Clare Balding to join Channel 4

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chroniclandlord

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Channel 4 today announces that it has awarded IMG Sports Media the four-year production contract for the corporation's exclusive horseracing coverage which includes all the sport's premium events from January 2013 - Cheltenham Festival, Aintree's three-day John Smith's Grand National meeting, the Investec Derby Festival from Epsom Downs, Royal Ascot, Glorious Goodwood and the entire Flat Season QIPCO British Champions Series and Day.

The deal, in operation from January 2013 till December 2016, runs alongside Channel 4's four-year media agreement with Racecourse Media Group. In addition, Channel 4 Racing sponsors, Dubai, have signed a new four-year extension deal until 2016.

Channel 4 is also delighted to announce that acclaimed sports broadcaster, CLARE BALDING, joins as the lead presenter of Channel 4 Racing from January 1st. Her expertise and warmth will bring a new audience to the programmes working alongside a combination of familiar and new talent to be announced later in the year.

The IMG Sports Media production team brings together award-winning creative talent with renowned horseracing specialists. CARL HICKS, BBC Sport Senior Programme Editor will join IMG Sports Media to head up the team as Executive Producer having recently edited the London 2012 Olympic Games. His Racing pedigree includes nine Grand Nationals, eight Royal Ascot's, six Derby's plus the Prix De L'Arc and others. Under the new contract IMG Sports Media will produce around 90 days a year of live terrestrial horseracing coverage in addition to the Morning Line.
IMG Sports Media, part of IMG Worldwide, the global sports, fashion and media company, has committed to introduce a range of innovations including graphical enhancements, directed by DARYL GOODRICH, whose film played a fundamental role in winning the London 2012 Olympic Games bid through to new contemporary editorial directions, compelling race coverage and robust journalism. This will be delivered alongside new initiatives forged with the sport which aim to create an enhanced TV production from January 2013.

The digital propositions for Channel 4's horseracing coverage formed an important part of the tender process and Channel 4 and IMG Sports Media will relaunch channel4.com/racing and build new presences on other digital platforms.
 
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This is the news I have been dreading. I CANNOT STAND this awful, rude, patronising, overbearing woman. I've taken to recording the increasingly rare BBC broadcasts, even when I've been at home, so that I can FF Miss B. Now I shan't be able to watch C4 live any more. And yes, I know that she has loads of highly-vocal adherents and there is no point in complaining and I shall be shot down in flames...
 
dilysb said:
This is the news I have been dreading. I CANNOT STAND this awful, rude, patronising, overbearing woman. I've taken to recording the increasingly rare BBC broadcasts, even when I've been at home, so that I can FF Miss B. Now I shan't be able to watch C4 live any more. And yes, I know that she has loads of highly-vocal adherents and there is no point in complaining and I shall be shot down in flames...
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Spot on. With the last sentence.
 
This is a proper coup for C4.

Let's also hope the broadcasting contract sees the return of the iconic head-on shots of the Aintree runners approaching Becher's. The races on the National course just aren't the same without them.
 
Clive will be happy!:p

Seriously, if it means we lose the team of Cattermole and Spencer it is welcome.

They are truly awful.
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All true...

Im a little surprised though. I thought she might well be a general anchor for all sports on BBC after the olympics


She might hit it off rather well with Emma.

Cattermole can watch from the wardrobe
 
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Tanya is surely the most inarticulate person ever to be employed by a television station anywhere in the world.
 
clivex said:
All true...

Im a little surprised though. I thought she might well be a general anchor for all sports on BBC after the olympics
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I would think that's what she most wants, but Lineker and Humphrey seem to be ahead of her in the rankings for that sort of post.
 
What other sports do the BBC have though? Surely their flagship sports broadcasts are MOTD, the Six Nations, and the F1 - none of which are in her area of expertise.

I hope C4 don't introduce the feature where Balding is in the paddock peering over the shoulders of the "big connections" prior to Group 1's anyway.
 
LUKE said:
Tanya is surely the most inarticulate person ever to be employed by a television station anywhere in the world.
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Agreed Luke. I love her insight at times, but its so in your face, almost talking to channel 4 viewers like a degenerate bunch of Saturday afternoon punters.

Claire Balding is lovely on a superficial level, and thats all you need in this day and age to satisfy the superficial public. However, when you go a bit deeper into how she and Persad consistently tryed to bastardise Willie Carson on the beeb, because of his old fashioned and straightforward, non-pc way of saying things, and seemingly because he'd actually been involved in the sport rather than getting involved because his father was a trainer, then she's not the saviour many make out. Not to me anyway.

I'm sure she'll be a good addition to Channel 4, I just think she's superficial.
 
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She's freelance - presumably she can still work for the BBC if/when she wants unless C4 are paying her a bucketload for exclusivity. Outside of horse racing, I think Rugby League is the only regular gig she has with them (they don't show all that much show jumping or swimming any more, maybe once a year?).

She's streets ahead of Lineker (incapable of completing a sentence without at least five umms and errs unless its coming straight off the teleprompter) and Humphries (seems like a nice enough guy but has the gravitas of a 6 year old) but she's got no chance of usurping them.
 
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Originally Posted by clivex
All true...

Im a little surprised though. I thought she might well be a general anchor for all sports on BBC after the olympics


I would think that's what she most wants, but Lineker and Humphrey seem to be ahead of her in the rankings for that sort of post.
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If shes freelance then she can do both i suppose, but i wonder now? After the olympics? A public straw poll now would have one result
 
Surely their flagship sports broadcasts are MOTD, the Six Nations, and the F1 -
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Wrong.

F1 is not a sport

there again she might be an expert on F1 but naturally keeps to herself to avoid being teased and bullied
 
Interesting juxtaposition - will CB elevate The Morning Line to worthwhile viewing, or will the current crew drag her down to their level?
 
reet hard said:
Interesting juxtaposition - will CB elevate The Morning Line to worthwhile viewing, or will the current crew drag her down to their level?
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I think a lot of dead wood is about to be chopped.Has anyone got a good word to say about Lesley Graham.
 
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