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Realise this is an oft-repeated topic, but on the day when its reported that Channel 4 are interested in bidding for next year’s Formula 1 motor racing championship, as well as broadcasting from the Paralympic Games, why can’t they spend a bit of money improving their racing coverage?
The Morning Line is a disaster, I will never get used to Emma Spencer or Tom Lee, and John Francome sounds increasingly bored. Surely its time for a big reshuffle?
For those who still love to watch racing on terrestrial, I think the concern should be less about Channel 4 brushing up their racing coverage at the same time as embracing Formula 1, and far more about them still covering racing to the same extent as now if they do win the rights to that sport.
It’s presumably an absolute prerequisite of any successful bid for the Formua 1 nowadays that final qualifying is broadcast
in full
as well as the races themselves**. Maybe someone can confirm.
If so, and with all final qualifying taking place on Saturdays and all races on Sunday, that’s going to eliminate any possibility of showing racing for a couple of two- to three-hour blocks on each day – longer still if weather or crashes prolong the action – if the Grand Prix is in the same or nearly the same time-zone (less of a concern for those in the Americas and Australia, of course).
No amount of buffing up
Channel 4 Racing
overall is going to count for that much if the show suddenly finds itself reduced to, say, 38 weekends’ worth of output per annum. Whatever complaints there may have been about the packjammed Saturday of racing we’ve just had, consider that less, if any, of it would have got a sniff of coverage had Channel 4’s main priority that afternoon been the qualifying at Silverstone.
gc
(** The racing was, of course, incorporated successfully around Test Match cricket coverage when Channel 4 had the rights to that as well. But that was up to 12 years ago (from 1999 onwards), a different sport, and likely subject to a different set of minimum broadcast requirements, so the comparison is inexact.
Moreover, there was probably more of a will on all sides to see the two sports coexist happily on the same afternoon’s broadcasting back then, as evidenced by the tipping interjections of both Mike Atherton (still a spokesperson for the Racegoers Club the last I checked) and Richie Benaud).
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
Given that I would sooner watch televised dominoes than Formula 1 I don’t know anything about this story but I suspect if Channel 4 secured the deal it wouldn’t have a budget left to cover anything like 30 weekends racing a year.
With F1 costing the BBC £60million per annum according to last weekend’s
Sunday Times
-quoted figures, that concern about what’s left to pay for racing coverage could be spot on, Stilvi.
I’d imagine the FIA (or whosoever) will be looking for that sort of figure once again, even allowing for the fact that the BBC stumped up £50million more overall than ITV had to cover the sport for a similar length of time despite there being no other bidders!
What Bernie and company can get, they’ll hold out for.
gc
Jeremy Grayson. Son of immigrant. Adoptive father of two. Metadata librarian. Freelance point-to-point / horse racing writer, analyst and commentator wonk. Loves music, buses, cats, the BBC Micro, ale. Advocate of CBT, PACE and therapeutic parenting. Aspergers.
This is surely a spoof for two reasons:
1 – C4 don’t have any money, let alone enough to bid for Formula 1. Put Channel 4 funding into Google and it offers up options like ‘crisis’ ‘cutback’ etc.
2 – There is zero chance of Ecclestone or Todt allowing a channel with such a low average audience to get hold of their rights in a major market for motor racing.
AP
This is surely a spoof for two reasons:
1 – C4 don’t have any money, let alone enough to bid for Formula 1. Put Channel 4 funding into Google and it offers up options like ‘crisis’ ‘cutback’ etc. AP
I had exactly the same thoughts AP, I seriously cannot believe Channel 4 would even dream of bidding for the rights to Formula 1 with their present financial difficulties, even if they stopped doing any racing
I think Dirty Des at C5 will be more likely to go for F1, I don’t think C4 do a bad job with racing, it’s pretty fast moving but i prefer it that way. I think if the BBC ever got hold of Cheltenham again, C4 would jack it in all together
Agree that its impossible to see how skint C4 could bid for this heap of rubbish
It was a disgrace that the BBC wasted millions of taxpayers money on something which labels itself a sport but is nothing but a load of trashy fake glamour noise for slack jawed billynomates who find football too complicated
ever noticed how F1 followers (such as ive met) rarely like other sports and vice versa?
Anyone else find Formula 1 kind of hypnotic?
I flick over and think "Oh great, F1", then 20 something laps later I’m still sitting there absolutely mesmerized.
- Total Posts 17716
ever noticed how F1 followers (such as ive met) rarely like other sports and vice versa?
