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I can’t see what the problem is if the motor racing takes centre stage and some of the horse racing is transferred from Channel 4 to More4.
Surely that’s better than the racing being axed altogether on those weekends that the two sports clash. What’s so difficult about consulting the TV guide, skimming down the menu of channels and pressing the button when More4 appears? As it’s likely that only some of the races might be on More4, it’s hardly a great inconvenience.
Fans of a lot of the sports that have been axed completely from terrestrial channels would no doubt be very happy to have the minor inconvenience of merely switching to a different channel occasionally or temporarily.
As has been pointed out by others on this forum, one day racing fans who moan about minor inconveniences and two specialist channels will realise how very lucky we actually are to get the service, albeit a flawed one, we do at the minute.
For racing to end up on More4 occasionally is actually a good result for race fans instead of it being axed completely in favour of motor racing on certain days.
I just find it terribly sad that racing I becoming less and less a part of peoples lives. In my childhood it was part of the fabric of everyones life.
For racing to end up on More4 occasionally is actually a good result for race fans instead of it being axed completely in favour of motor racing on certain days.
So are you saying a bad result for the sport (that’s what it is) is better than an even worse result?
I recorded an old Agatha Christie film on More4 this year. That’s the only time I have gone near it. I go back to my earlier point do you really want to attract more ‘race fans’ or push racing further over the minority cliff? It can only go one way with a move to More4.
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.
I haven’t subscribed to live RUK for several years and rarely watch live ATR or live C4; which I suppose doesn’t really qualify me to comment on televisual racing matters, so should shut up…
…but by “privileged” I meant the fact that we have two dedicated racing channels at all and, as others have pointed out, terrestrial coverage at least once a week. Now I was never enamoured of ATR’s coverage, liked one or two pundits on RUK and haven’t watched enough C4 this millennium to pass comment: but if it’s a myriad horse races – and horse races alone – you want to watch and enjoy then we really are ridiculously fortunate; and all I ever wanted was and is the races, window dressing and apres-ski are of no or minimal interest, good bad or indifferent
As for having two dedicated channels, consider what would happen on over-busy summer days, particularly Saturdays if we had just the one: four-way screen splits or ‘we’ll show you the 3.30 from x later in the programme as the off of the 3.25 from y has been delayed by a couple of minutes and the 3.20 from z is yet to finish’. Cue moans from someone who has a bet running in the 3.30 from x
I do think however that it would be preferential if the two channels were RUK1 and RUK2
Like I said, shut up, as I realise I’m truly odd in not being bothered by missing live racing nor listening to pundits (shrugging smiley)
I just find it terribly sad that racing I becoming less and less a part of peoples lives. In my childhood it was part of the fabric of everyones life.
Times change. Someone mentioned that most people can drive a car and can therefore imagine being Lewis Hamilton: car racing is immediately accessible
Horses, if not quite to our generation Moe, then certainly to our parents were a familiar part of society’s fabric and were, for want of a better word ‘understood’ by the public back then and back in to the misty palaeolithic. One does not see horses pulling ploughs and delivering milk these days
Add to the modern distancing from horses the growing concern with ‘animal welfare’ and it’s no surprise that horse racing rings fewer and fewer bells. A strange, atavistic sport peopled by strange, atavistic people in trilbies and tweed
Horse racing means little today though a day at the races remains popular; but they’re two entirely different things
If any one manages to successfully ‘market’ racing – the horse, the race – then I, for one, will be amazed: you either get it or you don’t and while it’s always been the case that few have ever really got it, even fewer do now; and who can really be surprised by that
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.
So would porn
Formula one baffles me. Maybe it’s the limited circles I move in but plenty of mates like sports right across spectrums. Rugby football cricket tennis. Most of us like more than one of course but the absolute one thing they have in common is that they hate f1. Really hate it
And in the odd occasions I’ve met someone that likes f1, they seem to have zero interest in other sports (not that you could call it that anyway)
Horse racing is credible if it’s not costing much to stage. I don’t get that point at all. It’s eitehr that or an old film
Is Formula One as popular as it used to be? There was a time when I wouldn’t miss it and used to drive to my cousins on a Sunday so we could watch it together, but I find it very tedious these days.I know that people mock it and I’m always defending it but I think the social/fashion side of racing is vitally important as there are very few occasions where women can dress up and wear clothes that they’ve probably bought for a family wedding and then have no reason to wear again.
I don’t get that point at all.
I’ll give it just the one more go.
Horse racing gets shown on a major free-to-air television channel 52 weekends a year (plus some weekdays) – no other sport receives this breadth of coverage, not even football.
I’m suggesting that we racing fans should be grateful for this generous amount of coverage (quality is a different matter), and not moan when the first half hour or so is going to be eaten into around a dozen times a year, requiring fans to temporarily change channels, especially as F1 gets vastly bigger audiences than racing.
This isn’t difficult to understand, surely? Are you suggesting that C4 put its more popular offering on its minor channel More4? What do you think advertisers would make of that?
You and your friends seem rather bigoted. How can you “hate” F1, it’s not as though you’re being forced to watch or read about it. Why can’t you be more tolerant of those who have different interests to you? Do you feel the same way about other people’s choices of pizza toppings when they don’t equate to yours?
