Commentator-free television

[imp]

Watched Manchester United v Anderlecht last night with just crowd noise and no commentator, and enjoyed it much more for the absence of inanity and poor analysis. If I had the option, I'd watch every game like this. An added bonus is that it doesn't make you subject to the commentator's excitability - you get involved in the game on your own terms, and you react to or with the crowd.

Didn't the BBC offer this as an option during the 2006 or 2010 World Cup, and discovered that more people chose to watch without commentary? Why hasn't it become the norm? I know that commentators and their quirks are all part of the game and that, but still, we could easily dispense with them and make the world a better place.

[Uncle Ethan]

Commentator-free television

This is why I stick with radio work. People select commentary-free option less regularly.

[JVL]

Commentator-free television

I remember making use of that option on the red button during one World Cup, just can't remember which one it was...

Have also watched a few Ligue 1 games on DAZN with no commentary (not by choice initially, but simply because most the games are televised and DAZN only have a few commentators. so only the biggest ones are blessed with expert analysis) and haven't missed the commentary one bit. It's not like being in the ground of course, but you do get to hear how the sound of the game and the crowd changes and flows, and most importantly of all, you get to make your own mind up about what is happening. None of this "I think that might have just taken a deflection on its way in there" or "for me, it's a man's game" jibber-jabber...

[HORN]

Commentator-free television

Back in Germany in 2001 the commentators' philosophy seemed to be "only speak if and when there is something worth commenting on". A dull game might mean minutes of dead air at a time.

Accustomed as I was to the British style of constant chatter I initially found the German style a bit eery - might the commentator have been taken ill?

[N est à?]

Commentator-free television

Pretty sure it was the 2002 world cup where here was a no commentator option, and I don't think it's been repeated since- commentators themselves kicking up a stink maybe? Could really have done with it in 2014, those games when Robbie Savage was the colour man.

[Arturo]

Commentator-free television

For me it's a no-brainer if it means less Robbie Savage. His alarmingly growing presence renders the games unwatchable for me.

There were times in the past when English commentary wasn't far off the German model above. Not so much significant chunks of dead air, but much longer gaps between the opinions of the accompanying pundit.

[Jah Womble]

Commentator-free television

imp wrote: Watched Manchester United v Anderlecht last night with just crowd noise and no commentator, and enjoyed it much more for the absence of inanity and poor analysis.

Assuming that you weren't at the match, how were you able to do this?

[Bored Of Education]

Commentator-free television

I am not sure why commentary-free doesn't feel more familar as, let's face, that is how we watch live football. Having said that, I suppose most of us are at matches with mates to chat to, who have programmes to refer to or to provide additional knowledge or perspectives.

I suppose the perfect commentary is someone - probably an ex-player - who can explain and point out aspects of the game that we don't see or know. Background on players is always useful and, for all the criticism, Motson and his ilk were and are good for that. The key is not just filling dead air. It is, obviously, fine on radio but no need on TV. It was interesting to hear the improvement of Jonathon Pearce when he moved to TV and didn't have to talk all the time.

[Mumpo]

Commentator-free television

Commentator-free is good, but it's not ideal. Tried it a couple of times during the 2006 (2010?) World Cup. You really have to whack the volume up to get the impact of the crowd noise and it still sounds really tinny - not, obviously, at all like being there with the noise surronding you.

Anyway, as has been implied upthread, it's not so much the commentators that are the problem as the summarisers. Having one person describing the action as it happens is generally OK; it's having someone else babbling on about it afterwards that's so irritating.

[Snake Plissken]

Commentator-free television

I assume that people didn't go commentary-free in the 2010 World Cup due to vuvuzelas...

Another one here for the "no summarisers". Very few actually give anything of insight, and then you have more pundits at half time doing exactly the same job. And even then they can't agree on what they have just seen so what is the point?

I've sat through hockey games next to refs and players, and that was a very illuminating experience. If you take the team bias blinkers off, most people get individual incidents right, but discerning the overall pattern of the game is much more difficult.

[imp]

Commentator-free television

Jah Womble wrote:

Watched Manchester United v Anderlecht last night with just crowd noise and no commentator, and enjoyed it much more for the absence of inanity and poor analysis.

Assuming that you weren't at the match, how were you able to do this?

For my sins, I have a Sky subscription here in Germany for all Bundesliga, German Cup, and European games. I justify it on the grounds of being a football writer (can write it off against taxes). Anyway, on some of the Europa League channels there's no commentator for games with no German teams - presumably on cost grounds and not because they want to make commentator-hating subscribers like me happy.

After the last World Cup, 11 Freunde wrote a long piece comparing a specific German game commentary (possibly the 1-7 semi) very unfavourably with the BBC commentary from the same game - I suppose the unfamiliar can often seem alluring. It loved the fact that both commentator and summarizer analysed the game as it happened, and criticised the German commentator for mainly just describing the action, which is exactly what most of us here seem to yearn for in the absence of a complete silence.

[longeared]

Commentator-free television

Things seem to be going the opposite way in Britain in terms of summarisers - some games now have two and there's even three on occasion.

The best commentary Tyldesley ever did was at the 2010 World Cup semi when there was no co-commentator for some reason and he had to fly solo. He adapted his remarks, introduced periods of silence and it added to the broadcast. The only other summariser free game I can recall on mainstream telly was during the last World Cup when ITV showed Ivory Coast v Japan at 2am and took the world feed commentary, which was just Peter Brackley (or maybe Gary Bloom).

