• TV
  • MOVIES
  • MUSIC
  • SHOWBIZ
  • SOAPS
  • GAMING
  • TECH
  • FORUMS
  • Follow
    • Follow
    • facebook
    • twitter
    • google+
    • instagram
    • youtube
Hearst Corporation
  • TV
  • MOVIES
  • MUSIC
  • SHOWBIZ
  • SOAPS
  • GAMING
  • TECH
  • FORUMS
Forums
  • Register
  • Login
  • Forums
  • TV
  • Broadcasting
BBC Lose the Grand National and the Derby
<<
<
1 of 7
>>
>
The Net
19-03-2012
One more of the Crown Jewels of the BBC is lost. Whilst the event remains free to all it is another dagger into the BBC sport portfolio. I am not sure why the BBC have let this go but I suspect Channel 4s great support of the sport has given them the nod.
Ian Aberdon
19-03-2012
Wimbledon will follow. In a few short years, wave bye bye to all live sport on the Beeb.
harry hamster
19-03-2012
Originally Posted by The Net:
“One more of the Crown Jewels of the BBC is lost. Whilst the event remains free to all it is another dagger into the BBC sport portfolio. I am not sure why the BBC have let this go but I suspect Channel 4s great support of the sport has given them the nod.”

The head of BBC sport is not a horse racing fan.

Channel 4 racing is bankrolled by the horse racing mad Arabs.
Department_S
19-03-2012
Originally Posted by harry hamster:
“The head of BBC sport is not a horse racing fan.

Channel 4 racing is bankrolled by the horse racing mad Arabs.”

Yes a rather damning verdict by the Racing Post feature editor on BBC Breakfast this morning articulated that the two heads of BBC Sport are not interested in horse racing. They paid over double the amount it would have taken ( about £4m) to keep The Grand National, The Derby and Royal Ascot for the rights to just half of the Grand Prix races, That in itself saddens e deeply.

60 years of tradition gone and those two in my opinion should hang their heads in shame. I really do believe that.

I am pleased for Channel 4 but the three events will slightly lose gravitas not having the BBC cover them.
Big Boy Barry
19-03-2012
The BBC's coverage of the Grand National has been poor in recent years.

Classic camera angles have been changed.
ftv
19-03-2012
The BBC Sport budget has been cut by 15% so it is inevitable that something, somewhere, will have to go.But it's been clear over recent years that the BBC hierarchy have no interest in horse racing. They'll want to keep Wimbledon so they get their free seats there.
The Net
19-03-2012
Originally Posted by ftv:
“The BBC Sport budget has been cut by 15% so it is inevitable that something, somewhere, will have to go.But it's been clear over recent years that the BBC hierarchy have no interest in horse racing. They'll want to keep Wimbledon so they get their free seats there.”

Given that Royal Ascot is equally a shindig event I do not buy that cynical argument. I think the BBC s shrinking significance goes on unabated underpinned by the disastrously unnecessary move to Salford quays

Yes it is clear the two heads of sport are petrol heads and not race goers but their preference should not affect such a major policy decision as to lose 60'years of horse racing.

I wonder what Sir Peter O'Sulleven would think.
The Net
19-03-2012
Originally Posted by Big Boy Barry:
“The BBC's coverage of the Grand National has been poor in recent years.

Classic camera angles have been changed.”

The number of cameras have been cut - we shouldn't blame the production team but the cost implications at BBC Sport.
mossy2103
19-03-2012
Originally Posted by The Net:
“Yes it is clear the two heads of sport are petrol heads”

If they were so, then they would have ensured that F1 remained on the BBC in its entirety.

Quote:
“and not race goers but their preference should not affect such a major policy decision as to lose 60'years of horse racing.”

But staying wedded to a 60-year tradition should?
Spot
19-03-2012
Damn, that means no omnibus repeat of Come Dine With Me.
Shrewn
19-03-2012
Shame, but it's been on the cards since Grandstand went. They'll want to keep MOTD, Wimbledon, The Open. The Olympics will be up for bidding soon
mossy2103
19-03-2012
And remember that the BBC won back the World Athletics Championships from Channel 4 for 2015 and 2017.


