16 February 2010

BBC bidding for future sports rights

Should the BBC be bidding large amounts of licence fee money for exclusive coverage to sporting events? After reading this article on Digital Spy I was slightly confused by the "fair market test on the sports rights" that the BBC are sending out to an independent consultant firm. This seems madness, they must have some staff who can make that judgement, and even if they get a recommended figure, would that be accurate anyway? These bidding processes are notoriously unpredictable, with rival bidders paying much higher amounts than the second and lower bidding group. This example illustrates how the BBC can "overestimate the commercial value" of certain sporting rights.

The sports rights within the UK bring in vast commercial and public broadcasting revenue, as this report confirms, the annual value of the top ten sports rights within the UK is £1.3bn. The report by Ofcom also brings to our attention the domination of the Premier League. It is valued greater than all the other individual football tournaments and sports themselves who make up the top ten.

The report confirms the difficulties the BBC face when determining how much to bid for individual broadcasting licences, it is a minefield; however the detail within the Ofcom study allows anyone with half a brain to work out the relative values based on perceived growth and potential viewers, balanced alongside the 'public service broadcasting' principle the BBC is duty bound to uphold. It should not be outsourced to a private consultancy firm. Decide for yourselves, but I do hope they manage to bring the cricket back to BBC TV. That is my only request. Please.

No comments:

Post a Comment