As for the repulsive sport of f1 the reason many hate it is that the bbc blew its budget on the “sport” whilst taking limited declining interest in true sports such as rugby cricket and football. I and many others thought that was a disgrace. And yes, when I put in radio 5 for the wonderful Danny baker on a sat morning to be confronted by airheads commentating on a racket which is a practice round or something, then there is some resentment.
I have no problem about racing appearing on more4 but point is that it gets extensive coverage because it’s extremely cheap with a fairly steady audience. No body is doing anyone a favour here.
Clivex became Clivexx and is obviously trying his darnedest to be awarded a third x (furrow-browed smiley)
One can love a sport as love is a worthy emotion, lower case l or upper case L
But no sport, except perhaps bear-bating, badger-digging and cock-fighting can be hated or found repulsive can it? Games are no more than inconsequential diversions that some find entertaining and some don’t
I dislike F1, Synchronized Swimming, Jeremy Kyle and Eastenders so don’t watch them
I hate Daesh and find them repulsive: such unpleasant, generally unworthy emotions should be felt sparingly and restricted to the truly vile out there in the real world,,,actually on reflection I do think Jeremy Kyle is hateful (two-fingers and a scowling non-smiley)
I do agree that the BBC’s decision to lash out zillions to show it was wrong, and I think the current top brass now realise that was the case
I’m of the opinion that the BBC, in an effort to remain distinctive, should give up on Sport altogether, leave it to the commercial-ridden channels and/or subscription channels and concentrate on current affairs, documentaries, drama and comedy – it’s original remit to “inform, educate and entertain”
Erudite as ever drone. Dislike is more appropriate word of course. Hate is not correct.
The decision was especially poor since it was tax payers money spent heavily on a sport which is very very divisive.
I tend to agree about their remit for sport. That budget pissed up the wall on f1 could have been used on so much more
How can you “hate” F1, it’s not as though you’re being forced to watch or read about it. Why can’t you be more tolerant of those who have different interests to you? Do you feel the same way about other people’s choices of pizza toppings when they don’t equate to yours?
I quite like F1, but love horse racing. Fortunately with ATR, RUK, C4, C4+1, More4, More4+1 and Sky Sports F1 it’s unlikely we’ll miss anything.
I can understand why F1 is a big turn off for a lot of viewers. It’s far too sanitised these days (a bit like the Grand National) and results are often a foregone conclusion after the first lap unless nature intervenes. Getting up at 6.00am to watch the Far East GPs never used to be an issue, but wouldn’t consider it these days. Old Bernie has tried to keep things exciting, but has failed. His tongue in cheek suggestion of installing sprinklers at each circuit, that could be randomly activated during a race, was probably his best idea.
I do, however, HATE pizza. Melted cheese and cooked tomato, yuk, and that gooey pastry type base, makes me sick. I can never understand why people like it. Absolutely HATE it.
....and you've got to look a long way back for anything else.
More dreadful news for C4 in the Guardian, the Boxing Day broadcast from Kempton Park was watched by an average of 475,000 people, compared to 651,000 for 2014 and to the 746,000 who watched in 2012.
When you think of the quality of this year’s KG6 renewal, this is a really terrible performance by C4.
So when ITV (or whoever) takes over and shows racing even if only on the big days, they’ll at least be able to start with a completely clean sheet and not feel obliged to employ any of the current presenters who clearly don’t possess the skills to attract or hold an audience. (I exclude Sir AP from this of course, he’s only recently started doing bits and pieces for them, no blame attached to him).
Is it just that racing is becoming less and less popular anyway? Are more people watching on RUK[ATR] perhaps?
Is it just that racing is becoming less and less popular anyway? Are more people watching on RUK[ATR] perhaps?
Agreed Moehat, C4 stats alone tell us very little.
Should add C4 to RUK to see how many tune in.
Value Is EverythingAgreed Moehat, C4 stats alone tell us very little.
Should add C4 to RUK to see how many tune in. Is that really significant? How many subscribers does RUK have? 40/50 thousand? And is that much different to 2 or 3 years ago?
Something also to bear in mind is that if ITV win the rights they have stated that they would want exclusive coverage of the races they cover. I don’t know about others but if that occurs I would have no hesitation in cancelling RUK, I’m not prepared to pay over 20 quid a month for a sub-standard service. Surely they would have to make RUK free to air if that happens but you never know with the greed that encompasses horse racing.
I have been recovering from medical treatment over the Christmas period and have been more or less house bound and as a result have been watching a lot of racing.
ATR seems more professional in it’s presentation to Channel 4, more focussed and informative. however they don’t often show the horses in the paddock and the quality of the pictures are appalling, especially from Ireland; it’s as if a child has taken them with an old mobile phone.
Some of Channel 4’s coverage is in HD and very good, but the presenters annoy me so much that I have to pause my TV at intervals so I can fast forward. I especially dislike the post race interviews and the lack of follow up on fallen horses, I also find Tania not so good, though I am not interested in betting myself.
Their coverage has improved a little, it was never that good even before the changes, many people moaned just as much then as now.
I wonder whether people are watching less sport on the TV generally? What are the figures for televised sport apart from racing? I would guess it was all down on the viewing of twenty years ago and even less so than the 1960s and 1970s.
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