Of course, if Channel 4 take on much more sport, they are in danger of being seen as a sports channel for some parts of the year, acting as a turn-off for some viewers.
Straker
19-03-2012
Speaks volumes that in the BBCNews rundown of other events listed as lost to the BBC alongside the racing there was not a single mention of the French and Australian Open Tennis tournaments. Both Grand Slam events gone from the Beeb this year it seems these didn’t even warrant passing mention, so unimportant are they to the BBC.

The BBC is like some mad surgeon hacking off his patients legs because their toenails need clipping.
derek500
19-03-2012
Originally Posted by Straker:
“Speaks volumes that in the BBCNews rundown of other events listed as lost to the BBC alongside the racing there was not a single mention of the French and Australian Open Tennis tournaments. Both Grand Slam events gone from the Beeb this year”

Wasn't the Australian Open on the BBC this year? I'm sure it was. I remember flicking between Eurosport HD and BBC HD.
Straker
19-03-2012
Originally Posted by derek500:
“Wasn't the Australian Open on the BBC this year?”



One of the semis and both finals compared to hours of daily coverage of the whole 2 weeks last year.
mossy2103
19-03-2012
As I recall, both finals and one men's semi
derek500
19-03-2012
Originally Posted by Straker:
“One of the semis and both finals compared to hours of daily coverage of the whole 2 weeks last year.”

So not 'gone' then, 'reduced'?

Is the French 'gone' or 'reduced'?
MartinImber
19-03-2012
Wish they had kept F1 properly!
Straker
19-03-2012
Originally Posted by derek500:
“So not 'gone' then, 'reduced'?

Is the French 'gone' or 'reduced'?”

No self-respecting tennis fan would regard 3 poxy matches out of a 2 week tournament as continuing to have any worthwhile coverage. And what bonehead negotiated showing one semi and not both?!?!?! Idiots.

ITV3 have the French and if I were them I’d not let the BBC have so much as 10 seconds of any match, even when it comes to clips for the news. **** ’em.
derek500
19-03-2012
Originally Posted by Straker:
“No self-respecting tennis fan would regard 3 poxy matches out of a 2 week tournament as continuing to have any worthwhile coverage.”

Unfortunately 'true' tennis fans have always been poorly served by 'free tv', even before the days of pay.
keithl
19-03-2012
There was almost something of an inevitability about this after the whole lot started to be banded together. I'm surprised that the BBC didn't think to simply put in a bid for the Grand National meeting on its own, which would - even with everything else still on Channel 4 - have surely led to more money overall for horse racing?

Another point I think will be the overall coverage. Like most of the country I'm not a horseracing fan, so whenever I watch the National I need some things explained to me in "diddy" terms - what the odds mean, what a furlong is, etc. To me, Channel 4 Racing seems to be great for the racing punter who tunes in every day it's on, but it is impenetrable for someone like me who just doesn't understand it. I have this wee niggling suspicion that we'll see viewing figures for the National in particular drop dramatically, and that long term horseracing will suffer for not having the BBC coverage which - by the very fact it was occasional - meant that it had to explain things to the average viewer.
derek500
19-03-2012
Originally Posted by keithl:
“ Like most of the country I'm not a horseracing fan, so whenever I watch the National I need some things explained to me in "diddy" terms - what the odds mean, what a furlong is, etc.”

Every time?
Inspiration
19-03-2012
Wonder if Clare Balding will jump over to C4 now or if she will decide to do other sports?
omnidirectional
19-03-2012
Originally Posted by mossy2103:
“Of course, if Channel 4 take on much more sport, they are in danger of being seen as a sports channel for some parts of the year, acting as a turn-off for some viewers.”

That's quite an exaggeration. Most weeks of the year, sport on C4 is nothing more than two hours of horse racing on a Saturday afternoon. Even BBC One still has more sport!
BenFranklin
19-03-2012
BBC really should have bid £5m a year for the lot
<<
<
1 of 7
>>
>
VIEW DESKTOP SITE TOP

JOIN US HERE

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Hearst Corporation

Hearst Corporation

DIGITAL SPY, PART OF THE HEARST UK ENTERTAINMENT NETWORK

© 2015 Hearst Magazines UK is the trading name of the National Magazine Company Ltd, 72 Broadwick Street, London, W1F 9EP. Registered in England 112955. All rights reserved.

  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Complaints
  • Site Map