Trinidad v Iceland on BBCi

Yet none of it on BBC3 or BBC4. What is the point? I only found out about this a few minutes ago, and there is no presentation at all from the BBC, just a BBC Sport logo, so I don't even know the score!

Seems a very random thing to televise, especially as there are so many repeats on BBC3. Why not put it on there?

I'll never understand the Beeb!

There appears to be the score and commentary on the Freeview feed.

It appears to be a very last-minute thing - the gfx indicate the BBC is not host broadcaster, one assumes it is the T&T home broadcaster. T&T are in England's group for the World Cup, it is a friendly between two minor nations so one would deduce it does not warrant prime BBC airtime.

Although it does lend weight to the argument for a BBC Sport Channel, as does the non-nationwide coverage of the Welsh Open Snooker, the infuriating wall-to-wall coverage of the Winter Olympics, with (Shelley Rudman and curling aside) no interest for British viewers, etc. etc.

It's not the fact it's being shown that I object to, I just find it a bit odd how they've (presumably) paid for this game, yet are sticking it on BBCi with no advertising, where few people will see it.

Good point about BBC3, they seem to care so much about the African Cup but somehow the World Cup isn't important enough.

it's not the World Cup though is it? just a friendly albeit involving one of England's group.

Oops! I misread Alexia's post, apologies. Still, it's live sport with terrestrial rights, should be on a proper channel.

Me back.

Issue 1: Advertising. Big (i) window on BBCi bridge accessed by pressing red button on BBC channels.

Issue 2: Channel. Obviously last minute deal but importance (or non-importance) of match did not warrant a (or was impossible to) re-schedule of programmes on BBC 1-4.

Issue 3: Use of BBCi: no different to Sky Sports burying their muli-match champions league coverage on a red button option. (Occasions where Rangers/Celtic/other clubs not Man Utd have suffered this ignominy)

TBH anyone who wanted to really badly watch a game involving a team which with no disrespect intended are going to probably finish their World Cup group matches with a Pld 3 Won 0 Lost 3 record versus Eider Gudjohnsen and a bunch of neo-Norse fisherman will be at Loftus Road.

well it is actually as Sky Sports have mastered the act of promoting their interactivity to the point of nausea. Also, the red button on Sky comes as part of the programme rather than an isolated option like tonight's game on BBCi.

hmmm interesting, it reminds me of the last-minute grandstand opt out by bbc west and bbc midlands in late 2004. in that case it was commendable of them to make the effort to show the local rugby match, but a) the opt out point went all wrong and b) ended up being shown cropped 16:9 > 14:9, where with a little more planning that could have been widescreen for all, and c) it never got put on bbci for viewers in the rest of the country, which would have made sense.

Seemed a very bizarre thing to show.


And as for a BBC Sport channel - the BBCi arrangement works so much better as they only have to operate it when required.

That said though they could have easily put coverage of the Wales Snooker Open on BBCi this week.

Interesting that... the BBC not being the host broadcaster and yet the match was being played just down the road from them at Loftus Road!