C4 ratings catastrophe for The Derby

Yes but the clodhopping "jokes" grate

He's like the unfunny bloke in the office who tries to be a "character" And leaves you completely stone face when he thinks he's cracked one
 
Pity. I would love to see him interviewing in the paddock

What about christy canyon (ok. 25 year ago). Presenting?

Ratings through the roof


Presenter who picks the winner gets a go on air. McGrath wouldn't be bothered mind
 
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EC1 said:
i had years of taking comments it on here...laugh at myself...are you really joking?..have you actually read the forum over the years?

if you can't take a crack or two then its you who has a problem Steve..its you who can't take it chap.

there will be no more banter from me towards you..will that suit you?
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It cuts both ways. I'm okay with myself. I hope to God you can say the same.
 
Flat racing's problems are many but surely
(a) the relentless rise of the AW and low quality racing particularly at ARC tracks that are just an inducement to corruption
(b) that there is far too much of it
(c) that the BHA seem powerless or do not care at all about all the racing being concentrated at weekends with endless unnecessary clashes so that the racing has lost its focus and its narrative has been blurred
(d) the lack of respect for its heritage and set points in the calendar - the spring programme has become a joke , races of longstanding lose their names and become forgettable and boring , new meetings arrive at completely unnecessary points e.g Ascot's meeting that clashes with the John Smith's Cup and now July Cup , meetings like the Guineas, Craven and Derby are shortened so they go by in a flash - for all the merits of Champions Day it has left the rest of the September/October season looking like a dog's dinner especially at Newmarket .

Play a big part in it .

It is no surprise that the meetings that have hung on to their heritage most -Royal Ascot, Goodwood and the Ebor Meeting seem the most successful . For all the quality of it attendances at the July Meeting have not improved indeed last stats seemed to suggest they had declined since its move towards the weekend .
 
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all those might be true but i would be certain that none make any difference at all to the viewing figures
 
clivex said:
Won't make any difference. As said before, flat racing is in decline. Go in an office now and find anyone who knows who won the derby.
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I'm not sure that's relevant. How many in a typical office would know who won the giro d'italia? Unless it's football or reality tv most people have the attention spans of goldfish.
 
to add again euro, im talking about decline over the years rather than comparing across sports as they are now. There used to be sweepstakes for the derby in offices i worked in

Im sure you can get that even if some cant
 
Euronymous said:
Because at the time it was run there was no competition and no distractions.

Have it on the BBC and run it on a sunday evening around 7pm. Would make a huge difference.
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Thats a element but Rugby Union had a lot of coverage to itself at that time and has boomed since hasnt it? far more popular now
 
I think Sky and other satellite channels are to blame for the decline in the interest in many sports. The clock cannot be turned back and the sports like the money .

When I was a kid and the terrestrial channels had a monopoly you could see every big sporting event for free. Grandstand showed sport all Saturday afternoon and then indeed on Sundays as well as World of Sport.

Hence, there was a big audience that got to know and be interested in lots of sports as they could watch lots in one big programme. They may well have started watching for Football Focus but stayed on to watch skiing , racing ,swimming, cricket motor sport etc

Now much of the best stuff has to be paid for and sports programmes are all one sport based - and unless you are already interested in the sport you are unlikely to watch it . Audiences accordingly decline .

The Derby had when it was on the first Wednesday in June - no competition at all . It was a big national event and treated as such by the broadcasters .
 
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Again... dont agree at all

Rugby an example...again

The absolutely baffling success of F1 another example.

Rugby League and Darts are other sports that have prospered under sky
 
Has golf declined under sky? (sense of lets blame murdoch here for everything)

Sports that have declined in audiences in recent years are boxing, Snooker and showjumping

Tacky and bent on one hand and elitist on the other
 
I remember World of Sport and Grandstand fondly but we live in a different world now-tastes and lifestyles have changed.
In my opinion Chapman could do a decent job on terrestial tv and possibly introduce a new generation to racing.
What would it take to get racing back on BBC -it's not going to happen on a Saturday afternoon-maybe a short season of evening cards with qualifiers and finals-something a little bit different.Could BBC 2/3 or 4 offer a Friday evening slot between 7 &9.
 
Isn't racing the second most attended sport in the uk after football? Maybe you lot should get off the sofa and go racing....... :ninja::D
 
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