BBC Alba coverage of SPFL games

[TheScarf]

Just mute the TV if you don't like the commentary.  It's not as if you can't get what's happening for fuck sake.

[invergowrie arab]

1 hour ago, GNU_Linux said:

Can I access this via the red button or is it an option only on iplayer?

I tried pressing my red button and the TV went off.

[callum-ayr]

I noticed in the FA Cup earlier on in the season Wrexham played Coventry away and it was on their own BBC Alba channel S4C.  They had their standard Welsh commentary, but also a red button option for English, I wonder if that is something that could maybe be looked at?

[Skyline Drifter]

2 hours ago, Otis Blue said:

I'm not communicating this well, am I?  The real point is put it on a channel where English commentary is possible.  Quite why these games are put on a Gaelic channel is beyond me.  Extremely few of the Gaelic speaking public (located mostly in the Western Isles/NW Highlands) will have any interest in watching these games and almost certainly none of the football viewing public (located mostly south of the Highland fault line) who might watch these games speak any Gaelic.  How daft is this?  Thus the solutions are either:

1 - Provide an English commentary on BBC Alba for these games - perhaps as a red button alternative as they do in Wales, or

2 - Move the games to an alternative English language channel

Who on earth in the first place decided that a Gaelic speaking channel was remotely appropriate as a location for such programmes?  Beats me.

But no channel with an English commentary has the slightest interest in broadcasting them. They're on a Gaelic channel because the Gaelic channel is the only show in town interested in them. They put them on as they think it's a means of getting younger potential Gaelic speakers interested in the language. Whether you or I like it is neither here nor there. I seriously can't see what you think is daft about a Gaelic language station broadcasting in Gaelic. It would be utterly daft NOT to.

It's as simple as this. Lower league games weren't on tv, then BBC Alba came along and offered a few pounds to cover them (and it is very few pounds). The choices were say yes, or say no. Saying, no thanks we'll put them on an English speaking channel instead wasn't an option (and still isn't). As soon as BBC Scotland decided that they actually would like to broadcast the Championship those rights were immediately sold to them leaving Alba with lower division playoffs and the SPFL Trust Trophy only. Because nobody else wants to broadcast them.

And again as an aside, I've no idea why S4C provide an English language commentary on the red button. It completely defeats the purpose of having a Welsh language station as far as I can see.

Edited May 17, 2023 by Skyline Drifter

[invergowrie arab]

S4C carries adverts which means they have a commercial fund as well as the public money.

English commentary is paid for by the commercial fund and not the public funding it received for Welsh language broadcasting.

Thats not to say it couldn't happen as BBC Alba seem able and or content to broadcast programmes in English from other countries and programmes in Icelandic with English subtitles for some reason.

We are dealing with a channel that isn't even given an HD channel slot or can offer Gaelic subtitles so my personal view is they should be prioritising that over offering any English (or Icelandic) offerings 

[The Master]

Just now, invergowrie arab said:

We are dealing with a channel that isn't even given an HD channel slot

BBC Alba is now in HD (on Sky, at least). 

[invergowrie arab]

19 minutes ago, The Master said:

BBC Alba is now in HD (on Sky, at least). 

Well thats good news.

I only watch through iPlayer and it isn't there yet. Its only 4 years since the BBC said they would though so I'm sure they will be on it soon.

[Ray Patterson]

BBC Alba are paying for production costs (and probably some other rights fee to the SPFL) in return we get Free-To-Air, professionally produced lower league football matches on the TV.

BBC Scotland (which is funded separately) can't justify putting football on the TV every night (they already get criticsm for having too much football), and STV have no appetite to show live sport unfortunately. While it's not worth it for the Pay-TV channels Sky (don't care), BT and Viaplay (too small fry/cost inefficient). While the SPFL are too tinpot to organise any professionally produced live streams.

What BBC Alba are doing is absolutely great, it allows us as punters to watch matches we wouldn't get to see otherwise, and allows them more viewers which is important politically. The only downside is that about 60-70% is in Gaelic.

So I would say to OP, Who cares. Football is a universal language anyway.

Long may it continue.

[The Master]

27 minutes ago, Ray Patterson said:

BBC Alba are paying for production costs (and probably some other rights fee to the SPFL) in return we get Free-To-Air, professionally produced lower league football matches on the TV.

