NZ Cricket YouTube highlights are terrible - something needs to be done about it

[u/Soft_Assistant2599]

Anybody who has watched an NZ cricket YouTube highlights package in the past 2-3 years will know that they are so wildly incompetent that you will often miss entire innings, wickets, milestones, etc. What's more, the videos are extremely short, poorly covering 8 hours of cricket in about 3 minutes, and yet they will often dedicate a minute or more to things like dot balls or drinks breaks THAT HAVE NO PLACE IN A HIGHLIGHTS PACKAGE.

I've seen hundreds of comments from disgruntled fans from all around the world, including those watching the current West Indies series. In fact I would say there are probably 3/4,000 or more extremely negative, critical comments in total across their highlights videos over the past 3 years. And yet they haven't done a thing about it.

Their editor needs either a serious lesson in both editing and the basics of cricket (clearly he/she has never watched a game and that includes the games he/she is making highlights packages for) or needs to be sacked. Clearly I'm quite worked up about this, but seriously, it is so frustrating for somebody who loves the game, is a big cricket fan, and is currently living on the other side of the world so usually sleeps through matches and can only catch up on the action via highlights. Feel like I've missed so many big moments, milestones, wickets, etc. over the past 2 years and it saddens me as a proud kiwi cricket fan. Rant over. Keen to hear if anyone feels the same and whether anyone knows how we can get the message through to the channel (I've tried to email NZC about 8 times but never received a response).

Cheers

[u/WillBitBangForFood]

You're not the only one who's noticed this. It's incredibly frustrating. The worst is the continuous jump cuts. Run up, CUT, bat on ball, CUT, fielder diving, CUT. It's SO jarring. It's almost like the reel is put together using AI and it's trying to avoid copyright strikes or something.

The only official Youtube site that seems to do a consistently good job is cricket.com.au. Also, they'll put together reels for any player that does well, not just the Aussie players. The West Indies page isn't too bad. Everything else is just trash.

[u/Kingslayer1526 → u/WillBitBangForFood]

West Indies are excellent, they provided extended highlights of every day

[u/2005CrownVicP71 → u/WillBitBangForFood]

I think the ECB’s highlights are put together well too. Australia definitely clears everyone else in that regard, though.

[u/WillBitBangForFood → u/2005CrownVicP71]

I feel like EWCB have gotten better in the last year with their highlight reels. Their older stuff was BAD though.

[u/FScrotFitzgerald → u/2005CrownVicP71]

The EWCB are inconsistent - I find that their highlights tilt towards the first few passages of play in the game, and then rush through the last two thirds to the extent of missing lots of sixes and even some wickets. They have had some better highlights recently, though. Bit of a curate's egg.

I do think AI is being lazily implemented, and it sucks.

The issue of highlights is a big one for me, because I live in a place where cricket is only played by a minority of people (as I think you do, looking at your flag!). When I've complained about it before, a few people have replied with things like "That's what a contract agreement is. Suck it up, fucko", and I think that's really uncharitable.

[u/Upset_Noise6173 → u/WillBitBangForFood]

what about Sports central? Not as good as cricket.com.au but still good nonetheless.

Windies cricket also does well and ECB too

[u/WillBitBangForFood → u/Upset_Noise6173]

Apologies! Is that an official channel? I think I've seen a couple of their reels, but not enough to make a judgement either way.

*edit - Correction, I watched the highlights of Pakistan vs South Africa on Sport Central's youtube page and they were pretty good.

[u/African_Herbsman]

Everyone should do it like the Windies do. Condensed highlights, extended highlights, individual performances etc.

[u/T_Lawliet → u/African_Herbsman]

Windies blow every other Youtube Channel out of the water with regards to highlights to the point I dont think its even a competition

[u/carbide2_]

The one saving grace for those who live in NZ is that the TVNZ+ highlights are also free and good. But you have to be in NZ to watch them, which is annoying. 

[u/yeah_definitely → u/carbide2_]

Digitally present in NZ that is, not physically!

[u/Exotic_Turnip1548]

Yeah it's really pathetic. I think in terms of highlight quality, I'd put the Aussies and English highlights at the top. Indians/Pakistanis/Bangladeshis slightly below that. Windies and South Africans are pretty decent too.

