The hypocrisy of the BBC and its stance on Boxing

bingo


all it would take would be 1 show to go down the shitter, then 1000s of public money with it and the backlash would begin

 

What boxing could they show you tards?

******, Matchroom & Hennessy are all tied up and the rest are worthless....

 

A good piece, but the conclusion is a little presumptuous and seemingly more based on opinion than facts. Is the BBC really responsible for killing the sport in the mainstream?

Personally, I believe Sky and the decision to move the entire sport to its platform has more to do with its marginalisation.

 

Perhaps you should lead the charm offensive to get the sport back on the channel? atsch


As mentioned the Beeb do not need the hassle, the sport costs too much and the ratings do not justify the expense.

The sport needs to learn to survive on gate money rather than thinking TV will bring in big money.

And the modern boxing fancy need to support this policy, if they want the sport to grow.

 

I didn't read the reply, actually. Don't assume silence is an answer with me - it's just likely I got distracted by something shiny.

Why did ITV and the BBC leave. Boxing was doing well on the former right up until Sky offered better money. That's why boxing left ITV, not because it got sick of broadcasting something that got it huge viewing figures on Saturday nights.

I've had this debate many times. I'm a little fed up of it. I love boxing, but there are senior people at the Beeb who just don't like it, or it's main voice in the UK. The Board has made little effort to mend those fences either.

The licence fee... well, it's not a huge amount when you consider that pays for:

Four channels
Numerous radio stations
The best website in the history of the internet
iPlayer
Some of the best documentaries ever made
Children's education
And so on.

Yeah, it sucks that boxing isn't on there, but we get a lot for our money. Blame Sky (who charge well over the odds for much less unique content - about £300 a year, including screening BBC and ITV, btw) for swiping all the sport by pricing everyone out.

Yet I suspect you'll give them a pass...

 

Excellent article, really enjoyed reading :good

However the BBC has shown amateur boxing in the last couple of years if I remember (might be wrong).

Showing pro boxing on the BBC would be great, but I think highlighting the amateur scene, potential Olympic success and the introduction into schools will make for a more positive future for the sport.

The way the current professional code is run is too crooked and inept to ever make a mainstream comeback. Similar to certain other former media giants like the record companies/ music industry, the people in charge are living in the past. Perhaps refusing to support this business model could prove to be a good thing.

 

Last big live fight on the BBC was Lewis/Rahman I- the BBC were going to screen the rematch but the price was too steep for them (about a million quid).

The BBC could screen major fights if they wanted to but clearly spending £250k plus per fight is unsustainable when the licence fee is being cut for an audience of less then a million in the middle of the night.

Another reason why the BBC can't really show domestic boxing is that schedules on a Saturday are so packed- talent show at 7-8 followed by the lottery (which they have to show at length) followed by Match of the Day (which has to be shown at a certain time) followed by the Football League show leaves no room for boxing at all.

If the BBC lost the rights to the football highlights I could see boxing making a comeback on a Saturday night as a marquee event.

Channel 5 have shown that FTA boxing does work and if Boxnation does go South a certain promoter will have the choice of just two feasible options for his fighters- ESPN or ITV. I'd say ITV would win out in such a scenario because of their reach and history in boxing.