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20 Nov 15
14:23
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Date Joined:
21 Apr 09
David Redvers quoted as follows: "The problem I have had for some time is Channel 4 seems to be far too interested in portraying racing solely as a betting medium and it thereby marginalises half the audience. We have some of the most fascinating, exciting, hairs-standing-up-on-the-back-of-your neck stories generated by any sport. However, there seems to be a reluctance by some at Channel 4 to tell those stories in its morning and afternoon racing programmes."
The criticism on this forum seems to be a) lack of emphasis on betting; and b) poor quality of presenters.
Discuss.
The criticism on this forum seems to be a) lack of emphasis on betting; and b) poor quality of presenters.
Discuss.
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Replies: 92
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Could he elaborate on the hair standing stories?
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If you tried to sell racing as purely a spectator sport it would be dead within 5 years. Take a look at the non punting attendees at any big meeting and they are not particularly watching the racing, they will drinking, eating and socialising. I feel the problem is that racing does a very bad job of publicising the betting side of racing. Lets take the very basic situation with odds. You really would think that by 2015 we would have ditched the old odds ladder. What relevance does 15/8 have with an up and coming potential punter not that it had any relevance before. I would prefer to see odds quoted in a simple format that allows anyone with a basic maths education to understand the relationship between prices. In other word 3.25 is bigger than 2.87 whereas 9/4 and 15/8 for some is still a little confusing. Sometimes our approach towards heritage is like a ball and chain, a reluctance to change when a speedy reaction to changing times is needed.
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Redvers is a clown. The problem is the quality of betting anlysis. There is little or nodiscussion on approaches to betting. C4s discussion of betting is solely based on interviewing PR reps.
Add in the fact not a single one of the C4 crew is likable |
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pretty sure Redvers has great experience of what the working-class stay-at-home punter wants to watch...not
 if he thinks anyone gives a sh!t about which one of his sheikhy mates is winning anything he's somewhat mistaken |
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I love Channel 4 Racing and i dont like you guy's that keep knocking it.
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I love Channel 4 Racing and i dont like you guy's that keep knocking it.
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Acey you are joking surely if not you are certainly in the vast minority
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Many of the people in racing appear to live their whole lives living in a bubble. You only have to listen to their thoughts, the way they act and dress.
There is so much about racing you would have trouble justifying to a wider audience - paying millions for animals when there is so much poverty around, hitting an animal in the name of entertainment, the lack of criticism of those in the sport spring readily to mind. Unless a punter has enough money to become an owner they are and will remain bottom of the pile. |
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Dead serious,i know i am in the minorit but i really think it's very good.
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Minority even.
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And i have not missed a Saturday for the last 20 odd years.
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The problem with C4 Racing is the "C4" bit.
If you put the exact same programme, & presenters, on BBC1, the viewing figures would be a million or two higher. Similar if on ITV1 too. The sport needs to decide what it wants, if it's more viewers, then the rights should be sold to BBC or ITV at a lower price. If it's cash, then sell back to C4. I guess it's whether BBC or ITV would want it back, after all they can stick on a dodgy antiques programme and get 2 or 3 million viewers at a fraction of the cast. |
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Channel 4 Racing is excellent. What else does racing have to promote racing to the general public? The RacingPost? RacingUK? AttheRaces? Pay up, pay up, pay up.
Racing is losing it's audience and has been long before Channel 4 got involved. What are the BHA doing to promote racing? Greed is ruining the game. Want to watch a race? Oh pay your subscription. Not one subscription mind, yes the sport is small but we've divided it up into two. So that's two subscriptions for you sir. How on earth is anybody supposed to get into the sport when they can't see the bloody races? Betting is a huge part of the game but bookies have been steering punters away from racing for years now. It's only a front for them. "We have some of the most fascinating, exciting, hairs-standing-up-on-the-back-of-your neck stories generated by any sport." What methods are the BHA doing to get these across? Or do they just flick on Ch4 on a Saturday and see how they're getting on with it? What an idiotic rant by Redvers. Sounds like a an awful ****. |
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Racing Post are happy to print it but what are they doing to promote the sport? Leeches! Probably the most money hungry group of them all.
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No, it's absolute rubbish.
When I saw the headline I was hopeful he was going to say something sensible. Unfortunately, he's come out with exactly the opposite of what the problem is. If he thinks that C4 only promote it as a betting medium then he is living in cloud cuckoo land. |
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Those godawful ads they have completely killed my interest in watching it, can't seem to remember the worst culprit, hmmm...
