A revolution off the pitch
There’s no doubt that Australia’s Channel Ten has changed the way cricket is covered on TV, writes Debi Enker.
As Channel Ten smashes through another summer of the Big Bash League (broadcast in New Zealand on Sky Sport), with 43 matches crammed into 48 days, it’s become difficult to imagine this noisy, colourful, cricket competition at a different network.
Ten’s tenure ends with the current season, but over the time the network has held the rights, it has made its mark.
Ten’s five-year, A$100 million contract with Cricket Australia represents the productive union of a sporting authority keen to broaden its code’s appeal, specifically to women and children, and a TV network keen to establish its credentials in a significant area of sports broadcasting. Ten has changed the way that cricket is covered on TV, developing an approach to suit the fast-paced, action-oriented brand of the game and influencing other broadcasters with its initiatives.
A chatty, chummy tone was established early. The commentators, most of them former players, appeared looking smart casual: no stuffy shirts and ties for this team. And everyone has a nickname, as if to signal their friendship and project informality.
Reflecting on some of the key decisions about the style of coverage, Ten’s executive in charge of the men’s and women’s BBLs, David Barham, says, ‘‘It was a deliberate strategy to put our guys on camera and make them part of the game. That’s now happening on cricket coverage around the world: everyone includes the commentators because it gives the coverage personality.
‘‘We had a strategy of ‘When they laugh, put ‘em on’, because they’d be up there telling jokes and thinking they were hilarious. We didn’t warn them, we just cut to them. Now they’re used to the fact that they’ve got to be ready all the time.’’
This approach clearly influenced Nine and our own Sky Sports. They’ve ditched the shirts and ties in favour of matching polo shirts, and the drive to appear friendlier and funnier is also evident. And it works fine if the blokes rostered on happen to include the naturally chatty Shane Warne, but less well if it’s Michael Clarke and relative newcomer to this crew, Kevin Pietersen.
That was apparent as they waited for play to resume following a rain delay in Perth. Poor Michael Slater struggled to fill an indeterminate amount of screen time by encouraging his co-hosts to answer viewer questions.
While Clarke gamely attempted to play ball, Pietersen made his lack of interest clear with smart-alecky responses, leaving his colleagues hanging. It was pure discomfort, live to air. Interestingly, ‘‘KP’’ doesn’t behave that way on the BBL, where he’s been an animated and engaged contributor, on the field and in the booth.
Ten’s BBL coverage has demonstrated a spirit of innovation from the get-go. It incorporated women into the commentary team – which Nine has glaringly failed to do.
The festive zing bails and stumps have now been granted the ultimate sign of approval and acceptance, featuring in Test matches.
Segments such as Homegrown Heroes, Backyard Legends and the more recent crowd catches competition have augmented the feelgood, family-friendly tone.
Barham notes that while they’ve endeavoured to be inventive, they’ve also had to exercise restraint: ‘‘We’ve learned that the BBL goes so fast and they bowl the ball so quickly – sometimes there’s 12 or 14 seconds between deliveries – you don’t have time to do much in between.
‘‘And the more we tried to put in, the more we messed it up. It got in the way.’’ – The Age
Coverage of the men’s and women’s Big Bash Leagues continue on Sky Sport until February 4.