With the new season quickly approaching, sports fans are thinking about the latest sporting events to follow. One of the big questions on everyone’s minds is “Is Speedway on Sky Sports this year?”
The answer is “Yes”, but it comes with a heavy price. For those looking to catch the England speedway team racing, they will have to pay a premium to see Jimmy Riches’ side compete. On the plus side, Sky Sports’ coverage of Sunday league football is a must for those who want to keep up with the latest headlines during the week.
Here we answer the question “Is Speedway on Sky Sports this year?” and explore what changes, if any, can be expected.
Watching Speedsport In HD
To start with, let’s look at how to watch speedway in HD. The first place to check for this is the official website, whose videos are available in HD. For those who want to catch the races in high definition, they will have to either upgrade their Internet connection or buy a television set that can handle the high definition broadcasts.
From a distance, the difference in quality between a standard definition (SD) and a high definition (HD) version of a broadcast is noticeable. While the SD image may not be bad, it certainly isn’t up to the standard of an HD display. This is because high definition television sets are able to display more information than standard sets. They use more precise sync and wider bandwidths to ensure that every image is crystal clear. If you see a broadcast in HD, it is worth knowing that it was filmed in high definition.
No Changes At Present
At the moment, there are no changes to the broadcasting schedule announced by the BSPA. This season will see the continued participation of the Leicester Tigers and Swindon Supermarine in the National League and Premier League respectively. The same goes for the Peterborough Panthers and Coventry City in the NIFL Premiership and Championship respectively. As well as this, the Elite League will see the return of the Peterborough Pirates and the Oxford Rebels.
Also remaining unchanged is the fact that no games will be shown live on British television this year. The last occurrence of this was in 2015 when the Premier League decided to stop broadcasting games live following the conclusion of the Football World Cup. This is mainly due to the increasing amount of games that are being shown online. This is also the case for international matches such as the Rugby World Cup. As a result of this, there will be no live coverage this year of any games involving England, except for the Finals of the World Cup.
In summary, there are no changes at present to the above mentioned sporting events broadcasting on Sky Sports. The only change is that the season is now halfway through and some teams have already started playing their home games. As we get closer to the end of the season, updates will be published if and when any changes occur.
Signature Events
In addition to the above, the BSPA have also announced some events that carry a special meaning for the fans. These will be broadcast live and inHD. They are as follows:
- World Cup Final – The last eight teams of the World Cup will battle it out in a tournament to decide who will be crowned champions of the world. This will take place at the end of the Premier League season and will be shown live on Sky Sports. The draw for the tournament was recently held and the participants are as follows:
- Graduation Day – On graduation day, the Newcastle Falcons will hold a special ceremony to celebrate the graduation of their 2017 intake of players. The match is scheduled to take place at the end of the season and will be shown live on Sky Sports.
- FA Cup Final – The 66th FA Cup final will be held on 18 May 2017 at Wembley Stadium. The match will be between holders Chelsea and FA Cup semi-finalists Manchester United. This year’s FA Cup final will be broadcast live on BBC One and the BBC Red Button, with highlights shown on BBC Two.
- EFL Cup Final – The conclusion of the 2016–17 Premier League season saw Liverpool FC defeat Norwich City 4–2 in the 2017 EFL Cup Final. The final was held at Tate Modern on 31 October and will be shown live on Sky Sports.
- Premier League Champions League Final – On 25 May 2017, Tottenham Hotspur will face off against Liverpool FC in the 2017 Premier League Champions League Final. The game will be held at The Etihad Stadium and will be shown live on Sky Sports. This year’s Champions League Final will be the first under the two-year TV rights deal between BSkyB and UEFA.
- Champions League Final – The conclusion of the 2016–17 UEFA Champions League season saw Paris Saint-Germain defeat Liverpool FC 5–2 in the 2017 UEFA Champions League Final. The final was held at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium in Russia and will be shown live on Sky Sports.
- UEFA Europa League Final – The final of the 2016–17 UEFA Europa League season will be held on May 26 2017 at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. The winner will be crowned champion of Europe and will qualify for the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League. This year’s final will be shown live on Sky Sports.
- UEFA Super Cup Final – The 2017 UEFA Super Cup Final will be held between Sevilla FC and Juventus on 29 August 2017. This year’s edition of the Super Cup will be the first under the new three-year TV rights deal between BSkyB and UEFA.
- UEFA Women’s Championship Final – The conclusion of the 2016–17 UEFA Women’s Championship saw the Swiss defend their title with a 2–0 victory over the Denmark women. The final took place at the Cardiff City Stadium on 22 May 2017 and will be shown live on Sky Sports.
- UEFA Youth League Final – The final of the UEFA Youth League will be held on May 25 2017 at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin. The competition acts as qualifying for the UEFA Champions League, with the winner being crowned champion of Europe. This year’s final will be shown live on Sky Sports.
The above is a short summary of changes that may occur this year regarding British television listings. A large number of major sporting events will be shown live, either globally or in the UK, including the World Cup final, graduation day, FA Cup final, and the two European finals. As before, any later updates will be published.