What’s your ideal TV commentary/broadcast team set up?

[almuz]

Not so much specific commentators, but more so what do people think is the best set up composition-wise re play by play (PBP), special comments (SC) and boundary riders (BR)?

Currently Seven goes with -

2 PBP
1 BR and
1 or 2 SC (could be wrong but I think it’s usually two special comments I.e former players on Friday night games)

Fox goes with

1 PBP
2 SC and
1 BR

To me it just ends up being a cluster**** with way too many cooks in the kitchen.

I’d like to see:

1 PBP
1 SC and
1 BR

Similar to how the EPL does it + a boundary rider which is necessary for injuries and other observations at ground level.

The PBP person would be a media pro first (likely not a former player) and special comments should always be a former player.

Then I’d have a ‘studio’ like TNT for NBA they cross to at each quarter break to analyse the game so far. This is where you can have the bigger personalities rather than 1000 people calling the game.

What set ups re numbers do you reckon would be best for footy commentary?

 

[Lethality]

1 PbP is good, but a more relaxed commentary style that doesn't need to describe everything happening on the field. Should be media professionals whether or not they're former players.

1 or 2 special comments, media pro and former coach or player. Maybe one or both of them use a telestrator in between quarters.

1 boundary rider. Again, a polished performer would be good. Abby Holmes does an OK job.

 

[TigerTrain23]

One thing they do on Triple M and other radio calls is often have a statistics specific person who focuses solely on delivering stats as the game is going on. I think it would make things a bit more natural - at the moment you get JB, BT or Daisy throwing in random stats and it feels really disjointed from the other parts of their role.

So I'd be keen for it to look like the following:

• 2 Play by Play
• 1 Special Comments
• 1 Statistician
• 1 Boundary Rider

Seven also needs to let BT, JB, Darcy and Hamish loosen up a lot more - no one takes them seriously as commentators anyway, so let them throw in more banter and make it enjoyable. Find the humour, especially in games they become blowouts, or in the 1st quarter or so when the game hasn't really found a flow.

 

[Falconista]

No more than three people in the commentary box!

2x pbp and 1x specials (ideally) OR 1x pbp and 2x specials. Personally, I find two play-by-play callers works better as they generally become less repetitive and fatigued as the game wears on. Really the only ones that master it solo are the elite like Huddo, Papalia and, the late, Clinton Grybas.​

1x boundary (who a bit like some of the Fox ones do a bit of analysis/specials from what they're seeing from ground level). ONE ONLY!​

​

It's TV, not radio, there doesn't need to be so much talking during play. As mentioned above, you can cross back to a studio for more talking heads and analysis during the breaks.

 

[juss]

2 play callers
1 special comments
1 boundary rider/special comments from ground level.

 

[PoopingHindi]

0 commentators
ambient mics turned up.

 

[joe444]

Pete, Lou and Bob calling the 1984 Grand Final.

Bob added nothing, but that's part of the experience.

 

[Section226]

2 Play by Play - AT THE BLUDDY GROUND
1 Special - AT THE BLUDDY GROUND
1 - Boundary - Needless to say, AT THE BLUDDY GROUND.

Play by Play commentators need to be media professionals. Whether they have played is irrelevant.

1st Qtr / 3rd Qtr breaks - add break + brief stats round up by the special commentator + injury / bench report from boundary rider.
Half Time break - go to studio for 3 person discussion

 

[burge13]

Underwood, Dermie, Derwayne, Hamish. Get them all on one broadcast together at the same time...

So i can watch the other broadcast with better commentary