I waited to post until I got to experience the system as a spectator. Went to the Belgian Open finals, and … I don’t like it. Games are too short, in tense matches luck is to much in the game (no prolongation, the first who reaches 11 gets the game). Whenever there’s a gap of 4 or more points, it is game over. So what the BWF wanted to achieve, they promote this way (one of BWF’s arguments to change was when a player gets too far behind, he drops the game and settles for the next game). Even Vittinghus agreed with me after his win over Zwiebler.
Indeed, some games were over after almost 5′. The fitness of the player is less important towards the end of the match (even a 5-setter), … Sorry BWF, the 21 system is fine, leave it. If a sport changes too often too much, you will achieve the inverse of what you want (I guess, IMHO). Hands off.
Cheers, ED

Good to hear your first hand report on the new scoring system Ed.

A couple of things I’d like your opinion on:
Did the new system tend to favour the more aggressive, all guns blazing from the start, players.
Given that the crowd pleasing aspect of our game is rallies,the longer the better, was there any marked difference with the new scoring.
Was there more of an impact on either the single or the doubles.
Look forward to your reply.

Roger

This National Badminton League is supposed to be promoting the sport in the UK isn’t it? But live streaming blocked in the UK (due to TV rights). Duh!!! Sack the marketing & promotions team and put someone in place with a little common sense.

Anyone know if there are videos available online anywhere? i.e. ones not BLOCKED to UK proxies. What kind of sports promotion is it that hides the content from the majority of fans and players?

WAKE UP NBL!!! Sky TV isn’t the answer. You’d be better off creating a special website channel, even if initially charging a SMALL fee for pay-to-view while getting established. You can skip that given advertising in the form of on-site banners, plus video ads and sponsorship. Can’t organise all this? Ok, give me a call.

Jim Moriarty said

Putting the NBL on a “special website channel” would achieve nothing. In such a scenario the only people that would go to the effort to watch it would be badminton enthusiasts like us – particularly so if there was a PPV element to it.

What do you think is achievable via Sky TV? Do you imagine a great many Sky subscribers will tune in to a sport they aren’t involved in? I personally doubt it, apart from very few exceptions. Then there is the laughable scenario that videos of matches are disabled for UK viewers. Can you explain the thinking behind this once the matches are over?

Jim Moriarty said
Selling the rights to Sky not only brings in revenue, but also puts the badminton easy to access into thousands of homes that would probably have never made the effort to watch top level badminton before. As you say, one of the key aims of the NBL is to promote badminton in the UK – surely getting it watched by “new” viewers and inspiring people to pick up a racket that otherwise would not have is better than your suggestion of a special website that would likely only be viewed by people like you and I?!

Access to Sky TV homes is one thing but I think you will find viewing figures will demonstrate that NBL coverage has very low priority for the vast majority of subscribers unless they are already involved in badminton in some way. In my opinion, Sky coverage is unlikely to get anyone new to “pick up a racket”. If anything, it would be via mainstream TV coverage such as the Olympics or Commonwealth Games. Also, I am not convinced that Sky brings in revenue but you may be right on that. I just recall that in the 1990s Sky were PAID to televise badminton by the (then) BA of E.

You are of course correct that a specialised website channel would primarily appeal to badminton enthusiasts but you miss the point that it would be accessible to everyone – something Sky clearly is not, even after events! A website channel freely accessible could easily be promoted via Badminton England and countless other sports pages on the internet, including the now very influential social media (like it or not!) particularly amongst the young. I accept your points but I for one cannot see Sky TV as the answer. And after all, you are speaking as someone who watched the event. The vast majority of badminton players will not have seen anything thanks to Sky TV’s restrictive policy.

Jim Moriarty said
Change happens in every walk of life, and badminton must adapt if it wants to stay popular and continue to grow in the 21st Century.

I agree it needs to adapt, hence the changing scoring system. Whether Sky coverage of the NBL will be of any significant benefit remains to be seen but I doubt it. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the contract terms meant Badminton England received zero revenue in exchange for coverage (‘promotion’). I wonder if the BBC were offered the NBL for transmission on BBC3 or BBC4 whether they would take it up?