Last but not least: Football off the pitch
The German pay-TV channel Premiere wants ARD’s «Sportschau» to be moved to a later time slot in the evening. While everyone deserves to enjoy soccer on free-to-air TV, we shouldn’t forget the liberating consequences this would have for couples in a broader context.
The tussle for Bundesliga rights has started again in Germany. As in the last rights round, pay-TV broadcaster Premiere is once again demanding that the "Sportschau" on ARD be broadcast later in the evening. Premiere CEO Georg Kofler wants to make the Bundesliga matches on his channel more exclusive. ARD, on the other hand, wants to fight for "Sportschau", which provides a summary of Bundesliga matches, to continue to be shown on Saturdays at 6.30 pm. "Sportschau" boss Steffen Simon told the Westfälische Rundschau newspaper that the format would possibly be overturned if the date had to be moved: "If the free-to-air football is only broadcast at 10 p.m., it will take place somewhere, but not on ARD".
Of course, everyone should be allowed to watch football on free TV. But for a whole series of couples in crisis, at least one potential source of conflict would disappear if the program no longer existed. After all, nobody would have to get upset about the well-known phrase: "Not now, darling; I'm watching 'Sportschau'".
Of course, everyone should be allowed to watch football on free TV. But for a whole series of couples in crisis, at least one potential source of conflict would disappear if the program no longer existed. After all, nobody would have to get upset about the well-known phrase: "Not now, darling; I'm watching 'Sportschau'".