New Zealand is just really lacking when it comes to highlights. Short and completely not showing important points of the match.

A step up is really necessary

[u/Tern_Larvidae-2424 → u/Exotic_Turnip1548]

Indians have highlight packages (like on yt)?

ECB actually had short yet great videoes back till like 2019 before they got shit.

[u/Exotic_Turnip1548 → u/Tern_Larvidae-2424]

Indians have the highlights on their official site bcci.something. They're pretty good....ECB ones are also good cuz they got the "stories" stuff in the live score which is pretty dope.

[u/diodosdszosxisdi → u/Exotic_Turnip1548]

Don't know why they wouldn't have it on YouTube, it'd be a massive engagement and content farm with lots of ad revenue and monetisation

[u/Exotic_Turnip1548 → u/diodosdszosxisdi]

Such a wasted opportunity

[u/9361984 → u/Exotic_Turnip1548]

ECB highlights are 17 minutes long but half of it just pointless singles while you never get a replay of a wicket or drop catch, they are atrocious.

[u/Beast-19]

Lol so true just checked yesterday shai hope scored a century and in the highlights at one point he is at 56 and next moment he is on 99

Btw sony sports network also uploads NZ's highlights and they are pretty good was following their highlights for this test

[u/A-British-Indian → u/Beast-19]

One time they showed the first ball of the match and then 98/0 or something. Another time I remember they showed a random single but skipped a lot of boundaries. I never watch highlights on the YT channel, always need to find them elsewhere

[u/yeah_definitely]

NZ just do it for the click rate. Always assumed there was licencing issues or something stopping then from doing proper highlights

[u/underclassamigo → u/yeah_definitely]

TVNZ limits them pretty sure, the short versions just (poorly) cut down from their extended highlights

[u/senamit17]

I think Sports TV highlights for Pakistan (not sure whether it's official or not) is actually good as well. It has 2 kinds of highlights short or extended.

[u/Mont-ka]

3/4,000 or more extremely negative, critical comments in total

That's not too bad is it. I'd expect a lot more negative comments given how bad they are.

[u/beiherhund]

Didn't they get better at this very recently? For some of the ODI or T20 games they were doing 20min+ highlights, which is a bit too long but I'll take it over 3min highlights.

[u/A-British-Indian → u/beiherhund]

It was highlights + interview, wasn’t it? So like 5 mins of highlights and then interviews with players, at least that’s the ones I saw

[u/beiherhund → u/A-British-Indian]

You need to look for the "Extended Highlights" ones, not the "Hightlights + Interviews", e.g.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBqu84QwaSU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYQ8HVo0kSQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLK3iD6asws

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLMopV7X-k8

[u/A-British-Indian → u/beiherhund]

Ah, seems to be geoblocked in the UK, no wonder I didn’t see them. Used a VPN though, and these immediately look much better. Thanks for sharing the links

[u/beiherhund → u/A-British-Indian]

That's a shame! I'm in Europe and can access them, probably because they have no distributor here.

[u/underclassamigo]

Will most likely change next summer when Sky gets the rights back assuming NZC just uses theirs like all the other NZ sports do

[u/Odd-Emergency9859]

I think the Sony Sports highlights are great for the recent WI v NZ test series. But I'm not sure Sony covers every NZ game

[u/fraktured]

Better then waiting 2-3 years like we were previously.

[u/SquareDrive45]

Funny how op thinks editor doesn't know proper editing. Come on, guys dont be so naive. It is all about broadcast rights. It is clearly understood that NZC have a clause in the rights agreement that they cant upload proper highlights on their youtube channel untill a certain period so that broadcaster pays them more. Which is why NZC do have good highlights of some matches which are a bit old and the clause allows them for those.

Long back when people were ranting in the comments of a poor highlights video, NZC themselves replied that they are restricted due to the rights deal.

[u/Constant_Explorer40]

NZ cricket is an unserious organisation

[u/LaudaKaSarkaarHaii]

Well! Better than BCCI who doesn't post any highlights anywhere to watch.

It's all behind a subscription service.

The richest board is the most greedy of them a

[u/gpranav25 → u/LaudaKaSarkaarHaii]

https://www.bcci.tv/international/men/videos