ITV Racing is Better than Channel 4

Yeah its not so polished but it seems all the better for it. I enjoyed the show

It's early days, but I think the moaners are never going to be happy - it's not like they're going to be doing something better themselves.

Yep I enjoyed it. Room for improvement but a good first show.

Live Tv with a new format in dodgy weather is not easy.

8/10

can`t fault it apart from fitzgerald,miles better than c4

Only seen bits but looks promising

you people must be watching a different programme to me, found it poor, and one loud mouthed chapman

Don't think Ed and Matt are exactly hitting it off.

It was more entertaining with Chapman.

Although I suggest ITV replace Harvey and McCoy with a couple of cardboard cut outs for all the contribution they made.

Lots of complaining on here..... But I thought it was great. (I do like Chappers)

Decent profit also helps

7 /10 ....chapman dreadful

At least they have thick Mick out with the horses where he belongs, away from any intelligent conversation.

I was pleasantly surprised. Decent start imo. The show looks fresher, different graphics, diff camera angles, diff styles of interviews, etc and Ed Chamberlain looks like he's been doing it for years. As for Chapman,  I know he's a bit marmite but I Iike him and he'll shake things up a bit.  Hopefully Plunkett will get relegated to minor bit parts and Fitzy will learn something from the "champ". The one that doesn't belong is Harvey - looks like the office weirdo who crashed the xmas party

I thought Harvey was decent. Don't see the need for having 3 ex jockeys though.

Very promising start, enjoyed it. Agree with first comment on here it was more alive.

Some of them on C4 were just going through the motions and format was getting a bit stale, this coverage today was definite improvement, not easy to get the balance right and draw in a wider audience, but very promising start I'd say.

If a spaceman watched that, what would he think of the human race?

There's yer answer.

It was basically exactly the same as CH4 or BBC. Useless chat and pontification before each race, good quality race coverage and commentary, and then more usless chat and interviews afterwards. Chapman was excruciating - I almost missed Tanya ffs. Same old, same old.

NB: They didn't show the earlier Cheltenham races which was disappointing.

Better than channel4 for me, Chapman gives it a bit edge instead of the slime that overpowered C4 and made it a turn off. All they need to do now is concentrate on the racing instead of dwelling on the presenters. promising start.

Judging by the amount of threads and comments on here it appears the ITV coverage is the most important event in the history of horse racing.

WALOFS




That sums up this fred perfectly!!!!!!

People get too picky

As long they keep C.Balding off it...it is ok with me.

Did Exchanges get a mention or are they gonna pretend they don't exist?

I missed the live show but I've watched the opening half an hour or so and overall I think its an improvement

ed/harvey/AP good chemistry between them...perhaps some cover from the elements would be a better idea on days like today
chappers...I can see why they have gone for him, not everybody's cup of tea but I think it works well having a personality in the ring
fitz/pendo/weather girl...utterly pointless, should be BINNED IMMEDIATELY
hoiles...good choice for lead comm

graphics...need to be much sharper and clearer and use the space on the screen better

they got the right balance imo for explaining a few things to newbies eg what odds are, the layout of the 2 courses at cheltenham etc
whilst not overdoing it and patronising the people who already now

I also get 100% why they only the marquee meetings on ITV1...this will work imo and is important to differentiate the quality from the mediocrity albeit I would have chosen 1 or 2 meetings in between today and the cheltenham festival (trials day for example)

".... Hopefully Plunkett will get relegated to minor bit parts "

Relageted to bit parts, you mean like doing the graphics ?

".... Hopefully Plunkett will get relegated to minor bit parts "

Ideally making the coffee and tidying up afterwards.

ITV dumbed down presentation probably appeals to a certain percentage of the population. Matt Chapman asking us to play a game of “hair or no hair” under his bobble hat with a bookmaker was hilarious .  McCoy humour is cutting and droll "only the weather forecaster had got anything right", but about as charismatic as my hoover.

So it's over to ITV4 until the Cheltenham festival?  Clearly ITV4 will keep racing in the public eye...

I thought it was quite good for a first atempt a way to go before they catch up with Francombe ,big mac and co.

Highlight for me was them little green things on the end of their mics and Luke Harvey is a good laugh.

Downside and i dont mind Matt Chapman but he needs to ease off the gas.

watched the rest of the show this morning

agree with what people have said about AP...cracks appearing already from him, not sure he will be a positive influence for the show in the long term
fitzy's pieces with the weather girl and pendo are so fkin tedious please get rid of all 3
graphics such as the winning line and furlong lines are a joke
I think features work well in between races at the main meeting rather than showing a 2nd meeting such as musselburgh

but on the whole plenty of positives for a 1st show

"agree with what people have said about AP...cracks appearing already from him" totally agree, and not much personality, he looked a weak link with the chemistry between Chamberlin and Harvey and Chapman. Plunkett can be a bit annoying at times. However, I thought the coverage was a great start and the right approach to bring in a wider audience.

"agree with what people have said about AP...cracks appearing already from him" totally agree, and not much personality, he looked a weak link with the chemistry between Chamberlin and Harvey and Chapman. Plunkett can be a bit annoying at times.

