Cricket returns to BBC TV

Without it turning into a fantasy presenter/pundit/commentators thread -

wonder if we may see another 'Lineker situation' with Greg James presenting live winter Australia international coverage for BT Sport, and live/highlights BBC coverage in the summer.

I think what we can be pretty much guaranteed is a line up of commentators who are all ex players, which is a trend which seems to have started with cricket and then spread to so many other sports.

In BBC TV terms you probably have to go back to Peter West for a commentator who was a broadcaster by trade rather than an ex-pro.

Given that BT has got nothing from this ECB auction, I wonder whether they will continue with their studio-based coverage for Australian cricket following this winter's Ashes. I also wonder whether they will seek to renew the contract following its conclusion in a couple of years. It was clear that they pumped money into the production this winter partially as a test-run for the Ashes, but also to show the ECB that they were serious in their proposals. Now that they've got nothing from the ECB, I think that paying the amount they did for studio coverage isn't necessarily a go-er, when they can just throw the Channel 9 programme onto the screen.

I'd personally like to see Mark Chapman front up the BBC's cricket coverage - we all know he's great in front of camera and a brilliant sports presenter, and he really knows his cricket, having previously worked as a cricket journalist in Manchester in his younger days.

It's exciting to have live FTA cricket back again, but the BBC will have to go some to match Channel 5's cricket coverage both in terms of production and scheduling. Their best hope is to get the Sunset and Vine production team across to make their highlights show, but they might prefer to make it in-house. Whatever happens on the production front, it seems unlikely that Mark Nicholas will be a part of it - the BBC like to promote presenters from within - and it will be sad to see Mark Nicholas stop being the face and voice of FTA cricket. I think he's a fabulous commentator and presenter, and it would be very sad for him not to be heard in this country any more.

Think this is great news, slightly surprised they went with Sky for everything pay per view and BBC for everything free to air, the good thing is the BBC can cover Test Cricket, ODI etc. all day on Test Match Special and BBC Sport website and promote the highlights and they already have some commentators ready on TMS that can make the leap over to BBC TV. The advantage the BBC also have is they can promote it across other programmes like they do with the FA Cup like the One Show, Radio 1 etc. I do feel a bit for Channel 5 who took the highlights rights when no one else wanted them and kept them in that slot from 2006-2019 and actually produced a constantly excellent highlights programme.

On scheduling Jonathan Agnew said on the report on the BBC Sport website 'the BBC will show highlights of all England home internationals at prime time.' While they can't show everything in primetime as England have day-nighters but let's be honest it would be a huge step down if the BBC schedule test highlights at 11.20pm on BBC Two after Newsnight compared to the established 7pm Channel 5.



BBC News report also just stated the highlights would be in primetime and I think your right that Mark Nicolas may be gone, he is associated with Channel 4/5 and free to air cricket in general but has never worked for the BBC.

Chappers would be good but he already does MOTD2, NFL, Rugby League & 5 Live Sport, he either would have to drop some of his other commitments or not have any time off at all.

I think they'll go down the Greg James route personally. Whenever knew rights are won they often like to push someone new, and he's BBC talent. Although 2020 is like five years off so we'll see.

Mark Nicholas probably won't be lead host but he but he could well be part of the commentary team.

*buzz*

Pay TV, not Pay Per View - vital difference.

Manish Bhasin has fronted quite a bit of the (limited) BBC cricket coverage in recent years.

Manish Bhasin for me is probably the favourite, he hosted BBC coverage of the 2006/07 Ashes, 2007 & 2011 Cricket World Cup and 2009 World T20 and while he works for Premier League TV World Feed now since the end of the Football League Show he would still have June, July and August free and he hasn't got a regular BBC role at the minute. They have Gabby Logan, Jason Mohammad, Mark Chapman and many others that could host as they have presented a variety of sports programming for the BBC but they could go an unexpected route like they did when Jake Humphrey was appointed F1 host such as Greg James and he was excellent on that.

I wonder if the BBC may try and get rights to the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England, they could use that to test their new presenters and commentators for 2020.



Oops sorry I meant Pay TV

To be fair it's a difference the media often forget.

This is big trouble for BT Sport, it's been clear for several years that this contract was top on their list of wants. To miss out on both packs must be devastating. A full re-appraisal and changes at the top would seem certain. Equally so for BTTV which seemingly might miss out altogether on Cricket if their offering is still restricted to two of SS' channels going forward bearing in mind the new channelisation of SS.

If they wanted it at any cost they'd have got it any cost.

Yeah, if they're only currently offering Sky Sports 1 and 2, it'll probably be Football 1 and the catch-all Sky Sports Arena after the rebrand.