Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher have been an on-screen duo on Monday Night Football for several years now. Photo: PA/John Walton
The MNF is probably better than ever at focusing on the pitch than it was in the era of Super League threats. Dave Jones remains one of the best at getting the most out of his guests: always humble, always on top. The show is at its weakest when Ware's decisions are continually challenged and seem to eventually coalesce into one argument, but that only reflects the footballing times we live in.
ITV Racing
He has an extremely difficult task ahead of him – cover minority sports on the main channel for several hours a day, several days a week. And the conundrum is compounded by the fact that racing fans themselves are a fairly loose coalition: animal-loving country folk, die-hard horse lovers, casual gamblers, posh people, fashionistas, pinstickers, avid gamers. Matt Hancock.
Ed Chamberlin is a brilliant host and he is so good at bringing together a wide variety of guests. A generally excellent and heartfelt excerpt from a recent broadcast when Sir A.P. McCoy discussed the terrible incident with wounded comrade Graham Lee; Shout out to old rival Ruby Walsh for jumping in to help AP when Champ broke and things got too tough.
🗣️ “This has been the worst week…It's going to be a long road.”
🗣️ “He'll get all the support we can give him.”
Sir @AP_McCoy updates us on Graham Lee ❤️ photo. twitter.com/8jFBW4mmwd
— ITV Racing (@itvracing) November 18, 2023 Amazon Prime Video Tennis (RIP) now Sky
Tennis is now moving to Sky, which is no reason for tennis fans to despair given the depth and breadth of coverage the broadcaster gives to comparable golf, for example. But streaming tennis on Amazon has quietly proven to be a great option for tennis fans: a few pounds a month, and well worth it if you have Amazon Prime for TV or delivery.
The asset sales should free up Amazon's appetites and resources ( although the company is at the peak of its capabilities) to expand its football and rugby union offerings. It remains to be seen what it will look like on Sky, but there will be a home for Tim Henman and many faces on screen will remain, along with Gigi Salmon, the wonderful presenter who has been a radio mainstay for many years.
Ellie McCoist on TNT
The signing of the season, the always bubbly Scot – and officially the nicest man to ever play for Glasgow Rangers – is a welcome and insightful addition to the TNT line-up as it picks up where BT Sport left off. Alley sort of disappeared from view for a few years, apart from A Question of Sports and his hilarious radio work with TalkSport, but has become a cult favorite in partnership with John Champion and Clive Tyldesley in recent international tournaments. It's good to have him back in the lineup.
Sky Sports Cricket
You only have to look at the brainless ICC domestic broadcast support to understand what a great job Sky is doing with cricket. Analysts Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain stand out from any sport and the producers are not afraid to boldly stand up for their beliefs while addressing the place of sport in society as a whole.
The departures of Lord Botham, David Gower, David Lloyd and Michael Holding have been absorbed and the coverage is getting stronger. The masterclass segments are not to be missed, where the real greats get online and show how it's done. Probably due to the lack of a few characters following the sacking of the aforementioned, the terrible loss of Shane Warne and Rob Key's rise to power at the ECB.
🏏🤳 CHILDREN COACHING CLINIC 🏏🤳
Do you want to learn how to spin your legs in bowling? Who better to learn from than the great @ShaneWarne! 👌
Ali Nisar is the first, he is only 5 years old! 😱
📺 Watch live 👉 https://t.co/3V5xD5O02D
📱 Blog #ENGvPAK 👉 https://t.co/oUB1mQaiJm pic.twitter.com/53zr4bGqTX
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket ) August 22, 2020 NFL Red Zone on Sky
This is nothing short of an amazing feat of logistics. The NFL Network Sunday Night Show takes you seamlessly from game to game, rarely if ever missing a key moment, keeping you updated on every play and dramatic moment. It's like Football Saturday if you really want to watch the action with brilliant commentary and camerawork rather than listen to Clinton Morrison trying to explain what he's watching on the monitor.
BBC Snooker
Seema Jaswal's slight revamp of the presenter line-up has not disrupted the thriving snooker ecosystem and she will be learning from one of the greatest working sports broadcasters in the mighty Hazel Irwin. The line-up of former champions remains as strong as ever with Steve Davis, Dennis Taylor and all the legitimate national treasures. What is consistently surprising is that Stephen Hendry is a funny and charismatic character. I hope one day they make Ronnie O'Sullivan a regular on the BBC; he was good on Eurosport.
Peter Drury on Super Sunday
Commentating on football matches in the age of social media is an impossible job. For years, Drury was a fan's choice, flying slightly below the mainstream radar and doing reliable work on the world's communications channels, far from the ire of SmeggsyMCFC5871452 who accused him of bias. He's now Sky's top man, and where once the online Peanuts gallery scorned Martin Tyler every Sunday, it's now the polite, intelligent and passionate Drury's turn. Just as judges are abused, you have to wonder if people actually mistakenly believe that there is better, untapped talent out there? I'm mistaken if so. Tyler was a giant of a commentator, but Drury handled the role with style.
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