cup live, all the socceroo games plus a league what do u get on free to air one hd is good, and all the other channel should be known as sport butchers 7 and 9 are both rubbish
Guy Smiley
Roar Pro
Are you serious? Channel 9 have the Rugby World Cup? That will be a disaster. Clueless tryhards pretending they understand the game, then getting annoyed as it's interrupting the ads. James Brayshaw analysing the All Blacks??? Nightmare looming. Even 10, while not perfect by any means, at least attempt to show some respect to rugby. Anyone but 9. As for the cricket, I consider the $100 per month I spend on Foxtel as some of the best value for money I spend and while I appreciate it's not cheap, I utterly detest the way the FTA channels treat sport, it's transparently obvious they are just riding the back of the cash cow - to point where it'll be hard to to separate the sport from the ads, like the pigs and humans in Animal Farm ;)
jamesb
Guest
SBS does a better job covering sport these days than channel 9
Ben Carter
Roar Guru
Hi EAA - I KNOW! Terrible, isn't it?! No more Gordon Bray! Gasp! :-(
Mick
Guest
C-9 are a disgrace, lucky i saw it onm mate's fox, 9 all other free to air stations have their titles ala wide world of sport, sportsworld etc.. yet the people running these stations do not know sporting events are on outside australia, they should of given it to sbs ala the ashes
Boomshanka
Guest
Channel Nine will never show any decent sport against the AFL. Messers Jeff Browne and Eddie McGuire ensure that the Melbourne game is protected from any competition.
NF
Guest
9 should never touch sport ever again it uses and abuses no matter the sport.