I thought there was some rule that prevented one perticular service provider having a monopoly over the rites to any one perticular sport?

Bad news - no question.
I agree that the attendances etc haven't been the best - for the qualifying rounds in particular, but it's still a top class event.

Moving to Sky means it's not in the public mainstream.

Sky coverage is arguably better than the beebs but that's irrelevant to me in the whole context of the sport.

ESPN could get it or the BBC could still keep it this just means they are no longer made to show it

i love the challenge cup, its the weekend i look forward too the most in the year

The BBC now pay through the roof for the Grand Prix and soon to be paying for the England Cricket Rights as well. It is no suprise the Rugby League has been dropped!!

People are getting a mixed up here....The ruling specifies that the Challenge Cup is now open to all bidders, including pay-TV, such as Sky or ESPN....Previously, it could only be shown on Free-to-air TV. The BBC did not have the monopoly at this point, its just that they obviously bid more than ITV, Channel 4 or Channel 5 did (if they actually bid at all).

As for the cricket rights (well, actually the Ashes rights), the BBC will not neccessarily have the rights. Channel 4, who had the rights before Sky for 6 years, could easily come back in for it, or even Channel 5, who have been showing highlights since Sky got the coverage.

It will be interesting if Sky actually go for the Challenge Cup, considering that Eddie & the gang look upon the competition with such disdain at the present time, in comparison with their beloved Super League...

a very valid point, and considering that every one will be digital by 2011 or whenever it is, so the amount of free to air channels will be considerably increased

Yes, we could have the Ashes cricket on Babestation or Bangbabes, or one of those other channels that none of us fellas 'accidentally' skip onto when the wife is out of the room...

CORRECT

I've said for a while now, that i think ITV could do wonders with the Challenge Cup broadcasts. Watching them on BBC is chuffin cringeworthy.

As long as that moron Steve Rider is at ITV, there is no way I would want RL to be taken on by them.

The best thing to happen to RL on the BBC was when that idiot left for ITV.

Not quite sure how opening up the bidding for the Challenge Cup can actually be detrimental to the game. It's not like they're actually having to force the BBC against their will to show it at present.....

However I did read in one of the broadsheets that the viewing figures for this year's final was as low as 300,000, so perhaps it's not that attactive a proposition.

It would still remain, perhaps, within the RFL's remit as to whether they wanted to sell the rights to a pay per view broadcaster, or whether they wished only to consider bids from free to air channels.