You haven’t met me,
clivexx
!
Pinza
is an avid, obsessive follower of both.
Those of you describing F1 as
hypnotic
or anaesthetic clearly have
not
been tuning in this year. The new regulations have produced more than a pass a minute, and with tyre changes and rapidly changing running order at pit stops,
Martin Brundle
and
David Coulthard
need all their wits to keep up with the excitement and the chess game going on out there.
I have to say that
Jensen Button
‘s victory in Montreal a few weeks ago was the most thrilling come-from-the-back win since
Bonanza Boy
under Scudamore at Sandown!
Beyond that, I fully agree with the sound reasons given by
AP
and
Phil Walker
as to why there isn’t a Feline in Hades’s chance that C4 will get near Formula 1. There’s a strong possibility that there will be no terrestrial coverage of F1 at all if BBC pull out.
Meanwhile, be grateful for what C4 are doing for horse racing. Because this level of coverage will not last for ever.
[Mind you, maybe I’m in need of help. Consequent on a brief lull in paid employment I’ve found myself completely hooked on the
Tour de France
. The Eurosport commentary team knocks Test Match Special into a cocked hat, and the scenery is lovely.]
Do you bet on F1 Pinza? Sometime TRF correspondent Grasshopper swore it was the proverbial ‘licence to print money’
I’ve no interest myself but watched bits and pieces of the British GP, in between servings of the 3-course leppers summer feast last Sunday, and have to say I hadn’t a clue a) was happening on the track, and b) what the commentators were banging on about.
This was not a problem at all as personally I find perplexion stimulates interest, which is more-or-less the reason I delved deep into horse racing all those years ago. So I can quite understand the fascination with F1
The following of sports is not generally considered to be an intellectual pursuit but it most certainly can be for those prepared to loosen the nuts and bolts; and the more complex and seemingly ‘alien’ the sport the better.
So horse racing – and it seems motor racing too – take a bow
Fear not ‘inaccessibility’ Joe and Jo
[quote="clivexx" nothing but a load of trashy fake glamour noise for slack jawed billynomates who find football too complicated
Not clear whether you watch it Clive?
Seriously, even if C4 have the money to bid for F1 I can’t see them getting it. C4=minority viewing=dip in sposorship.
- Total Posts 17716
Do you bet on F1 Pinza? Sometime TRF correspondent Grasshopper swore it was the proverbial ‘licence to print money’
For the informed it certainly is. The bookmakers turn in a huge profit on F1 (as with football) because of the sentimental hopefulness of the British Public, prepared to wager fortunes on England winning the World Cup, or Hamilton winning each and every Grand Prix when he doesn’t have the car to do it.
You generally get Value on Vettel, for sure!
The following of sports is not generally considered to be an intellectual pursuit but it most certainly can be for those prepared to loosen the nuts and bolts; and the more complex and seemingly ‘alien’ the sport the better.
So horse racing – and it seems motor racing too – take a bow
Fear not ‘inaccessibility’ Joe and Jo
F1 has the same tactical element as racing. The older drivers get, the more tactically savvy they become – that’s why supreme thinking drivers such as Alonso and Button, for example, can beat the pure speed merchants in the faster cars on occasion.
It relies on "personalities" more than Racing, where the horses – please note RfC – are the stars to be marketed, not the jockeys or trainers. But the chess game and poker analogies hold for both, and both are utterly fascinating once you become absorbed.
Very like this funny old
Tour de France
in fact, so back to seeing what Mark Cavendish is up to….
It was dire having F1 on ITV with commercial breaks..if they have as many of them on Ch4 when the races are on it will just be a joke.
Just been reported that F1 will be shared by Sky and BBC with a contract running until 2018. BBC will show some races live that will also be on Sky in parallel and offer highlights for the remaining races.
Sky will show all races, all qualifying and all practice sessions and promise more dedicated coverage than ever before. Of course they will also be interrupting the races with 6 ad breaks, so not that dedicated!
AP
Consequent on a brief lull in paid employment I’ve found myself completely hooked on the
Tour de France
.
I know what you mean with that one – the afternoons I wasn’t racing during the tour the TV was tuned into the tour and I got little work done – it is strangely addictive.
"I know what you mean with that one – the afternoons I wasn’t racing during the tour the TV was tuned into the tour and I got little work done – it is strangely addictive."
I have been addicted to it for several years now.
ITV4’s coverage was excellent – Phil Liggett & Paul Sherwin’s commentaries were superb as usual.
Regards
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