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ITV and C4 coverage of horse racing

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cwright23

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Just spent a good hour reading through a forum where every man and his dog is slagging off the new coverage of ITVs racing yesterday afternoon.. I just find it crazy how these people function in life.. For me it's very simple.. If you are a person who has been involved in horse racing for many years, inc maybe ownership, regular trips to the track, betting day to day, ante post betting etc etc then C4 and ITV are not for you!! There are 2 dedicated racing channels in RUK and ATR that will service your every need.. Terrestrial TV is for the new comers or the people wanting to get into horse racing.. If my mum watched RUK for an hour she'd say it was terrible because she didn't know what they were on about.. The worst thing is, the same people will keep watching every week and go on the other forums and slag it off.. Is there remote broken??
 
Although i agree to a point with dedicated racers having a choice, some people are less fortunate as they don't have the finances to subscribe to sky. Im afraid i fall into the camp of horrified viewers. A consummate professional jockey asking pendleton(a cyclist) how the ground is riding was excruciating. Now i understand that she's eye-candy, and she managed to hold-on to a horse around cheltenham but please lets add SOME racing content to the programme. surely one of the appealing, and knowledgeable ladies from C4 racing would have been such an improvement. Amazingly, some racing enthusiasts want a programme with content for the Licence fee whether or not ITV get any funding. Rant over. Im off to buy a chipped firestick.
 
Most people hate change.

It was OK but plenty of room for improvement.
 
Morning boys, I just don't think the programme is going to be designed for our needs ever, this show is designed for the casual I.e the whole Victoria Pendleton thing.. 90% of the non racing public know her and will tune in to listen to her. Hence AP being there, everyone knows Tony McCoy meaning Mrs brown from down the road wants to tune in.. Then in this they are trying to turn Mrs brown into a race goer. I must admit doctor...my stick is a god send
 
My main gripe was dropping Simon Holt.
 
cwright23 said:
Morning boys, I just don't think the programme is going to be designed for our needs ever, this show is designed for the casual I.e the whole Victoria Pendleton thing.. 90% of the non racing public know her and will tune in to listen to her. Hence AP being there, everyone knows Tony McCoy meaning Mrs brown from down the road wants to tune in.. Then in this they are trying to turn Mrs brown into a race goer. I must admit doctor...my stick is a god send
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The firestick is on order. I feel for EC, TMC & MF having to pander to such dross. What happened to integrity boys? this programme will do nothing for engaging new genuine racers, it just panders to the over-bulging population of morons in this country. they always say you get what you deserve.......
 
I quite liked it. I think they're trying to create a lot of 'on screen banter' and it'll make the sport look fun. Fun to watch, fun to bet on and fun to talk about.

Personally I'll always watch (stream) RUK/ATR because usually I've got interest in races that aren't shown on terrestrial tv so in the long run I'm probably not going to be watching ... however, we KNOW it isn't for the racing enthusiast. It is to broaden the pull off the sport and that can only be good for racing.

Spot on regarding the McCoy quotes above, personally find him tedious to listen to but understand exactly why he is needed. It was good to hear Chapman tell him to stop being so miserable!

I don't understand why people don't like Chapman either. He's self aware enough to know his big personality is a strength and they'll include him in plenty of interviews where he can ask 'the difficult' questions. I'm yet to hear a well constructed arguement detailing his flaws.
 
I've just watched it now and also enjoyed it. Yes, there's plenty of room for improvement but Chapman, Harvey and even Pendleton are great additions.

Whatever ITV did, they were going to have their knockers. I think they have got the basis for a great show.
 
The two I don't really care for as pundits are AP and Mick Fitz. I feel like they add very little and AP was a right misery yesterday!!
 
I didn't see it but I'm just grateful for any racing to be shown on terrestial TV, without which the sponsors would disappear and racing would be in crisis.
Personally I like Matt Chapman, front man with character is what the show needs and possibly where C4 got it wrong.
And I agree the likes of Fitz and AP aren't great pundits but they're not TV trained, what they bring is a phenominal amount of in depth knowledge and experience from the inner workings of the game and I'm fascinated by their comments.

