Having been at the game yesterday, I got to partake in every last bit of the title celebrations at Celtic Park.
With the game being sold out ahead of time it was up to Sky Sports to help convey the spirit of the day and give Celtic fans not lucky enough to be there a window into how Celtic were celebrating their invincibility.
However, after the game and after the trophy had been lifted it seemed like they couldn’t wait to get the show off the air. Instead of doing in-depth analysis of the season and ensuring Celtic fans got their moneys worth out of their Sky Sports subscription it was a case of – trophy lifted let’s get out of here. While down south they made sure to stick with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge to hear John Terry’s longwinded goodbye.
Celtic were on hand to live stream the celebration on youtube but if you aren’t on social media then you would’ve missed out on a lot of the fun.
Sky Sports have been getting away with substandard coverage of our game for years with no real competition. The emergence of BT Sports has highlighted how poor Sky have been with the Scottish game. Any game we’ve seen on BT sports this season has had suitable build up, top coverage and good debate after the final whistle. Instead of treating Scottish football like an afterthought they try to champion our game where they can.
BT have had Sky on their heels for quite a while now, with outstanding coverage of the Champions League and interactive options, they really have been a breath of fresh air. It’s like they’ve looked at how Sky do things and said ‘let’s do the opposite!’.
While the SPFL is locked in with the current share deal with Sky it has been reported that BT are willing to bid for EXCLUSIVE rights for the SPFL in time for the 20/21 season and provide the biggest TV deal in the league’s history. This would around £30million plus per season region, which is still a pittance to what the overinflated EPL see on a yearly basis but it would certainly be a step in the right direction.
To rid ourselves of the used car salesman presenting skills of David Tanner and the bleak Neil McCann punditry would certainly be welcomed by the majority of Scottish football.
The only negative about BT Sports at the moment is that long time commentator Derek Rae is leaving and they will now have to look for a new commentary team. A hard task to replace a person who was liked by most Scottish football fans.
It’s time to rid ourselves of Sky Sports once and for all.
