There’s a massive debate going on at the moment about the future of television. Now there probably always is within this industry but there is a growing feeling that the current edition is a pretty big deal – and not just for media types to ponder over their morning café lattes.
Much of my work in Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Sport involves some intense discussions between old and new media people about developing content for interactive platforms. And in the last few weeks we have had the most extensive discussions yet, in which I think we have each learned lots of about the others' world.
At the same time this week there seems to have been a barrage of research and comment on the future of TV/the media/web (and none of it anything to do with the big news of Michael Grade's move).
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To paraphrase , Match of the Day is an institution, but who wants to live in an institution? Actually, everyone here does, but we're also aware that we're the custodians of something long-established and venerable.
Change has to be by evolution rather than revolution. I remember someone having the temerity to remix the one year. This resulted in uproar, questions being asked in the House of Commons and a hasty rethink of the remix.
Even so, as I've said before, anyone watching a tape of the show from just a few years ago would be astonished at how much the programme has changed. Proper multi-camera coverage everywhere, a commentator at each game, MOTD2 and new pundits have in turn led to a different level of analysis.
From Groucho to another moustachioed cynic, Basil Fawlty. He pictured his wife on Mastermind thus; "Sybil Fawlty:
specialist subject - the bleeding obvious".
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There's a story I was told when I joined Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Sport about the time a few years back when someone in our website team complained to a manager that they were being treated as third-class citizens. "Well, you are third-class citizens" was the alleged reply - which let us hope was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the dominance then of our television and radio output. But if anyone had any doubts that the new media era is now firmly entrenched, the response to leaves no room for argument.
My colleague Alex Gubbay set out what we were trying to achieve in his blog when we announced we'd won the rights to online highlights. We want to offer a service 24x7, and it's the latest example of the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ trying to use all its platforms - TV, radio, online, mobile - to serve people with the sport they want when they want it. Internally, the buzz phrase is 360 degree commissioning: which simply means taking ideas from being narrow, single media offerings and turning them into something much bigger and more ambitious...
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The first tour of the Northern hemisphere by the Pacific Islanders - the combined forces of Fiji, Samoa and Tonga - was much anticipated.
Before their historic we all looked up that famous line which followed Western Samoa's victory over Wales in the - "Thank god we weren't playing the whole of Samoa", rubbed our hands in glee and waited for the bone-crunching tackles and strong running of the Islanders.
But most of all we waited for a rare sighting on the International scene of arguably the greatest talent in world rugby - Fiji's .
However as so often in recent times we have mostly waited in vain.
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For the first time in the history of the Team of the Year Award will be decided by the listeners of Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio Five Live.
It seems a perfect marriage to have the audience of a station which boasts so much sports coverage decide who wins the prestigious prize.
Five Live is inviting nominations - you can have your say by texting 85058 and by emailing fivelivesport@bbc.co.uk.
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I'm no great expert on rugby union. You won't catch me blogging about oval-shaped balls being passed backwards or hoofed over the crossbar, the thrill of winning throw-ins by the corner flag, or whatever goes on in a scrum, ruck or maul. Or indeed in the bar afterwards.
However, I do think football can learn from the way rugby has embraced technology to help its officials.
I wrote recently advocating the limited use of video technology in football, but it may now be time also to bring in audio technology.
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Inevitably the rugby headlines this week have been dominated by the fallout of .
Equally inevitably that has overshadowed the measure of Argentina's achievement in pulling off their .
The current Argentina squad are fired, as their eloquent captain and scrum half, says, by a strong sense that they are the outsiders of world rugby.
The victory over England was only the latest in a string of good results against the world's top sides. They've beaten France and Wales on the last four occasions they've met and last summer only lost 25-19 to the All Blacks in Buenos Aires.
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The countdown is well and truly underway now to this year's programme. We're all very excited about the biggest show we have ever put on.
The for the voting has closed now so thanks to all of you who took part.
We're announcing the top 10 shortlist on Monday 4 December - six days before the programme.
You can have your say on Sports Personality by creating an article or joining the comment and debate on our 606 section.
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This week, the Match of the Day Live operation moves from the to on Wednesday.
was as good an early-round Cup tie as we've shown in the five years we've had the contract. A 2-2 draw, good football, harmony between players, officials, managers and supporters: all in all, a great day out.
Not to mention excellent fish and chips and glorious sunshine as we filmed the harbourside opening sequence. Even the coach journey back to London went smoothly.
Just time to pick our (Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ ONE, 1pm Sun 3rd Dec) - before we head off to Amsterdam for the England game on Wednesday.
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My colleague Carl Hicks has covered most of the pitch in his blog a couple of days back, but I simply wanted to respond to some questions from viewers about why we didn't have England v Argentina live on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ television yesterday...
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A little while back, I explained some of our Ashes coverage plans, and also promised an update nearer the .
So I'm thrilled that among several developments to report is the news we're going to have for UK users.
You'll be able to watch a 10-minute review of the action online, and hopefully not too long after the close of play each day. That's in addition to the longer highlights that will be available on the red button and television in the evening.
But of course, that's just one of you'll be able to follow the Ashes on the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ...
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What did Sunday's international between England and New Zealand teach us?
I won't get into what Andy Robinson might have learned after a sixth defeat in a row, but in the wider perspective it reminded us all that the view of the Television Match Official, or video referee, is not always 20/20.
When referee Joel Jutge referred the decision upstairs and asked TMO Christophe Berdos if he could confirm that Jamie Noon had grounded the ball for an England try he apparently asked the wrong question.
He should, under the new edict, have asked: "Is there a reason why I shouldn't give a try?" - it's a subtle difference but a crucial one as England players and supporters will testify.
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We've announced today the appointment of an editor for our new Sports News programme that's going to launch on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Television next year. She's Amanda Farnsworth - currently editor of Daytime News, which means the One O'Clock and Six O'Clock bulletins on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One.
The biography on our website understandably focuses on her years in Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ News, but she's emphatically a sports fan too. Her team is the current Premiership form side - yes, West Ham United.
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After an extraordinary weekend of Premiership football - the bottom three all winning and leading Saturday's Match Of The Day, and two action-(and controversy)-packed London derbies in MOTD2 - this week's output also features the other end of the spectrum. It's the first round proper of the FA Cup.
With eight Premiership matches and , it's the busiest day of the season for our production and technical teams.
It'll make for an action-packed show - and if you have the red button option available to you, you'll be able (we hope) to see every goal scored in Saturday's 35 ties right through to Sunday afternoon.
By which time we make MOTD history as we head to Dorset for a live tie between and Bury. Nothing against Bury (, 6-0 v Derby in the Final) but we'd like the non-leaguers to give them a run for their money. After all, that's what the FA Cup's all about!
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Is the red button dead? That was the question being asked at the in Berlin this week.
OK, it was a deliberately provocative and possibly rhetorical question - but it certainly had media executives from across the industry scratching their goatee beards about the future of digital TV.
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