I assume they're doing a Morning Line type show on Saturdays ?
 
Istabraq said:
I assume they're doing a Morning Line type show on Saturdays ?
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Yeh, Oli Bell will be hosting it. 10am on Saturdays. "The Opening Show" it is called.
 
Yeah, ITV4 I believe too.

Open minded :) - In all honestly, The Morning Line has been/was pretty poor in terms of content since I've been watching regularly. I'm not expecting a lot from the ITV version, but I'll continue to watch it just because it fits in with my Saturday routine (watching it on the treadmill!) :encouragement: :sorrow:
 
Faugheen_Machine said:
The two I don't really care for as pundits are AP and Mick Fitz. I feel like they add very little and AP was a right misery yesterday!!
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Watching a freak show unfold in front of him could have been the reason why he was such a misery.....
 
doctorwu said:
Watching a freak show unfold in front of him could have been the reason why he was such a misery.....
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Doesn't do it for free does he. Didn't have to sign the contract.
 
Faugheen_Machine said:
I've just watched it now and also enjoyed it. Yes, there's plenty of room for improvement but Chapman, Harvey and even Pendleton are great additions.

Whatever ITV did, they were going to have their knockers. I think they have got the basis for a great show.
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Thought Chapman was trying to make a name for himself, very loud and bazzing about like a demented circus monkey, rest probably as good as could be expected, should get rid of Fitzgerald and bring Francome back
 
I thought it was decent overall and showed promise. I liked channel 4 and thought they got a lot of unfair slack but I do think they lacked the ‘fun factor’.

Ideally I’d like to see more form analysis - more replays of previous races (well finishes), more form study, just more talking about the horses! But understand and probably agree with the route itv racing are going down. My thoughts on the first show:

- Really like the feature on Jonjo (despite not liking the guy much!). Think their features may be an area itv can excel in

- Needs to be more polished and refined. Just came across a bit unprofessional. Raindrops on the camera lens and blurriness were poor. I like the fact they have moved out of a studio and ‘in the heart of the action’ but give the guys a bit of shelter, a little pop up marque or sorts or something with a roof - watching the 3 of them shivering in the rain (i was there that day and it was freezing!!) with umbrellas was poor. Common weather for National Hunt Racing and this time of year so shouldn’t have been caught off guard.

- I think Matt Chapman is a massive addition to the team. I think his On the Line show is brilliant and love the fact he’s happy to ask the questions pretty much no other racing presenter will. I think on At The Races and On the Line he has the perfect mix of banter and opinion but I think they/he overdid this on the first show - making him become the class clown. I’d also like to see him being in the Paddock interviewer connections before/after racing alongside the betting ring - whether that happens further in? Tone out down, less "hair no hair" and more strong opinions on the horses from Chapman please. McCoy was miserable but isn’t he always…? ;)

- Really like Ed Chamberlain and think he’ll be a great anchor along with Oli Bell. Quite liked Luke Harvey too and nice spot on the Jacob ride on L’ami Serge at the finish. I have no complaints over Pendleton and like her. She’s a household name and will get the average viewers attention for what she did last year. Maybe you should have her asking Mick Fitz (or whoever is the ex pro) rather than the other way round but I get why they are asking her. More than happy for her to have a lot of airtime. She may not have anywhere near the knowledge, CV of someone like Mick Fitz/McCoy but she still did train for a year and a more natural presenter than either.

- Also like the cut back to Harvey/McCoy during the race commentaries. No complaints there. I’d echo almost everyone I have heard say that Simon Holt should have been kept though.

