I have watched a bit.... I think even the Australian A-League is better.... and that is of very questionable standard, dispite them trying to hype it up!
That's over £12 per month, now compare that with what you can get from BT including all the BTSport Channels £10 month AND in HD it certainly is a rip off !It is typical that the BBC have gone overboard on this tournament and yet they cannot wait to offload the pen Golf and are trying to give over the 2016 event to Sky to save £7m! A bit like a fiver to you and me! I really am getting so p*ssed off with them and seriously now resent the licence fee. I never thought I would say that.


That's over £12 per month, now compare that with what you can get from BT including all the BTSport Channels £10 month AND in HD it certainly is a rip off !![]()
Except you actually get quality TV that doesn't revolve around sport on the BBC.
They are not the same.
Quality, what seriously?
I guess we all have our own definition of that.
Where else do you get intelligent programming. I'd be surprised if BBC science programmes are not the best in the World. Music of all kinds, History, documentarys, absolutely superb quality in comparison with virtually all commercial channels. Sky Atlantic, Sky Arts and mostly Channel 4 (although its getting worse) are also very good.
ITV is just dogshit for ******ed Northern folk, Channel 5 for ******ed Southern folk and the rest show constant repeats.

Where else do you get intelligent programming. I'd be surprised if BBC science programmes are not the best in the World. Music of all kinds, History, documentarys, absolutely superb quality in comparison with virtually all commercial channels. Sky Atlantic, Sky Arts and mostly Channel 4 (although its getting worse) are also very good.
ITV is just dogshit for ******ed Northern folk, Channel 5 for ******ed Southern folk and the rest show constant repeats.
I think the issue here Carrabuh is that you should have a CHOICE as to whether or not you pay the BBC subscription because in reality that's what it is. The fact that you have to pay this 'subscription' regardless of whether you watch the BBC or not is tantamount to theft. With the likes of BBC4 having such low audience figures, why should everyone have to pay for those expensive high brow programmes that appeal to so few.![]()
I wish I had more faith in your reply DH because the BBC you describe is that one that I want to believe in and supported for many years. I do fully agree that it would be a darn sight worse if the media became a version of the tabloid press but for me the Beeb is a sad shadow of what it used to be. There is so little quality, the schedules are full of soaps, reality things, doing up houses, bloody antiques (where you can play along at home as well for God's sake!), banale cookery stuff, celebrity b*llocks, stuff with dogs and so it goes on.Seeing the BBC as a public service is important. If you've barely used the NHS, should you have to keep funding it? If you don't think you'll ever be robbed should you fund the police?
The relatively even-handed coverage from the BBC plays an important role in allowing people to make their own minds up about things. If tabloids were the only source of news, I bet public opinion would sway towards extremes much more easily.
Things like BBC documentaries play a surprising role in developing the nations next generation of scientists, doctors, etc. I've worked at uni open days a fair amount, and "what made you want to study science" is a fairly common icebreaker. I was surprised at the number of 18 year olds who responded with "I saw xyz on tv, and wanted to know more".
Bang on the money ThurnbyI wish I had more faith in your reply DH because the BBC you describe is that one that I want to believe in and supported for many years. I do fully agree that it would be a darn sight worse if the media became a version of the tabloid press but for me the Beeb is a sad shadow of what it used to be. There is so little quality, the schedules are full of soaps, reality things, doing up houses, bloody antiques (where you can play along at home as well for God's sake!), banale cookery stuff, celebrity b*llocks, stuff with dogs and so it goes on.
I would keep the licence fee for the radio (say about a tenner) and then have possibly one channel that reflected proper quality and ditch BBC 3 and the overpaid clowns that are on the rest of the time on BBC1.

I wish I had more faith in your reply DH because the BBC you describe is that one that I want to believe in and supported for many years. I do fully agree that it would be a darn sight worse if the media became a version of the tabloid press but for me the Beeb is a sad shadow of what it used to be. There is so little quality, the schedules are full of soaps, reality things, doing up houses, bloody antiques (where you can play along at home as well for God's sake!), banale cookery stuff, celebrity b*llocks, stuff with dogs and so it goes on.
I would keep the licence fee for the radio (say about a tenner) and then have possibly one channel that reflected proper quality and ditch BBC 3 and the overpaid clowns that are on the rest of the time on BBC1.
Mostly yes but by no means total. The antiques do appear when the working population are very much at home and so for Masterchef in all its various guises, soaps as I have said and reality in terms of The Voice, Strictly (which virtually takes over the Beeb when a series is on), none of these can be defended in the argument about quality, it is dross. I do not defend the other channels but we do not pay for their content and because they are more audience driven, if people pressed the off button then the formula would change. The BBC has precious few documentaries and the ones that they run are so lightweight compared to 15 or 20 years ago, Panaroma is almost laughable, it used to be the market leader. Question Time has been infiltrated by the celebs and non-politicians and so has also become diluted and poor. I really do struggle to defend them Carrubah and to compare them to overseas channels is not really relevant to the UK viewer. We all know how bad American TV is, if we have to comapre the Beeb to that then we might as well give up completely.You are mostly talking about cheap daytime TV when most people with more than half a brain are at work or busy not watching TV.
Go back in time and daytime TV was still cheap and dull. I dont doubt dumbing down is occurring (apparently whales only break the surface of water now in slow motion with a full orchestra playing, much like any sporting event with accompanying melodramatic poem) but it is firmly led by commercial TV. In comparison the beeb has little fascination with reality celebrity, it prefers them presenting or performing.
To top it all we all still pay for commercial TV. Its driven to produce the biggest numbers at the cheapest price. low brow dross
I honestly have no time for arguments to get rid of the BBC, look at the truly rubbish TV abroad. We would be the same without the BBC pulling up standards. It is so important to the country.
Mostly yes but by no means total. The antiques do appear when the working population are very much at home and so for Masterchef in all its various guises, soaps as I have said and reality in terms of The Voice, Strictly (which virtually takes over the Beeb when a series is on), none of these can be defended in the argument about quality, it is dross. I do not defend the other channels but we do not pay for their content and because they are more audience driven, if people pressed the off button then the formula would change. The BBC has precious few documentaries and the ones that they run are so lightweight compared to 15 or 20 years ago, Panaroma is almost laughable, it used to be the market leader. Question Time has been infiltrated by the celebs and non-politicians and so has also become diluted and poor. I really do struggle to defend them Carrubah and to compare them to overseas channels is not really relevant to the UK viewer. We all know how bad American TV is, if we have to comapre the Beeb to that then we might as well give up completely.