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367,000 tuned in compared with 557,000 the previous year, when the show was last Broadcast on BBC-1 it had 1.1m
The show was also an extended show starting at 12.30pm to avoid the rugby.
itv is seemingly interested in bidding for some horse racing tv rights mainly the big races not the full package like channel 4, a decision is expected in December to start in 2017
Steve I wonder if those figures include all the people who record Channel 4 to run on all the adverts during the races and the interviews that drag on forever.
When you actually get to watch the bits you really want to see like the horses in the paddock, going to post and of course the actual race I think you could condense the whole programme from 3 hours 15minutes to around an hour and a half or less.
The interview with Silvestre de Sousa was far too lengthy and was split into parts throughout the whole programme and the cutaway to betting sites whilst the horses are loading up really ruins the atmosphere and tension of the race.
Channel 4 presentations are not up to the standard of the BBC … BUT let’s not forget that the very last Champions Day shown by the BBC was in 2012 when Frankel won the Champion Stakes and virtually the whole world tuned in to watch. I can’t see that even if shown on the BBC last weekend that 1.1 million viewers would have been achieved to watch Jack Hobbs try to do the same…Jac
Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out...I like De Sousa (and Emma) but to show such a lengthy interview (which hardly sparkled) on what was billed as the day’s biggest showcase was surely an error.
2 minutes to the first race before the first before a horse was shown, had to go round the host of presenters plus Hughes & Weld interviews first. Obviously people talking are far more interesting to them than the horses, I think the complete opposite.
RUK wasn’t any better in this respect.
Just watch Australian racing any night on ATR, they make a point of showing the horses in the paddock prior to the races even at the smaller meetings.
Those figures are shockingly bad, lower than for the amateur boxing showing at the same time.
As usual with C4 racing, the broadcast was a mess; they didn’t seem to know whether they were trying to do a live sports broadcast, a documentary or a fashion parade. Why did they show so little of the stars, the horses, pre-race, and why the careful avoidance of any hint of controversy? The brown-nosing of Aidan O’Brien and Coolmore was embarrassing.
And why was Champions Day not publicised more in a general way by C4, the racing authorities and the bookmakers? Only die-hard racing fans would have known it was on.
It doesn’t matter how bad the coverage is on C4 there’s no way that two thirds of the audience from Champions Day on BBC have deserted the racing.
Every time an event moves from the Beeb to another channel the ratings fall. Are there really still viewers in this day and age who only watch BBC1 and do you really believe that more people want to watch amateur boxing rather than the racing?
I Still have my doubts about the whole ratings system. Do you remember in the early 80s when apparently not one single person on the planet watched C4 news. Come on, really!!
It doesn’t matter how bad the coverage is on C4 there’s no way that two thirds of the audience from Champions Day on BBC have deserted the racing.
Head in the sand.
You aren’t addressing the reasons why C4 racing’s viewing figures continue to plummet.
…do you really believe that more people want to watch amateur boxing rather than the racing?
Unfortunately, yes. That is what they are actually doing.
It doesn’t matter how bad the coverage is on C4 there’s no way that two thirds of the audience from Champions Day on BBC have deserted the racing.
Every time an event moves from the Beeb to another channel the ratings fall. Are there really still viewers in this day and age who only watch BBC1 and do you really believe that more people want to watch amateur boxing rather than the racing?
I Still have my doubts about the whole ratings system. Do you remember in the early 80s when apparently not one single person on the planet watched C4 news. Come on, really!!
I work in a doctors surgery and we have BBC-1 on all day so a lot of BBC-1 ratings are probably inflated anyway, care homes, dentists etc all have it on, I know viewing figures are not calculated that way but there are some people out there who only watch BBC-1 because they think they have paid for it against their will and will damn well watch it and some people never go above 5 on their Freeview.
Has there been a corresponding drop in viewers of NH racing e.g at the Cheltenham festival? If not, it’s because the Flat is so boring by comparison; the breeding tale wags the racing dog, and champions are rushed off to stud early. There was only 2 yrs between Sea the Stars and Frankel; imagine what a spectacle their meeting would have been (would have fancied STS).
There is so much competition now, flat racing will have to adapt to survive.Has there been a corresponding drop in viewers of NH racing e.g at the Cheltenham festival? If not, it’s because the Flat is so boring by comparison; the breeding tale wags the racing dog, and champions are rushed off to stud early. There was only 2 yrs between Sea the Stars and Frankel; imagine what a spectacle their meeting would have been (would have fancied STS).
There is so much competition now, flat racing will have to adapt to survive.http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/mar/15/channel-4-cheltenham-gold-cup-viewing-figures
http://www.racinguk.com/news/article/34409/channel-4-viewing-figures-up
I think it is unfair to compare the Beeb figures from 2012 to this year’s figures but with a third drop in viewing figures year on year, this still signals another nail in the C4 live TV racing coffin. As there was more time between races, I found myself wandering away from the telly whilst most of the waffle was on, such as the De Sousa interview.
I have recorded a few Saturday afternoons this summer when weather has been good and I think my record for watching the two and a half hour show was about 18 minutes. Must have been a few sprints that day
Bring on the Jumps season
Has there been a corresponding drop in viewers of NH racing e.g at the Cheltenham festival?
Yes, the figures for Cheltenham continued on their merry downward trend again this year, although not quite so dramatically as for Champions Day.
For those who continue to believe that all’s basically ok, just a few little tweaks and everything will soon be all right…
…then here’s a link to article dated yesterday by a dispassionate, ie outside of racing, observer http://www.aberfield.com/2015/10/20/plummeting-tv-ratings-force-racings-sponsors-declare-theyre-off/
It appears The story of Channel 4 Racing’s plummeting viewing figures got more coverage in the general and national press than the outcome of any of the races at Ascot
It appears The story of Channel 4 Racing’s plummeting viewing figures got more coverage in the general and national press than the outcome of any of the races at Ascot
The moment they got rid of mcririck and thommo the writing was on the wall. They cater neither for the racing nut or the casual punter. They should plead with Matt chapman and Sean Boyce to front the channel and I’m sure if they concentrated on the horses then things would improve. I fear for racing on terrestrial tv and can see me having to pay for racing uk which I’m loathed to do. The whole situation is very depressing as it was so obvious with the guys who are presenting the show that things would go downhill.
It doesn’t matter how bad the coverage is on C4 there’s no way that two thirds of the audience from Champions Day on BBC have deserted the racing.
Head in the sand.
You aren’t addressing the reasons why C4 racing’s viewing figures continue to plummet.
…do you really believe that more people want to watch amateur boxing rather than the racing?
Unfortunately, yes. That is what they are actually doing.
My heads not in the sand. There is no way over 700k racing fans will desert the sport they enjoy just because they don’t like the way it’s presented.
I repeat The fact that amateur boxing attracted higher viewing figures suggests that either many viewers will watch whatever is on BBC1 or there is a problem with the way viewing figures are calculated.
I know everybody on this forum hates the C4 coverage but then they don’t seem to like RUK or ATR either.
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