MSP slams delay on Scotland TV matches decision

Hamish Hutchinson • Published 28 Jul 2010 11:10 3 Comments

SCOTLAND football fans will have to continue watching international matches on satellite television after the UK government postponed a review on free-to-air sporting events until 2013.

Ochil MSP Keith Brown described the decision by the Tory-Lib Dem coalition as "disgraceful and disrespectful".

He had previously led the debate in the Scottish Parliament calling for all Scottish international football matches to be shown live on terrestrial television.

An independent commission last year recommended broadcast rights for Home and Away qualification matches in the FIFA World Cup and UEFA European Football Championships should be reserved for free-to-air channels.

However Minister for Sport and the Olympics Hugh Robertson has now deferred implementing the recommendations until 2013 claiming that they would adversely impact sports at grassroots level if enacted before the end of the digital switchover.

He said, "I fully support the principle of protecting major sports events for free to air coverage. But with Digital Switchover concluding in 2012, this will result in the widespread availability of a significantly increased number of television channels, many of which will be free-to-air.

"Add to this the BBC's Strategy Review, which will cover sports rights, and the Ofcom Pay TV Review, the broadcasting context for this decision is increasingly unclear."

It means all of Scotland's home matches will continue to be shown on Sky with rights to away matches sold to broadcasters on an individual basis by the Scottish Football Association (SFA).

The SFA, whose current deal with Sky runs until 2014, feared an annual loss of revenue of up to £12 million had the government added home nation matches to the free-to-air list.

But Mr Brown said the decision means thousands of Scotland fans will remain cut off from seeing their team play on the international stage.

He said, "It is ridiculous that the only way for Scotland fans see their team play is to sign up to satellite or cable TV stations.

"The continued failure of the BBC or ITV to recognise their obligations to Scottish sports fans and to invest in showing Scotland games as they do in other sports such as Formula one is one part of the problem.

"The Tories have ensured that by kicking this issue back to 2013, there will be no change for those fans eager to see the qualifiers for the next European or World Cup.

"This is another disgraceful and disrespectful decision by the Tories and shows why they repeatedly fail to qualify with the Scottish electorate."

A Public Attitudes to Broadcasting survey 2009 published by the Scottish government revealed that 81 per cent of Scots wanted to see Scottish international football games on free-to-air television.

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• 

  Jamie W
  Unregistered User
  Jul 28, 14:58
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  “This is another disgraceful and disrespectful decision by the Tories and shows why they repeatedly fail to qualify with the Scottish electorate.”
  
  Instead of the usual "beating of the party political drum" perhaps Mr Brown should also be ripping into those in charge of the Scottish Football Association in Glasgow who took no time in shaking hands on the lucrative satellite TV deal and reaping rewards from the financial package that was put on the table from the satellite TV deal.
  
  Also a bit of hypocrisy here by the SNP on the Scottish public watching sport on terrestrial TV when a motion by one of Keith Brown's colleagues at Holyrood wanted cricket scrapped from being viewed on terrestrial TV in Scotland (even though it's not even on terrestrial TV!) a number of months ago and followed by the usual furore from the same group at the mention of a possible British football team and a British Lions 7s rugby union side at the Olympics.
  
  And talking of "grass-roots". Perhaps Mr Brown should be meeting with and encouraging his colleagues in Edinburgh to fully implement their schools PE policy throughout Scotland which seems to have gone down the tubes.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 0     No 0

• 

  Bill
  Unregistered User
  Jul 29, 18:51
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  jamie, you forget something mate, there's an election next May for the Scottish Parliament. So our esteemed minister of education is (obviously) going to jump on any bandwagon that comes along, whether its part of his MSP portfoliio or not. Keith Brown is a vaccuous career politician who, like his Westminster cronies, will jump at any chance of having his pic displayed through any medium, in douing so, it ensures people can put a face to the faceless politicians we never see from one election to another!!
  
  Incidentally, is the Chief Executive of Clackmannanshire Council a member of the Labour party or has she been at anytime?? :-))
  
  Recommend?   Yes 0     No 0

• 

  Jamie W
  Unregistered User
  Aug 21, 02:40
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  The SNP spoke only the other week in Holyrood about a deal with BBC Alba which "brings Magners League rugby to Scottish TV screens" in the shape of Glasgow and Edinburgh games.
  
  Much hand-wringing and much back patting, much talking up of this deal but eh......how many people can watch these games on BBC Alba that haven't got SKY television? SKY is the only medium where you'll be able to watch these games as BBC Alba aint available anywhere else!
  
  So I ask Keith Brown why he's so upset about having Scotland football games solely on SKY TV when people can't view them when he and his colleagues patted so many backs the other day at Holyrood on not so many people will be able to see Scottish pro-rugby on SKY TV?
  
  Me thinks SNP politican talk much rubbish to get facey facey in newspaper again!
  
  Recommend?   Yes 0     No 0

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