2017-18 Ashes on BT Sport not Sky

Sky have so blown their budget on Premier League footy that they were unable to match the BT bid to Cricket Australia for rights to matches down under.

5 year deal of £350 million, beginning with the series v UnZudders in November.

Link here

I'm getting hacked off at this BT/Sky thing.

I have access to Sky so now can't watch Champions league and half the big premiership games. I watch La Liga (Sky) and CL (now BT) mainly and Premiership games at the pub so would need to pay for both.

Now this. Absolutely fleecing sports fans. It's a joke.

Yeah definitely. I only got sky because of the cricket. Absolute shocker.

And they give it this - but BT sport is free if you get broadband with us. Which means changing providers and paying BT line rental.

It's not like any of this is cheap. And people complain about the bloody license fee which is incredible value for money in comparison.

I do sympathise. I'm not a great football fan tbh, and I could rarely justify the cost of Sky Sports for the amount I'd ever watch.

Luckily I'm with Virgin media and get BT sport free ..... but that could still change of course.

Oh is it free with Virgin? I didn't know that. Might have to go with them then. Just to avoid being strong armed into signing up with BT tbh.

£5 a month on top of your Sky sub if you have BT Broadband - I've just knocked BT Sport back - I'm paying enough as it is.

Do compare all options though Lara, as Sky is an optional extra with Virgin .... the saving may not be huge if you have the lot.

Cheers Growler. My plan was to give give my Sky Go ID to a friend in return for his BT sport app login. Then watch on laptop/iPad. Not the same really but the cheapest option!

Aw f*ck this shit.

Lara Lara Laughs wrote:Cheers Growler. My plan was to give give my Sky Go ID to a friend in return for his BT sport app login. Then watch on laptop/iPad. Not the same really but the cheapest option!

The BT sport app is the worst thing around. Laggy and poor video quality. You're better off finding 'other' means to watch BT's coverage

It's not just the fact that I'm going to have to pay extra, it's the fact that Sky's coverage is streets ahead any else... Ally that to the fact that it's likely to be a ceremonial blowbang... is it worth even thinking there's English cricket on that winter? May just give it up. The only thing it's good for is Jingle Bails Advent Calendar material.

It's probably good that DSTv has a virtual monopoly here.

Perhaps I'm being naive, but it seems strange that BT would pay so much for the rights to games that start at midnight UK time, with each day finishing at 7am.

Hardly peak hour, ratings-winning TV.

Rumour has it that BT Sport has signed up its commentary team already.

Willis, Botham, Blofeld, Hodge, Slater, Maher, Nick Knight, Nicholas, Danny Morrison are all on board. Charles Colville will do the continuity. Atherton has been kept on a retainer to deliver the smart withering comments.

It's going to be a feast.

They'll get Michael Owen in there somewhere.

I was going to say, the absolute state of some of the football pundits on BTs 'expert' team. James Richardson is by far the best football presenter on any channel, anywhere and they barely use him (I hear, not watched much BT).

The two Owens - Michael and Hargreaves. Pure gold. Impossible to wring a single memorable opinion or insight out of the pair of them.

Until this season, anyway. Michael's stepped up his game with this pearler: "He's a footballer, isn't he?"

Memphis Depay, consider yourself thoroughly analysed.

It's because he's pretending to like football. Everyone knows he's always preferred his horses. Owen basically retired at 29 when he decided to happily sit on Utds bench for the rest of his career. No-one who loves football would do that.

PeterCS wrote:Rumour has it that BT Sport has signed up its commentary team already.

Willis, Botham, Blofeld, Hodge, Slater, Maher, Nick Knight, Nicholas, Danny Morrison are all on board. Charles Colville will do the continuity. Atherton has been kept on a retainer to deliver the smart withering comments.

It's going to be a feast.

Now there's a joke and then there's just going too far.

No Stuart Macgill?

According to The Telegraph, BT are sniffing around the rights to the Pakistan series in the UAE