Ten angers Queensland and SA fans with ad error and delayed broadcast for Big Bash match
Network Ten has become the latest broadcaster to feel the ire of sports fans for delaying the showing of the Big Bash League matches in two key markets and interrupting last night’s Super Over in regional Queensland with ad breaks.
Last night’s match between the Melbourne Stars and Sydney Sixers was shown on delay in both Adelaide and Brisbane due to the return of The Project, with many fans learning the result of the match before it had finished airing in those markets thanks to news and social media websites.
Several regional Queensland viewers took to the Big Bash Facebook page directly after the match ended to complain that Ten programmers had also inserted an ad break in the middle of the first ‘super over’, leaving them to miss what happened.
A Ten spokesman said this had occurred due to a “a presentation error made by Southern Cross Ten in Queensland” adding “Southern Cross Ten apologises to viewers for this interruption”.
In Perth the three-hour time difference has led Ten to show the matches on digital HD channel One and then replayed again later on the main channel, but it has delayed the showing in the other capital markets to keep it on the main channel.
Last year both Nine and Seven Networks came under fire from sports fans for failing to show the NRL and AFL finals live in high definition, while Nine’s delayed broadcasts of NRL games has also come in for criticism from sports fans.
The Ten spokesman told Mumbrella the “majority of matches” will be live everywhere, but earlier start times this season had led to the delays in broadcasts for Brisbane and Adelaide.
He added: “The decision to broadcast the Big Bash on one channel in Brisbane was made for production reasons.
“It is Network Ten’s view that for consistency and to stop audience confusion, it is better for matches to be broadcast in full on one channel, rather than splitting it across different channels. Network Ten is always trying to bring matches to as many people as possible.”
Alex Hayes
Perhaps if Queensland joined modern Australia and had daylight savings they wouldn’t have these problems.
Qld. 1 hour and 30 years behind the other Eastern States
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It happened a lot more regularly than just the super over. It happened during regular play and then they went to an ad mid interview with Cam White.
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As a new TV Big Bash cricket viewer in Queensland I was really peeved that at the most nail-biting segment of Monday night’s game, Stars vs Sixers, ie the Super Over where teams play 6 balls each when they have a draw, Channel 10 managed to play 8 ads just before the last ball of the Sixers, then when they did return to the match we sat through the boring interval between team changes. Likewise at the end of the match they let us watch handshakes and crowd shots and then aired 12 ads during the player interviewers.
Bad form!
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What a joke showing delayed telecast of Big Bash. The programming Gurus at 10 are a disgrace to the industry
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Steve, I think you’ll find that all networks do the same… It’s a FTA issue not just Ten. It isn’t right, but it’s an old song and the ear worm usually gets out of the collective heads 24 hours post game. I think Big Bash is more in danger of blow back than most for 2 reasons. 1. It’s the most socially integrated of all the major sports, live tweets are often integrated into the telecast, it’s trending 7 days a week and thus people more likely to 2 screen and notice the lag.
2. Cricket is a truly national sport, pretty much equally loved in all states. AFL & NRL can’t make these claims, although they’re played in all states, neither are strong outside of their traditional states aside from finals. What the BBL and Ten get with that is more eyeballs on one event, that’s crossing more time zones and in prime time. They won’t Multi channel it unless they have no other option, it won’t bring the revenue they need. You say Disgrace, shareholders probably say genius’. Not saying it’s right, but I believe it’s why they do it.
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I don’t care so much about the delayed telecast, I was ropable about the ads being aired at the wrong times … idiots who don’t respect their audiencs or are simply incompetent.
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I think that when contracted out to a network, conditions of the contract should enforce live feed to all states, a respect the game to when ads are shown. Disappointing Ten.
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What annoys me is that there is no response, and an insult to Queenslanders, suggesting that we don’t know how to use a remote to switch between Channel One and Channel Ten when necessary.
Of course it is not a genuine reason, the real reason is that they want to force people to watch The Project as well as the cricket. Wake up Ten, nobody watches The Project, it is dead, axe it now.
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Just to clarify my last comment. People who watch The Project are not interested in cricket, people who watch the cricket are not interested in seeing, ‘comedians’, who are not funny on The Project. Simple – give us the choice. Cricket on One, The Project on Ten, or vice versa.
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Sorry, I don’t want to hog the site, but does everyone realise that we will not even see the final live in Qld?
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I have voted with my remote and turned the tv off. If channel 10 wants to treat Qld fans with contempt I can elect to not watch. This iswhat happens when you have Sydney based tv executives calling the shots – they @#!? Queensland!
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