I'd pair AP with Rishi -- less forced humour, and Rishi can be effective at drawing out the experts.

they got the right balance imo for explaining a few things to newbies eg what odds are, the layout of the 2 courses at cheltenham etc
whilst not overdoing it and patronising the people who already know


No -- the explanation of odds was rubbish because MC described fractions which just makes things confusing: it is far easier just to think of them as ratios.

And the introduction of Pendleton was bad too -- alluding to her racing but without explicitly telling the audience. If you knew, it was pointless, and if you didn't, it was puzzling.

I never said the explanation was good, I said they got the right balance for the amount of things they explained (or tried to)

generally positive but agree that graphics were terrible (almost impossible to see the odds/riders) and AP a big emotional drain, if he doesn't want to be there am sure he has enough money to give it up...why did they get him in any case? so he can advise on the Jonjo/JP 'dark horses' for Festival? yeah right!!

Only saw bits of the coverage - wonder if any mention made of introducing betting feature like the old ITV7 with consolation dividends? Thought Chapman was OTT - trying too hard  and definitely in a hurry to make himself star of the show (and I'm a fan!)

I thought it was a big improvement on Channel 4. The banter was better and I like the way they were based in the paddock and discussed the horses more before the race. The only downer was Pendleton whose main contribution was "Ooh, the ground's turned soft which makes it easier for the horses to slip on take off. I'm glad I'm not riding." I have to agree with her though.

There were some good aspects , it was faster paced , Ed and Oli are very good .

But there doesn't appear to be one mention in this thread about them not showing the earlier replays .....I take it I am in a minority thinking this was a big failing.

A bit too frantic for me, and I note that it's the same old policy of trying to grab hold of non racing fans, which seems like they are talking down to those of us who have followed racing for a long time.
Once a race s underway I just want the commentary, without cutting back to the pundits for their opinions on how the race is going. That was a big turn off for me, so I'll probably stick with the dedicated racing channels most of the time. You can't please everybody, so fair play to those who like it.

For me it was busy and lively, which I really enjoyed. I enjoyed the presenting from the paddock, although when the weather is as bad it was on New Years day there needs be a back up of plan of getting some cover at the course.
I thought Luke & Tony were a good little partnership and Matt stirring things up and keeping people on their toes makes for good viewing. Although I do think the hair, no hair bit was infantile. I accept that when he explains the odds, he does so for people who don't understand the game, these could be the future racing fans so experienced racing fans shouldn't call it dumbing down and just accept why they are explaining such things.
I personally loved the mid race talks between Richard and the presenters of how the race was unfolding, it made the racing really interesting for me. Also I really enjoyed the camera styles and sound effects of the rain and jockeys shouting as they rode a finish. They (ITV) are trying to take you as close to the game as possible and they should be commended for it.
Also this was the very first show, you can't expect everything to be perfect, it will take a number of shows to get things right and as long as they keep trying to do so, I will keep watching.

Things that didn't work for:

Victoria Pendleton, simply no point having her on the show. I congratulate her for trying her hand at race riding (for which she was seriously well rewarded) but she didn't and will not add anything to the coverage.
Matt's hair, no hair bit and the overdone presentation in the winners enclosure.
The graphics, I liked the style and colour of them but they need to be bigger and fill the entire screen.
The theme tune sounds quite catchy but the whole Warhorse/people clapping at the theatre is rather silly. Better just to show clips of past and presents racing greats doing what we all love, RACING! IMO.

A good first effort with plenty of positives that I'm sure will improve, given time.

Also completely agree with posters about showing the replays of earlier races. This is a MUST thing to show.

Things that didn't work for:

Victoria Pendleton, simply no point having her on the show.

Would have been better to swap Fitz and VP round so she asked him questions -- no point Fitzy asking VP questions that he is far better qualified to answer, like where to take off. Trouble is, Fitz is pretty crap too, so for instance, when he says hurdles are X high and angled at Y degrees, the audience is left to guess whether the height is measured upright or at 60 degrees.

This is the sort of thing that worries me -- there were too many problems with the parts they have had months to rehearse.

I don't agree with the dumbing down comments at all. ITV are trying to attract new people to the sport so if you're not prepared to make allowances, pay to watch the specialist racing channels instead. Seasoned observes take the profusion of racing jargon for granted, but I remember finding it very confusing when I started watching in the late nineties. I remember one race reviewer saying "he burst out of stall 3 and soon had a length in hand". Now a newbie to the sport could easily mistake that for the Los Angeles Police Department testimony at George Michael's public convenience indecency trial.

Its not a sport to attract non bettors to as there is too little action for them. Eight races in the Flat season would give them about fifteen minutes of action.

A decent first outing...you don't win Champion Hurdles and Gold Cups first time out in January imo (if you know what I mean)....so good luck to them.

Gabriel Clarke doing the in depth behind the scenes interviews was a winner for me.

btw...don't forget we have Francesca to look forward to once the flat season starts

Autocue - very funny!