While the productions are professional, I wish they’d bring the 18-yard cameras to their live games. 

They need them for VAR purposes in the as-live Premiership game, so surely it’s not that big a deal to make them part of their standard production plan. 

[Ray Patterson]

5 minutes ago, The Master said:

While the productions are professional, I wish they’d bring the 18-yard cameras to their live games. 

They need them for VAR purposes in the as-live Premiership game, so surely it’s not that big a deal to make them part of their standard production plan. 

It would be nice, but setting up extra cameras at say Galabank, might be difficult.

Hope they go for six cameras at Hamilton on Friday and Saturday (and they are facing the Main Stand)

[Mark Connolly]

As others have mentioned, BBC Alba used to show the Pro12 rugby with commentary in Gaelic.

That basically amounted to Hugh Dan McLennan saying "Penas" a few times, and having regular conversations in English with the co-commentator, who was normally a current player from either Glasgow or Edinburgh who was out injured.

The actual Gaelic commentary probably amounted to about 10% of the actual commentary on average.

[itzdrk]

I think the co-commentator should be a Gaelic speaker and the half time VTs should have Gaelic subtitles.  

Alba have been doing this for a long time now and I barely notice the commentator if they aren't speaking English.  

[HibeeJibee]

BBC Alba is showing the games as nobody else with bigger pockets or viewership wish to...

They're able to show games like this as the rights are cheap, free or aided - IIRC their portfolio only embraces the Challenge Cup, the lower level SPFL playoffs, the Junior Cup final and some Womens Premier games.

They wish to show the games to boost viewing figures - hardly any football viewers will actually speak or even know Gaelic. (Infact there'd be bigger population bases for Polish, Mandarin or Urdu!).

They don't commentate in English as doing so would undermine their whole raison-detre... particularly since channel is heavily subsidised.

It's this: or no coverage whatsoever.

[invergowrie arab]

28 minutes ago, HibeeJibee said:

They wish to show the games to boost viewing figures - hardly any football viewers will actually speak or even know Gaelic. (Infact there'd be bigger population bases for Polish, Mandarin or Urdu!).

Where those language rank above Gaelic is as the primary language spoken in the home.

There are more Gaelic speakers. 

[raith_94]

Has anyone suggested an English language option on the red button? Think the Welsh do that.

 

(Love Alba games....better than listening to 'Fletch' and 'Macca' that's for sure)

[BFTD]

Unfortunate that a @Richey Edwards commentary stream could never sync up to the live video due to lag. I'm definitely down for excessive cursing and hamster squeaks.

Ooh, we could have a thread to pick a co-commentator for each game! Imagine the fun we could have had with the Clyde match.

[DG.Roma]

Back over on the Annan v Clyde thread, @untitled00 who touched on a great idea...

Quote

you could offer a 10 minute segment at HT doing an Intro to Gaelic and try and teach non speakers words or phrases. Try and use your biggest viewing figures and increase interest/knowledge of the language - I get this won’t have a huge impact but with how low the numbers of Gaelic speakers are, it can’t do any harm?

I realise they could make a mess of this and make it really patronising, but if it was done right I'd definitely pay attention. If it was football related words and phrases they were introducing us to, we would start to understand some of the commentary and who knows, maybe some people would be interested to learn more - therefore increasing the number of Gaelic speakers and keeping the language alive. All whilst we get to watch lower league football on free to air TV. Win win.

 

[invergowrie arab]

In the past i think Thistle, ICT and County have all done videos that were available on BBC Alba that did a beginners guide to Gaelic phrases to do with football.

I'm assuming if they were done they were shown at half time in games but agree it wouldn't be a bad idea to do it more often if they were.

[shuggz]

Go to watch a game in person, do you get commentary? No, so if you don't like it on tv just press mute. As said above, its a very listenable language , and you can pick up a few words and phrases, its a thumbs up from me.

[accies1874]

16 hours ago, The Master said:

BBC Alba is now in HD (on Sky, at least). 

Yeah Virgin too. I found the lack of HD more off-putting than the commentary, so I'm glad it's been implemented and I've probably watched more games on Alba as a result.