Channel 4 secures all racing terrestrial rights

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Ardross

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Confirmed tonight - with press statements of breathtaking inaninity from various clerks of courses and the BHA's court jester Rod Street.

Bad news I think to have a monopoly - who knows whether anyone will want to compete in four years time ? though the BBC deserved it after the way they walked away from all but the crown jewels and at least we will be spared Carson .

Rumours are that Clare Balding will be asked to anchor the new coverage which can only be a good thing - the question is , however, will C4 be covering the start of the Flat. the Craven meeting etc - that they abandoned to racing's detriment ?
 
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Yes and the Grand National. I'd imagine advertisement slots for that race with the bookmakers will make it pay for C4. They wi do have The Derby and Royal Ascot. What happens to the French racing remains to be seen.
 
Starts next year the new rights but it can only be a good thing yes? Focus on the racing at Royal Ascot / Aintree etc rather than over/under dressed racegoers who wouldnt know one end of a horse from another - and probably tried to place a bet on Red Rum!!

And no more "jolly punter" ringside morons - do I care that one of them can place a bet for £35,000 at 6/5?!
 
I watched the Beeb news last Tuesday evening and their coverage of Cheltenham was a completely negative piece focussing on the horse deaths that day and the whip rules..the whip issue wasn't a recent issue but they brought it up on taht particular day..looks like it was sour grapes
 
Ballydoyle said:
Starts next year the new rights but it can only be a good thing yes? Focus on the racing at Royal Ascot / Aintree etc rather than over/under dressed racegoers who wouldnt know one end of a horse from another - and probably tried to place a bet on Red Rum!!

And no more "jolly punter" ringside morons - do I care that one of them can place a bet for £35,000 at 6/5?!
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Only be a good thing if they cut down on ad breaks which are excessive already IMO you miss so much of the build up because of this. It may not matter when considering a seller at Lingfield but with races like the GN or Derby I think it's part of the enjoyment. Years ago you used to see plenty of footage of the horses in the paddock and going to post, CH4 have cut a lot of that out unfortunately mainly due to the focus on betting and advertising.
 
imagine said:
CH4 have cut a lot of that out unfortunately mainly due to the focus on betting and advertising.
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I agree witn this. I gather channel 4 have a public broadcasting license along with one or two other channels, from which they are funded by the public. I like channel 4, appreciate their coverage over the years and understand they probally need to finance themselves with a lot of these bookmakers adverts, but as gambling can be highly addictive I do fail to see how they are 'serving public interest' in this sense. I think they need to have a look at how much they are tring to entice people to bet.
 
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EC. Friends of mine picked up on that too. Pathetic stuff by the BBC for whom racing was always a bit politically incorrect you suspect

Just hope C4's Ascot coverage doesn't have that usual crap about ugly boliers in vile dresses

BBC should have been challenged legally by the taxpayer for spending a sporting budget on something which is not a sport and is only watched by those with permanently open mouths. The excuse that spending billions on F1 was to service the terminally dim section of the population would not be an adequate defence
 
Presumably this won't affect ATR and RUK and they will continue to show every race of every meeting?

Channel 4 will just cherry pick the coverage?
 
I believe so bestmate, its just the terrestrial coverage.

Basically, since the law was changed to allow bookies to advertise, showing the racing has become profitable to C4 again. I'd like to think they'll pick up some of the meetings they used to show again (Craven?) but I won't hold my breath.
 
In that case, good. The BBC coverage was desperate.

ATR might be a bit worried I guess that some of their advertiser revenue could be diverted to C4.
 
Marble said:
I agree witn this. I gather channel 4 have a public broadcasting license along with one or two other channels, from which they are funded by the public. I like channel 4, appreciate their coverage over the years and understand they probally need to finance themselves with a lot of these bookmakers adverts, but as gambling can be highly addictive I do fail to see how they are 'serving public interest' in this sense. I think they need to have a look at how much they are tring to entice people to bet.
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Correct me if I am wrong but C4 is not funded by the public.
 
betsmate said:
In that case, good. The BBC coverage was desperate.

ATR might be a bit worried I guess that some of their advertiser revenue could be diverted to C4.
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I think this opens up new advertisement opputurtunities rather than taking away from others. The Grand National gets around 8 million viewers and The Derbt around 3.5 million. Other than thoses two races. The rest of the meetings they will pick up will be much of a muchness.
 
SlimChance said:
Correct me if I am wrong but C4 is not funded by the public.
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Sort of not. They have always been run as a commercial operation, but were given government money in the late 2000's (a kind of bail out). I think that money is still forthcoming. It was going to come out of the licence fee, but that got blocked.
 
SlimChance said:
Correct me if I am wrong but C4 is not funded by the public.
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No they are not 'funded by the public', sloppy wording on my behalf.

A public-service broadcast remit they do have though.

"The United Kingdom has a strong tradition of public service broadcasting. In addition to the BBC, established in 1922, there is also Channel 4, a commercial public service broadcaster, and S4C, a Welsh-language broadcaster in Wales. Furthermore, the two commercial analogue broadcasters ITV and Channel 5 also have significant public service obligations imposed as part of their licence to broadcast." (Wikipedia)

http://www.channel4.com/info/corporate/about/channel-4s-remit - Decent link on 4's remit.
 
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Channel 4 is publicly owned, albeit commercially funded so that would explain the public service remit.

Regardless, presumably the regulators can make the broadcasters do whatever they like through legislation. I.e. if you want a licence, you have to do x.
 
Balding and Luck should front their coverage going forward.

I'm fed up with the half @rsed efforts of Graham, Plunkett, McCririck, Francome and (to a certain extent) McGrath. Some new talent is needed. Someone with a bit of character would be nice as well.
 
Bad news for racing as others have said - with no competition and the so called "crown jewels" if nobody is bothered with racing in 4 years time C4 could offer as little as they wanted and racing would have to accept it.

Personally I think it's all the fallout from last years Grand National - the BBC used intrusive camera work (mainly the overhead one) and they had the Animal Rights (think Animal Aid) brigade all over their airwaves BBC news, 5Live Phone In's etc. in the aftermath of the National and they looked like total hypocrites showing the race and then making a meal out of the deaths and welfare issues afterwards.

Martin
 
First thing someone said to me when I got back to work was "Terrible all those horses dying at Cheltenham". Thats all the general public get, which is a crying shame. The reports should have been celebrating a great win for McCoy in the GC, Anthony Knott and Hunt Ball or an homage to the king of NH that is Kauto star. Instead we get "5 horses die - Shock horror."

Depressing - Not one of these people have probably ever been to a racing stable...
 
I like the Channel 4 racing team, even Thommo makes me laugh sometimes, so I hope that doesn't get broken up. Wouldn't mind Balding making the transfer, but Carson, Parrott and that enormous bookie can stay right where they are!
 
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