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I think it was something to do with the bookmakers saying there were too many meetings
Any evidence to support that statement?
I have no evidence as its been so long since this was changed but believed the bookmakers gave a daily allowance covering each day’s racing and they argued that having 16 race meetings wasn’t levy friendly
I agree about the split screens. I have just found watching the Irish Grand National on ATR a real trial. In fact I almost switched it off. Why did they bother to show Fakenham & Fairyhouse simultaneously? A recording of one of them would have been better. As it was, it was impossible to read the Fairyhouse race as it was shown mainly in a long shot & reduced. The blue computer animated background behind the live action is irritating & unnecessary.
They are trying to cram too much in on Saturdays & bank holidays & it all ends up being hard to watch.
I know you can’t please everyone all the time but watching ATR today was a joke. They showed nearly every race live from Cork despite it being a low class hunter chase fixture and gave too little time to Fairyhouse with most of the Irish National spoilt by being split screen with Fakenham as Crepello mentions above. I don’t understand what has happened to their red button coverage which used to show the second race if there was a clash, it would have been invaluable over the past couple of days.
I agree about the split screens. I have just found watching the Irish Grand National on ATR a real trial. In fact I almost switched it off. Why did they bother to show Fakenham & Fairyhouse simultaneously? A recording of one of them would have been better. As it was, it was impossible to read the Fairyhouse race as it was shown mainly in a long shot & reduced. The blue computer animated background behind the live action is irritating & unnecessary.
They are trying to cram too much in on Saturdays & bank holidays & it all ends up being hard to watch.
I know you can’t please everyone all the time but watching ATR today was a joke. They showed nearly every race live from Cork despite it being a low class hunter chase fixture and gave too little time to Fairyhouse with most of the Irish National spoilt by being split screen with Fakenham as Crepello mentions above. I don’t understand what has happened to their red button coverage which used to show the second race if there was a clash, it would have been invaluable over the past couple of days.
Presumably, the old red button service was a victim of cost cutting measures.
As the all-new(ish) ATR has eschewed Racing Reviews for more rolling news (aka bookies reps on rep), I don’t see why ATR could not store race replays behind the red button on a rolling basis (say 7 days worth).
Wouldn’t have thought this would cost that much to set up but the budget has probably already been blown on Matt Chapman’s Fake Bake and Tony Ennis’ Hair Gel.
I agree about the split screens. I have just found watching the Irish Grand National on ATR a real trial. In fact I almost switched it off. Why did they bother to show Fakenham & Fairyhouse simultaneously? A recording of one of them would have been better. As it was, it was impossible to read the Fairyhouse race as it was shown mainly in a long shot & reduced. The blue computer animated background behind the live action is irritating & unnecessary.
They are trying to cram too much in on Saturdays & bank holidays & it all ends up being hard to watch.
The lack of common sense and/or brains is appalling, who knows maybe they do it on purpose.
I’ve never been able to watch two races at once in split screen with a swirling blue background, nevermind an Irish Grand National with lots of runners all in similar colours. Rather than being able to watch one, end up watching neither.
They are not alone though, RUK showed the Ebor last year in split screen with a Micky Mouse 5 runner long distance novice hurdle at Cartmel, totally ruined The Ebor.
Another thing I’ve noticed with ATR is that they often go to split screen over a minute before the "other" race is scheduled to start to show them milling around at the start, the sense in that being???
There was 2yo race yesterday, this isn’t a isolated case where the pictures showed all the different horses going to post, unfortunately ATR had a betting show completely obliterating the horses, when the betting show was removed they went to a break.
….In the words of Channel 4 mock Japanese Gameshow "Banzai" – "BET….NOW!!!"
How long before one of the major bookmakers has Mr Cheeky Chappie imploring us all to do just that?
I can only think there has been a change of policy.
In previous years they would have dropped Cork and one of the UK NH meetings and shown recordings after the live action or in the racing review.
Obviously, now they have screwed up the review programme, they can’t (or won’t) show all the meetings, so probably feel they have to show everything live.
Out of the 45 races on Monday, only 13 were shown in full screen in their entirety. At least 6 races were shown in the smaller box with no commentary.
At least the Irish Grand National was shown in full at 18.10 and the two graded races in full during the early part of Stateside.
The Racing Review was extended on Good Friday and all of the previous days meetings were shown in full. Admittedly there was no UK racing to preview, but why ATR can’t be flexible in their timings is a mystery.
Today’s review could have been extended from 11.15 to 12.00 to show Fakenham and Cork. Instead we had 3 hours of so called news and interviews, repeated several times.
What’s the chances of Fakenham being shown tomorrow when there is only Fairyhouse and Southwell to review? I won’t hold my breath as this would require a degree of common sense and initiative…….
and we get a review of Southwell AW, twice! – Frustration 2, Common Sense 0.
Although, in Monday morning’s review there did seem to be an attempt to join races at the point the dreaded split screen kicked in during the previous day’s live racing. So, maybe there are still a few brain cells kicking around the ATR studios.
....and you've got to look a long way back for anything else.
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