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Now it is a complete yawn .. well done David. It is a load of rubbish in comparison to what it was and now haemmorhaging viwers not just leaking and we get noddies trying to give legitimate excuses. Looks like contract negotiations are going to be very interesting. Get yer bags packed. Claire knew. Once again racing shoots itself in the foot by not thinking through consequences changing contracts and bookmaker adverts *** everybody off. It has lost it's fun. Lost pretty much everything to be honest. Bit like virtual in shops. BORING. Bring back Franklin as a starter and get rid of some presenters. We all know who they are. Morning line used to be enjoyable. Anybody remember when they last watched it? Or is going to watch it again? What time does it start? Saturday used to strat with ML. It is dead and past it's sell by date and no recovery possible. RIP.
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Those adds; they stick them on just before the race begins.
Don't they realise that people aren't interested at that point in anything other than the race. The advertisers are getting pretty poor value by doing that imo. |
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Cobblers!!
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All I think when they come on at that point is ''get them off the screen.''
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Dr .. sure Willies and Paddies now recognise that.
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That was to the Liberator.
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GO COMPARE GO COMPARE.
Go take running jump. |
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BBC have pretty much pulled out of sport with the exception of the Olympics and international football tournaments. Even the Six Nations will be split between Beeb and ITV and they even gave The Open to Sky a year earlier than planned.
So pretty safe to say racing is never coming back to the BBC. Redvers clearly doesn't much connection with the audience that watches it on TV and why they watch it. |
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Acey .. we've all got an opinion and fully understand and appreciate yours. Like you I love C4 racing would even record it in VHS days and watch over and over again but is incipid and going through period of malaise and just not watchable if you've got RUk or RUK which are totally different class. They were the good old days. Trying to please too many grabbing the bookmakers dollar and so PC. Trust me it is bad. Why else do C4 viewing figures fall. Don't compare with the beeb. We all want a great racing channel. No argument there. We had great racing channel.
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Agree with Kevinglass about people don't watch Channel 4 whatever is on. For me there is too many experts and too much talking, but that's the same with every sport now. Rather see more horses and racing.
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Interesting to see what would happen should it change to ITV as rumoured.
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Interesting to see what would happen should it change to ITV as rumoured.
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People will complain about ITV (NAP)
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Be wonderful if Sheikh Fahad or somebody on his behalf would bid for new contract. Now that would shake market place up.
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The basic thing about horse racing is that it fundamentally appeals to country folk as apposed to big conurbation dwellers who, once upon a time, regarded the sport mainly as a betting medium.
Now that there are so many other things to bet on, by far the biggest section of the UK population has turned it's back on the Sport of King's in favour of football, fobts etc. The only chance C4 has of rebuilding it's viewing figures is to concentrate on a audience who live in rural areas as they have a natural affinity for horses. Much easier said than done, admittedly. . |
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The problem with racing coverage is everyone seems to know each other. Proper questions and criticism is very thin on the ground, it's just a cosy little World and they want the rest of us to know it.
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I have only watched four races in the last three weeks and The Morning Line once in the last six months.
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The sporting and betting sides should both be covered -- there is no need to play one off against the other. It is not true, for instance, that Sprinter Sacre last weekend could only be appreciated by those who backed him; nor is the opposite true, that punters cannot appreciate the athleticism of the returning champion.
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but it was only appreciated by people who back horses,people who dont bet wouldnt have a clue who sprinter sacre is
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but it was only appreciated by people who back horses,people who dont bet wouldnt have a clue who sprinter sacre is
If you mean only people who follow racing will know Sprinter Sacre, you are right, but there really are a lot of people who follow racing without betting. |
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You cannot attract major audiences to a niche sport , it is the emphasis on ' star ' presenters , idiotic flashback presentation , favourites only discussions inter alia , that have already cost BBC and CH4 its audience and there is no way back . The audience it should have has gone for good .
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Even if the programme moves to ITV we will likely have the same presenters so will simply have a continuance of what we have now - I think terrestrial viewing of racing is past its sell by date - it has a place on satellite & nothing more than that i'm afraid
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I liked his " "What got Sheikh Fahad into racing in the first place is he loved the chat, banter and storylines on The Morning Line when it was produced by the old team. It was great television and it sucked him into the sport. Now it is a complete yawn as it seems to be almost entirely devoted to the betting on the racing that day"
My brother in law who was not interested in racing used to watch it then as he found it entertaining. Though he said that he did not understand it all. |