Cardiff City v Swansea has not been chosen for TV coverage tomorrow, for the first time in what seems like an age. For the first time in the memory of most, the south Wales derby will not be shown on TV tomorrow.
A lot of supporters have posed the question - why not?
You can follow the Cardiff City v Swansea match live with us here.
A case of 16 th vs 17 th - not an exciting prospect?
The most obvious explanation is the context surrounding the game tomorrow. Just one league position separates the two sides, but the positions are 16th and 17th. Both teams are destined to have nothing of note to play for the rest of this season, other than pride. TV bosses have clearly noticed this, and the south Wales derby hasn’t warranted TV coverage as a result this time round.
Saturday, 3pm kick off
A few eyebrows were raised when it was confirmed that the derby had been given a 3pm Saturday kick-off time this year. 3pm kick- offs in the UK have been subject to a TV blackout since the 1960s. Encouraging fans to still attend games at this time, a ban on TV coverage of fixtures shown between 2:45pm and 5:15pm remains in place.
Better games to watch chosen?
The Championship fixture chosen by Sky Sports on Saturday is a 12:30pm kick-off between Blackpool and Nottingham Forest. Quite frankly, this game has more riding on it. Steve Cooper's Forest sit in ninth, three points off Blackburn in sixth, with three games in hand on their rivals. Blackpool’s play-off hopes may be slim, but with 52 points, they are just nine points from a play-off place, with two games in hand on others. Still, a full-blooded derby would appeal to many more.
Viewing figures
Finally, as with any business, TV companies will have based their decision not to air the South Wales derby on their viewing figures. If the derby would have pulled in more people, it would have been chosen. However, a derby is always an exciting prospect, and the decision to leave this one off the TV schedule has raised the eyebrows of many.
Let us know in the comments below why you think the south Wales derby hasn’t been chosen, and how you will be following the game if you’re not able to get to the ground.
Our live blog following all the action will be available tomorrow.
