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In this digital age does it really matter if the racing is on C4 or More 4?
90 odd percent of viewers can get both channels and if people want to watch the racing they still can – in truth I’m not sure how many casual or passing viewers C4 racing actually gets although I suspect it isn’t many and probably less than there would be on the, so called, two “main” channels.
The racecourses sign exclusive contracts to ATR & RUK therefore they cannot sign to More4 as this is not terrestrial so Channel 4 technically are supposed to show racing on Channel 4.
As Paul said More4 is terrestrial. You get it through your normal TV arial and don’t need satellite or cable. You are getting confused between analogue and digital and everyone is digital now. I believe in the past racing has been shown on E4 or More4.
Correct KenH,
More4 has been utilised on a handful of occasions – notably:-
– Early races of the Shergar Cup
– During the 2012 Parlympics (Pretty sure Haydock’s Sprint Cup was broadcast on More4 that year)
– A short lived “Channel 4 Racing Extra” experiment one September where an extra hour of coverage was broadcast on More4 once the main coverage had finished.In regards the co-existance of F1 and Racing (where most clashes will take place for the Saturday qualifying sessions for the European races) I can see one of two scenario’s occuring.
Racing on More4 until 2.30 or 3pm (depending on the time of Qualifying) or a later start for racing – going back to the 1990’s when C4R had a 3-5pm time slot.
Seems near impossible to go anywhere different with a racing show.
We have had the blokey chummy all pals stuff, the panto act sideshow stuff, the serious presenter speaking to the audience as if we are all about 5 years old stuff, the propunter I’m a geezer know what I mean cor blimey stuff, the we laid a 100 thousand each way bet at 25/1 cash bet the winner to an unknown man in an office in wellesbourne, the blast any foreign rider yet every rider in the uk doesn’t get the rides they deserve or is the hardest working rider in the game stuff, the ray has lovely hands, no finer judge of horse flesh than her majesty stuff, the continual brush under the carpet stuff, the a err but errrrrr as I said stuff, the he is a lovely big horse all small and compact stuff, the if it’s this close next time round we will be in for a thriller stuff, and last but not least, the how does it feel to ride the winner of whatever enormous race.
Jessica Ennis, goodnight.
They’ve announced that there will be ‘no change’ to 2016 horse racing coverage following F1 decision.
I reckon there’s a sizeable overlep between racing and F1 that could be developed as a theme by Ch4. Both sports feature competitors that can’t talk (horse/car), manipulated by humans that rely almost entirely on the competitors for their success (jockey/driver), handled by teams of specialists between races (stable staff/mechanics), controlled by a team leader who acts as the public face of the team (trainer/team manager), contested in glamorous locations where the social side is as important as the race (Royal Ascot/Monte Carlo).
Both sports suffer from disputed decisions by a set of stewards that can affect the outcome of the race, both are uncomfortably dependent nowadays on money from Gulf states, both are finding mainstream TV coverage harder to come by.
And probaby the biggest common factor of all – both sports are regarded as terminally boring and a waste of TV time by the majority that have no interest in them.
But at least racing hasn’t sunk to the point where the only bit worth watching is the run to the first bend!
Watch all the haters of artificial surface 5f sprints leap on that last line, Alan
You’re right, of course; the percentage of horse races per annum whose outcome is all but a foregone conclusion within the first 20 seconds must be a good deal smaller than the F1 equivalents.
I also can’t recall the last time F1 produced a “little guy” story to rival those our preferred sport still tosses up with satisfying regularity. I can’t offer anything better in recent memory than Ross Brawn securing both the Constructors and Drivers championship in 2009 with his eponymous “new” operation (albeit one already existing in the guise of Honda F1 the year before), or Pastor Maldonado somehow keeping out of harm’s way long enough to land the 2012 Spanish Grand Prix; and heaven knows it’s stretching credibility to regard either of these multi-millionaires as “little guys” in the same way one would a permit-holder…
gc
Adoptive father of two. The patron saint of lower-grade fare. A gently critical friend of point-to-pointing. Kindness is a political act.
