Match of the Day #1: For the real analyses and commentary!

quote:

One-nil to the BBC

* Paul Armstrong, Editor, Match of the Day

Peter Crouch’s late goal yesterday was greeted with joy unconfined here in our Berlin studios. Even amongst the non-English contingent. We now know for certain that we will be covering at least one more England match live, and that our very own selection gamble has paid off.

The BBC and ITV bought the UK rights jointly, and divided up the live coverage in a meeting after the draw. We had only one group game – the opener v Paraguay – in return for first choice of 2nd round and quarter-final matches. An England semi would be transmitted by both channels, as will the final.

As a programme-maker, I think too much emphasis is placed on ratings. We thought we had a pretty good France '98, but because we gave the England v Argentina game to ITV (in return for a potential England quarter-final) and 20-odd million made it the highest TV audience of the year, we were felt to have missed out.

In 2006, we have gambled on England making it through – if England had gone home early, ITV would most likely have had the two biggest audiences of the tournament for England v Trinidad at 5pm and England v Sweden at 8pm. For the most part, we leave all that to controllers and schedulers and just make the best programmes we can.

Personally, I think ratings are little like awards, not to be taken too much to heart: we were nominated for Baftas for Germany 1-5 England and England 1-0 Argentina as much as anything because England won and the audience was huge.

Those programmes were decent enough, but so was Chasetown 1-1 Oldham in the first round of the FA Cup last autumn. That was one of the most enjoyable OBs I’ve ever worked on and I would hope the two million or so who watched thought we had successfully captured the spirit and passion of the FA Cup.

Conversely, the least enjoyable programme I’ve ever worked on was England v Albania at Newcastle four days after the 5-1 in Munich. It was beset by technical problems and was a decidedly average production but because 16 million watched following the result in the Germany game, we were heralded as geniuses by channel controllers and the trade press!

I’m also very sanguine about the supposed deadly rivalry between ourselves and ITV. Admittedly, World Cups and Euros are now the only sporting events we share, but to be honest, though we can access a feed of their coverage, I have scarcely watched it. Not out of a lack of respect, but because we’re too busy making our own programmes and monitoring our commentary and analysis of the games ITV have live. I’m sure the same is true of them.

Furthermore, all three of ITV’s commentators and some of their senior production figures used to work for BBC Sport. It’s a very small industry with a high turnover: anything other than professional competitiveness is unwarranted. That said, and contrary to my earlier comments, I’m afraid I do hope we win the ratings war!