ITV Facing Stiff Competition
ITV are about to lose their monopoly on showing the European Champions League, and the BBC, Sky, C4 and C5 all want a piece of the pie.
ITV are about to lose their monopoly on showing the European Champions League, and the BBC, Sky, C4 and C5 all hope to grab a share of the rights to Europe's highly viewer-friendly premier club competition.
An agreement Uefa reached last week with the European Commission means that, from the 2003-04 season onwards, they will have to sell different packages of rights within each country rather than doing an exclusive deal with one broadcaster, as they have done with ITV since the Champions League began in 1992.
The five packages are likely to be: live Tuesday games; live Wednesday matches; highlights on each night; and a weekly wrap-up. ITV admit they 'will move heaven and earth' to keep the prime Wednesday slot. Have Sky or the BBC the financial muscle to defeat them? Either of them may be happy to land the Tuesday live rights, though the contractual on-air credits for ECL sponsors could pose serious problems for the Beeb, whose charter forbids carrying adverts.
The final result could well be Wednesday games on ITV, Tuesday tussles on Sky, with the BBC, C4 and C5 dividing the highlights between them -- though ITV has its sights set on at least one of them too. Serious negotiations begin after the World Cup.
Is Audley Harisson's failure to win over boxing fans finally making BBC Sport rethink its decision to promote their new hero of the ring as a surefire Saturday night ratings- grabber?
After screening Harrison's first four fights as a pro on Saturday evenings, the BBC showed his most recent bout last month on a Tuesday - and will again transmit his next scrap, due in mid-July, on a week night. So much for the Beeb seeing their £1million investment as someone who would prove that boxing in weekend primetime can be a winner for terrestrial TV.
BBC sources deny a string of laboured performances, such as last month's plodding win over Mark Krence - 11.15pm slot hardly a vote of confidence in the Olympic champion's abilities - is to blame for the fighter's apparent relegation, and cite 'packed Saturday night schedules in July' as the reason.
But viewing figures for Harrison's tussles have dropped faster than some of his dud opponents. The initial 6.3m he got on the first Saturday fell to 4.5m, then to 4m and then to 2.4m, and last month's Tuesday show pulled in just 2.1m. His pulling power looks about as strong as his desire for serious opposition - not very.
An agreement Uefa reached last week with the European Commission means that, from the 2003-04 season onwards, they will have to sell different packages of rights within each country rather than doing an exclusive deal with one broadcaster, as they have done with ITV since the Champions League began in 1992.
The five packages are likely to be: live Tuesday games; live Wednesday matches; highlights on each night; and a weekly wrap-up. ITV admit they 'will move heaven and earth' to keep the prime Wednesday slot. Have Sky or the BBC the financial muscle to defeat them? Either of them may be happy to land the Tuesday live rights, though the contractual on-air credits for ECL sponsors could pose serious problems for the Beeb, whose charter forbids carrying adverts.
The final result could well be Wednesday games on ITV, Tuesday tussles on Sky, with the BBC, C4 and C5 dividing the highlights between them -- though ITV has its sights set on at least one of them too. Serious negotiations begin after the World Cup.
Is Audley Harisson's failure to win over boxing fans finally making BBC Sport rethink its decision to promote their new hero of the ring as a surefire Saturday night ratings- grabber?
After screening Harrison's first four fights as a pro on Saturday evenings, the BBC showed his most recent bout last month on a Tuesday - and will again transmit his next scrap, due in mid-July, on a week night. So much for the Beeb seeing their £1million investment as someone who would prove that boxing in weekend primetime can be a winner for terrestrial TV.
BBC sources deny a string of laboured performances, such as last month's plodding win over Mark Krence - 11.15pm slot hardly a vote of confidence in the Olympic champion's abilities - is to blame for the fighter's apparent relegation, and cite 'packed Saturday night schedules in July' as the reason.
But viewing figures for Harrison's tussles have dropped faster than some of his dud opponents. The initial 6.3m he got on the first Saturday fell to 4.5m, then to 4m and then to 2.4m, and last month's Tuesday show pulled in just 2.1m. His pulling power looks about as strong as his desire for serious opposition - not very.
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