Welsh Language Society Condemns Sports Network Plan to Scrap Welsh Language Programming

The always excellent “The Daily Wales” website is reporting under the headline “Appeal to UFEA over Sky decision to abolish Welsh language commentary” that a major  network is to scrap some of its Welsh language programming.

The global network Sky Sports has announced it will no longer offer Welsh language commentary during the broadcast of Wales football internationals.  This in turn has earned the condemnation of the Welsh Language Society (Cymdeithas Yr Laith).

Spokesman Greg Bevan from Cymdeithas said: “It’s completely unacceptable that Sky Sports has decided to stop offering Welsh commentary on Wales’ international football matches. It shows how weak the channel’s commitment is to Welsh football and how contemptuous Sky’s empire is of the Welsh language. We are writing to UEFA and Sky to raise our concerns about this unnecessary cutback. Welsh speakers have the right to watch and listen to Wales’ international matches in their own language. BSkyB makes an annual profit of over £1 billion, but what do they produce in Welsh?  This news only strengthens our case for a new tax on companies like Sky in order to fund Welsh broadcasting.”

The Welsh Language Society define themselves as follows on their web page: “Cymdeithas is a group of people who seek equality of access to the Welsh language and campaign positively in a non-violent way for rights of people in Wales to use the language in every aspect of everyday life.”

http://dailywales.net/2014/09/01/appeal-to-uefa-over-sky-decision-to-abo...