Anyone else annoyed by ashes being on sky?

[#1]

As the title suggests this has really got my goat.
After football, cricket is my most favoured of sports to watch. Now that sky have bought the rights to cricket I can no longer watch it. I have been punished by the soaring popularity of a great sport that went largely ignored until 2005. It would certainly be seen as outrageous if the football world cup (The highlight of football) was not shown on terrestrial television and yet with the nations pride at stake and the chance to win back the ashes, I can't even get behind my country in this their of need!
I could watch a live stream of it online but I have 15GB download limit so that isn't really an option.
My hatred of sky goes beyond just this and I refuse to pay a monthly subscription for tv that I will never watch.
Grrrr 

[#2]

To be honest, it's been like that for a few years now.
One of few reasons why I'll pay Sky - to watch the cricket.

[#3]

It happened straight after the success of 2005 because of the popularity. Channel 5 took some of the rights to cricket as well. That made me buy a sky dish because I couldn't receive freeview so I got freesat (no subscription). I still wont pay for sky, I might move to Norwich and get cable instead. Thats how much I dislike skys tactics.

[#4]

There are certain events that are protected and have to be made available to the terrestrial channels.  Cricket used to be one of them but doesn't seem to be so any more.  When was it taken off the protected list?

[#5]

Quote from: jelv

I used to watch the cricket a lot, but since they started only showing the highlights on television I don't follow it nearly as much.

[#6]

Euge - you'll still be paying sky for the cricket and it could end up costing you more if you get cable.
I'm annoyed it's on Sky, but that's only because I'm not allowed it as *someone* thinks I'll watch too much sport.
As if that were possible.
I'm kept happy with TMS

[#7]

I too loath Sky - they effectively have a monopoly of Pay to view satellite TV, and I don't like any of the companies products - they even have the Times for goodness sake.
Thank goodness for FreeSat - but that doesn't help with things like this.
I know many people who don't have Sky on principle for very similar reasons to me.
Subscription TV has also pushed up the price football can charge and the astronomic salaries that the top football players get.
But Santana has gone bust hasn't it ?

[#8]

That's why I bought a satellite kit NOT Sky!

[#9]

Not sure how much Eurosport costs and what they have these days - you used to be able to get that on satellite, but a steerable dish is needed to get the best out of what is up there

[#10]

Eurosport has the Tour de France lie at the moment.
You can listen to The ashes on BBC 5 Live still (Thats a Radio Channel)
Eurosport is a Yahoo off shoot available here http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/
it is available on Top Up TV - costs
and Sky Chan 410
On Hotbird - encripted

[#11]

Well I'm glad the cricket has been relegated to Sky -- made a mess of TV schedule and its just so dull ---- unless you are sitting there @ the ground drinking beer 
lots of people have zero interest so why supply them with coverage they don't want?
-- if they really want it they can pay a small amount to sky
OK you guessed it, I'm not a sports fan & have never sat through a whole football match -- seems a significant proportion don't either or itv sport & setanta would have been money spinners!
Tour de France is on free to air itv3 or itv4 - I'll watch that for the scenery when its in the mountains

[#12]

Personally, I'd prefer Sport to be on Terestrial, so that Joe Public can see it, but can see why it ends up going to Sky etc.

[#13]

BBC could run continuous coverage on the red button, which would keep the majority of people happy.

[#14]

Channel 4 had it on E4 or Film4 when they had it, that was good enough.

[#15]

@Barky - I'm with you to a point - not a great cricket or football fan myself -
but that doesn't change my view. I think it should be on free to view on both Freeview and Freesat either BBC or commercial, why can't the Beeb have a dedicated sports channel.