HD coverage will be effected I would think if they did move the coverage from Channel 4 HD. I’m not so sure More HD is widely available through the usual packages, most basic subscription includes the main HD channels now to watch through a suitable set. The HD coverage of the racing is Channels 4’s only trump card at the moment.
HD coverage will be effected I would think if they did move the coverage from Channel 4 HD. I’m not so sure More HD is widely available through the usual packages, most basic subscription includes the main HD channels now to watch through a suitable set. The HD coverage of the racing is Channels 4’s only trump card at the moment.
Channel 4 is quoted in saying in regards to their coverage of Formula 1
“All broadcasting will be free-to-air and in high definition”Unfortunately, we have increasingly become a nation of petrolheads. How else would you explain the popularity of something like Top Gear? To me it is inane garbage but clearly many people need their regular fix.
These people can watch Formula 1 and for a couple of hours imagine they are Lewis Hamilton or one of the other helmets. Plenty of people drive cars, far less ride horses. There isn’t anything like the same association.
Returning to racing presentation.
It would be a seismic change if pundits stopped treating viewers as complete fools. To listen to these pundits there are about five duff rides a year. Is it any wonder Betfair is literally full of posts slagging jockeys? Punters don’t have a voice in the media. If a footballer misses an open goal he can expect to be criticised and rightly so. Why is racing so different? It seems continuous cheerleading is fine, but criticism just isn’t permissible. If a pundit highlights what in their view is a poor ride that surely is just their opinion and hardly a catalyst for a trip to the law courts. Are they really so worried that said individuals will never speak to them again? If that really is the case what does that say about said individuals?
Could get the same presenters to do both shows to save a bit of cash, Mick Fitzgerald in the pit lane
Anyway, for those that believe the possibility of C4 racing moving to More4 or disappearing altogether from Terrestrial (again who cares we are privileged to have ATR and RUK) spells the death knell for racing as we know it, may I offer an idea that might make you sleep easier at night
Are we really privileged to have ATR & RUK? Is that opinion based on regular viewing? As a regular viewer I can say both leave a lot to be desired particularly RUK, as a substantial subscription is required for it.
But then again for a sport that we keep getting told has continuing declining interest, why are there 2 specialist channels rather than 1 at all? I’ve never understood why there are, the only thing I can think of is having 2 channels allows a lot more people to get their fingers in the pie.
Agree with all this [stilvi]. Racing coverage needs more banter and more honest analysis. It’s always been hamstrung by an unwillingness to say the things any regular race-watcher can see when watching a race.
Formula one is an horrific sport and I would rather spend two hours having root canal treatment than sit through that. The appeal is baffling.
Ruk should be free to air. If the sport wants new followers then it has to take a long term view and ruk’s excllent coverage is always likely to attract the semi interested channel hopper. It’s a case of the accountants running the show and as ever, not thinking ahead
<p abp=”317″>They’ve announced that there will be ‘no change’ to 2016 horse racing coverage following F1 decision.
Utter nonsense. There are meetings at both Newmarket and York the British Grand Prix weekend. Can they really believe coverage of these meetings are not going to interfere with that coverage? They are committed to covering the British GP live so can’t make an excuse of we’ll be showing it after the racing’s finished. There will be “change” because racing will end up not being on C4, but one of their other channels.
I guess the main reason racing fans are watching Channel 4 as opposed to RUK and ATR at the moment is the quality of the images. I don’t subscribe to RUK and the ATR picture quality is so poor. I think if it does go out of HD they will lose many more viewers and then be able to wrap it up for good. Sad that racing has become such a minority sport I never thought it would happen in my life time.
Formula one is an horrific sport and I would rather spend two hours having root canal treatment than sit through that. The appeal is baffling.
That’s rather beside the point.
F1 gets far higher ratings than racing, apart from the GN, so all the F1 OBs will be on C4 and any racing that takes place at the same time will have to be on More4, or not shown at all. It’s not credible that, alone among spectator sports, racing has something worth screening on free-to-air 52 weeks a year.
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