[Jah Womble]

Commentator-free television

imp wrote:

Watched Manchester United v Anderlecht last night with just crowd noise and no commentator, and enjoyed it much more for the absence of inanity and poor analysis.

Assuming that you weren't at the match, how were you able to do this?

For my sins, I have a Sky subscription here in Germany for all Bundesliga, German Cup, and European games. I justify it on the grounds of being a football writer (can write it off against taxes). Anyway, on some of the Europa League channels there's no commentator for games with no German teams - presumably on cost grounds and not because they want to make commentator-hating subscribers like me happy.

After the last World Cup, 11 Freunde wrote a long piece comparing a specific German game commentary (possibly the 1-7 semi) very unfavourably with the BBC commentary from the same game - I suppose the unfamiliar can often seem alluring. It loved the fact that both commentator and summarizer analysed the game as it happened, and criticised the German commentator for mainly just describing the action, which is exactly what most of us here seem to yearn for in the absence of a complete silence.

Ah, gotcha. The few commentary-free games I've seen here in the UK - mainly Olympic or women's international matches via the red button - have been enjoyable for the reasons most have described and as an option, it should be more readily-available. However, I - being of impaired vision - will always tend to need the convenience of somebody telling me who's actually on the ball in the wide shots.

[Bored Of Education]

Commentator-free television

[quote]imp wrote:

It loved the fact that both commentator and summarizer analysed the game as it happened, and criticised the German commentator for mainly just describing the action, which is exactly what most of us here seem to yearn for in the absence of a complete silence.

Quite the opposite. I would like the minimum of description (I can see it after all) interspersed by informed analysis - as opposed to subjective opinion - and background information and statistics.

[Ray de Galles]

Commentator-free television

longeared wrote: Things seem to be going the opposite way in Britain in terms of summarisers - some games now have two and there's even three on occasion.

Yet at the same time R5L have, seemingly without announcing it, gone from two commentators on their main matches to one. I miss the 23rd and 68th minute handovers, especially when Alan Green is the sole man on the mic.

Sadly, the reason for this is the colour man is normally a famous ex-pro with the requisite vast amount of twitter followers and the blowhard soundbite opinions to match.

The day they stop welcoming listeners on World Service I'll be tempted to give up altogether.

[Snake Plissken]

Commentator-free television

The KHL highlights posted in the Hot Ice thread have been commentator free, and despite not knowing who the heck any of the players were, I found them most entertaining because the crowd noise sounded great.

The five minute highlight packages for the NHL playoffs have commentary and it is largely driving me up the wall.

[Snake Plissken]

Commentator-free television

Ray de Galles wrote: Yet at the same time R5L have, seemingly without announcing it, gone from two commentators on their main matches to one. I miss the 23rd and 68th minute handovers, especially when Alan Green is the sole man on the mic.

Sadly, the reason for this is the colour man is normally a famous ex-pro with the requisite vast amount of twitter followers and the blowhard soundbite opinions to match.

The day they stop welcoming listeners on World Service I'll be tempted to give up altogether.

Last season, I think. Probably because they now have reporters at every single game everywhere, including for TV, so simply can't spare the numbers.

I agree, it is one of the things that is Not Right, though.

On the subject, I remember that there was a hierarchy in who got the second half of the half, and the only time Alan Green would go first was if he was doing the commentary with, I think, Mike Ingham.

[Bored Of Education]

Commentator-free television

[quote]Ray de Galles wrote:

day they stop welcoming listeners on World Service I'll be tempted to give up altogether.

Another sign that we are related.

[Vulgarian Visigoth]

Commentator-free television

Arturo wrote: For me it's a no-brainer if it means less Robbie Savage. His alarmingly growing presence renders the games unwatchable for me.

There were times in the past when English commentary wasn't far off the German model above. Not so much significant chunks of dead air, but much longer gaps between the opinions of the accompanying pundit.

You could say it pretty much followed the German model in the pre-pundit days.

And say what you want about Savage, but he's got lovely hair.

[Ray de Galles]

Commentator-free television

I could see that argument when he had flowing locks, not now he has the same hairstyle as Beavis or Butthead.

[Vulgarian Visigoth]

Commentator-free television

Same command of the English language, too.

[N est à?]

Commentator-free television

I assume that people didn't go commentary-free in the 2010 World Cup due to vuvuzelas...

I'd like there to be a red button option to allow the addition of vuvuzela noise

[tracteurgarcon]

Commentator-free television

Not commentator free exactly but I did enjoy watching some of the last Women's World Cup games especially as during half-time they would just show footage from inside the stadium with the effects mic still turned up and no commentary rather than having any half-time analysis.

It was both eerie and atmospheric, especially as due to the time difference between Canada and the UK I was often watching late at night and after a few drinks.

[Amor de Cosmos]

Commentator-free television

There was a blissful season in the CFL several years ago when the Canadian Media Guild was on strike, and games were broadcast with no commentary. Like the NFL, CFL referees announce infractions by mic, so you knew what was going on. The only things missing were a constant stating of the obvious by the play-by-play guy, and an endless stream of meaningless stats from the "colour analyst." It was wonderful.

[ursus arctos]

Commentator-free television

Sky Italia used to offer this as part of their Chanpions League "multiplex", and BeIN and Fox sporadically offer a similar red button/SAP option.

I've always enjoyed it, particularly if I am at all familiar with the teams involved. One reason it isn't offered more broad,y here is that US networks increasingly expect their commentary teams to spend an annoying amount of time promoting other network programming (Fox is particularly terrible in this regard).