Not a big fan of the Opening Show being on at 10am. I don’t know anyone that goes racing that hasn’t left for the day by then but i’d echo some of the sentiments here in that I don’t think it ever adds much or helps decide on who I bet on for the day so it’s not a huge deal but I do think it was the wrong call . I’ll pretty much watch anything that is racing related, much the same as i’ll listen to any kind of racing podcast etc as racing gets such limited exposure I just enjoy listening/watching it even if I don’t necessarily think it’s great or gives me much useful insight. I used to subscribe to Racing UK and watch plenty of the At The Races shows on their ATR player and although they're definately more thorough and in depth with their form analysis even those shows I don’t think really add much from the very obvious (clearly the columnists/jockeys know a huge amount more than I ever could I just don’t think they delve that deep into it, similar to say match of the day). I’ll get a lot more insightful knowledge/opinion and form analysis on this forum for instance.

I do have a concern that itv racing won’t be back on the main itv channel until the Festival though. I get not having it on itv every weekend but there’s still some big weekends until then - Trials day at Cheltenham especially I have no idea why it isn’t included - would have been an ideal opportunity to build up to the festival and get people excited or intrigued about March. In my eyes the show being on itv isn’t a problem for people already into the sport - they will have known about that change and will go to that channel knowing racing is on. The problem you have is it seems clear a big part of their strategy is to draw non racing fans in, that would have been a lot easier having it on channel 3.

Overall I think it could do very well given time and effort but worry that it may not get that.
 
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Good point re timing of morning show and racegoers.
I go fairly regularly but not often on Saturdays, I tend to get the bible and have a couple of hours with that and the laptop with the Morning Line on in the background, as Jono says at this time of year with racing starting just after midday everyone will be well on their way by the time the show airs, perhaps less of an issue in June but a big issue in Jan !
 
A great piece by Kevin Blake on ATR blog:

ITV Racing and the greater good
ITV Racing made its much-anticipated debut on Sunday and inevitably, the coverage divided opinion. It was a racing certainty that this would be the case no matter what team or approach ITV had opted for, as in common with their predecessor Channel 4 Racing, they faced an unenviable task from the outset.

One really cannot emphasise enough just how difficult of a task it is to find the right balance in the terrestrial television coverage of horse racing. There is no escaping the fact that horse racing is a complex sport and while the vast majority of those reading this are likely to be familiar with those complexities to one extent or another, that will not be the case with a significant number of those that tune into racing on terrestrial television. Thus, finding a balance that appeases established racing fans whilst not alienating less informed observers is a notably challenging test.

Channel 4 Racing produced some wonderful content in recent years, but they met with criticism for going too far down the road of producing coverage that was perhaps more suited to a specialist racing channel rather than terrestrial television. ITV Racing have clearly set out in a different direction, embracing a more relaxed style of broadcasting and seeking to explain the sport’s complexities with the aim of welcoming a new audience to the sport.

There are sure to be established racing supporters that criticise this approach and of course, they are entitled to their views. However, I would respectfully suggest that the bigger picture should be considered by those that already love the sport. Horse racing really should not fall into the trap of taking the value of terrestrial television coverage for granted. It offers our sport a shop window to a mainstream audience that is the envy of so many other sports. It is the single greatest recruitment tool that then sport has to attract new fans into the game. While those already bitten by the racing bug might prefer more technical coverage of the sport, it is so important to be aware of the greater good that can be achieved by coverage that caters to and educates the curious newcomer.

With this goal in mind, ITV Racing landed a coup in recruiting Ed Chamberlin. A vastly experienced broadcaster that is well known amongst a non-racing audience, he is a passionate racing fan that is essentially living his dream by broadcasting horse racing. The sport has no shortage of specialist racing broadcasters that would do a fine job on ITV, but very few have the genuinely fresh enthusiasm that Chamberlin will bring to the table and that is just what is needed to deliver the product ITV Racing are pitching.

One early observation of Chamberlin’s maiden performance was that he seemed slightly nervous in the opening exchanges of the programme on Sunday. This may have been unexpected from a man with such vast live broadcasting experience, but for me it did nothing but reinforce his suitability for the job. Nerves are a by-product of emotional investment. He clearly cares deeply about horse racing and he cares about doing a good job in presenting it. Moving from the security of the Monday Night Football studio into the quite literal stormy cauldron of Cheltenham has taken him out of his comfort zone and there is little doubt it will bring the very best out of him as a broadcaster as he pursues his passion.

