A lot has been made so far of the removal and inclusion of certain sporting events that have been reccommended to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. England cricket home tests have been included on the recommended list of protected sports for free-to-air viewing, while The Derby and our own Challenge Cup final have been removed.
If this list is approved, then that does not mean that the BBC will drop its coverage, it simply means that when the next TV deal is negociated, Sky, ESPN or any other cable or sattillite broadcaster can bid for live coverage of the final. The other preceding rounds are not already protected anyway.
The inclusion of the Ashes and other home tests has infuriated the England and Wales Cricket Board, and they have spoken against the proposed list. Their reason is that they will lose a lot of money they are relying of Sky for their money from broadcast rights. If Channel 4 or the BBC for example, bid for the rights they are afraid they will not get enough money to fund their grassroots programmes.
from a rugby league point of view, Sky don't need to bid for the Challenge Cup rights. Thery are a profit making organisation and make most of their money from selling TV boxsets. In purchasing exclusive TV rights for Super League and Championship games, they already have every rugby league supporter who can afford Sky or cable television. As an expansionist myself, its important to have the Challenge Cup on free-to-air TV to show the rest of the country what a wonderful game rugby league is. We have the best of both worlds currently in that the BBC will show the Challenge Cup nationally and spreading the game nationawide, and we get Sky's money for Super League.
Anybody who says that Sky must have the Challenge Cup broadcast rights is dillusional.
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