Serious sport or comedy? Shaun Brown and his confused SBS TV management have taken a brazen decision to dumb down the network’s FIFA World Cup coverage.
What else can you make of the move to commission and heavily promote a comedy show titled Santo, Sam and Ed’s Cup Fever! nightly in the prime-time 8.30 time slot on SBS One?
Meanwhile, the serious analysis program The 2010 FIFA World Cup Show, with Les Murray and Craig Foster, will languish in obscurity on SBS Two.
Just read the SBS promo blurb for the comedy show: “Every night for the duration of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, comedians Santo Cilauro, Sam Pang and Ed Kavalee will gather in the World Cup Situation Room (The Blattersphere) for a left-field review of all the overnight action. Broadcast live at Melbourne’s Federation Square, each program will consist of well-informed discussion, ill-informed analysis and heated debate that might just end in fisticuffs or someone letting off a flare.As well as pre-recorded clips, guest interviews and surprise cameos, there will be regular reports from fellow football fanatic Tony Wilson in South Africa. (Commissioned by SBS in English) (Comedy Series).”
Nice touch in ethnic stereotyping of football fans engaging in arguments, fisticuffs and letting off flares.
The decision means SBS management is basically saying that football (aka the World Game) is not a mainstream sport and remains just a game for “sheilas, wogs and poofters”. How do we make it accessible to the masses? Oh, let’s do a take on Wogs Out of Work, but make it about soccer! Brilliant!
Even worse, the decision shows how far Murray has fallen in the eyes of management and, in return, how compliant he has become in tolerating this shabby treatment. How we miss the late, great Johnny Warren, who spent 25 years building the credibility of football and SBS, only to see SBS squander the legacy in record time.
Or you could look at it this way.
For most Australians, football is a passing interest at best, which we only take seriously when Australia makes the World Cup. Those that are interested (I am one) will seek out the oh so serious analysis and discussion that Les Murray and Craig Foster will provide.
For most of the once-every-four-years-and-only-if-Australia-are-playing casual supporters, Les Murray and Craig Foster would have them switching off in droves. They are far more likely to be attracted to and watch a light entertainment/comedy show that also discusses football, particularly if it is any good.
I’d suggest SBS know their market and are simply catering to it.
Agree Steven – the UK had a fab show a few years back called ‘Fantasy World Cup’ I think, hosted by 2 comedians/writers – was a huge success.
I agree with you @Steven. Having the two shows allows the viewers to choose.
Shows on SBS2 surely don’t “languish in obscurity” any more than the rest of SBS. I never found it very hard to push the up-arrow on my TV remote.
I think the bigger concern is that the “comedy” show is certain to be crap. Santo is an excellent comedy writer, but on-screen and off-the-cuff he’s terrible (see The Late Show, Panel). So, even the 4-yearly-football-dilletantes won’t hang around after the first episode.
Anyway, at least the games are FTA. If only we could do something about the timezone…
Also they are not doing anything new. They have run a ‘comedy’ as main adjunct to their coverage of major sporting events before. It was comedy during the lunch-hour of Tests durning the 2005 Ashes. Did anyone complain about dumbing down then? Try half an hour every night of Damien Martyn & Greg Matthews like last year and tell me thats not dumbing down. And Fozzie? How does he even find the sudio?
What a weird attack on SBS’s world cup coverage. The serious football fan can easily switch to SBS 2. As Kristian says, it’s no more ‘obscure’ than SBS 1 really.
I look forward to Santo’s show. It might work out, it might not – live comedy can be tough to nail. But I don’t see what the problem is with SBS showing a football comedy show for half an hour a day – there’ll two, three, sometimes four games played each day, plus the hour long analysis show – that’s plenty to keep the serious fans happy.