In terms of how ITV Racing went about the exceptionally difficult task of covering the racing in a style that engages and educates the newcomer without patronising the more informed viewers, there was a lot to like about the way they approached it. To work well, such efforts will need to be subtle and concise. Simple things like Mick Fitzgerald explaining the height difference between fences and hurdles and Richard Hoiles giving a brief description of what a handicap race is achieved just that.

Their coverage to betting was also geared in the same direction, with Matt Chapman dropping in simple explanations of the odds into his typically energetic pieces from the betting ring. Chapman will always divide opinion, but that is exactly why he was such an important addition to the team. Whether one finds his mischievous and fun-loving enthusiasm for the game infectious or irritating, he engages people and that is what matters most.

On the subject of the betting coverage, how refreshing it was that the broadcast wasn’t bogged down with multiple interviews with bookmaker representatives. Bookmaker sponsorship is of course an important part of what makes the financing of racing tick, but television coverage of the sport has become saturated with such interviews and one suspects that there weren’t too many people watching that missed them.

Another excellent but divisive decision was to include Victoria Pendleton on the team. Given the perplexingly negative reaction in some quarters to her remarkable quest to ride at last season’s Cheltenham Festival, her appointment was always likely to garner a mixed reaction, but the naysayers are perhaps missing the point.

Victoria Pendleton is quite clearly not a horse racing expert, but she doesn’t pretend to be. She has been bitten by the racing bug and is able to communicate that passion and enthusiasm in an engaging manner that anyone that has been bitten by the racing bug can relate to. Rather than being a negative, her inexperience in racing is a positive, as she appreciates and verbalises the simple pleasures and beauties of horse racing that many of us that have been in the game for many years no longer notice as much as we should. She is a perfect fit for what ITV Racing are looking to achieve.

While much of this piece has focused on how ITV Racing is seeking to cater to the newcomer, there was plenty in there for the purist too. The excellent feature with Jonjo O’Neill will have been a highlight for many, as were some of the post-race interviews with engaging subjects such as Willie Twiston-Davies and Lizzie Kelly. The in-race footage, which included the creative use of drone cameras, also promises to be a positive feature of the coverage.

Other aspects of the coverage that hit the right note were the mid-race analysis from Luke Harvey and Tony McCoy. Their contrasting personalities make them a well-matched pairing and they worked well together. Alice Plunkett’s contributions in the saddling enclosure worked well, as did her interviews with various members of stable staff, which were a nice touch. Oli Bell may have had a relatively minor role in proceedings from Musselburgh, but he played his part in a notably assured, professional and likeable manner. The first episode of the Opening Show on Saturday will give him the chance to shine in a more prominent role.

In terms of the technical quality of the broadcast, there were some teething problems throughout the show, some of which were not helped by the inclement weather. However, for every issue that the viewer may have spotted, one can be sure that the production and technical staff noticed twice as many and will be working hard all week to remedy them going forward. There is also scope to improve the on-screen graphics, which were criticised for being smaller than ideal in places. All told, one can expect ITV Racing to very much come on from their first run and it will be intriguing to see the progression of the coverage in the weeks and months ahead.

To bring it all back to what the overall message is, the merits of the ITV Racing coverage is entirely a matter of personal opinion, there is no right or wrong answer. However, everyone in racing would be advised to consider the bigger picture before passing judgement.

With the future of gambling advertising in Great Britain set to come under serious scrutiny from the government in the near future, it would be ill-advised for anyone to take it for granted that horse racing will always be covered on terrestrial television. ITV Racing are doing the right thing in the long-term interests of horse racing in approaching their coverage with a view to enticing a new audience to the sport. This approach should be supported by those in racing now, as it will be no good appreciating the value of it if the day ever comes when racing no longer has terrestrial television as its primary shop window.
 
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