TV coverage

I certainly had no issues with the presenters explaining that at 9/4 £4 wins you nine plus your stake back.

I think if you're trying to attract the non-racing viewer whose interest in betting hasn't yet got beyond a lottery scratchcard then you need to say these things.

I tried to watch the programme again on the ITV player to see what else I like and disliked but constant buffering spoiled it and I gave up.

Can't get how awful that Chapman was out of my head, though.
 
View from the opposition, Kevin Blake's blog on ATR


ITV Racing made its much-anticipated debut on Sunday and inevitably, the coverage divided opinion. It was a racing certainty that this would be the case no matter what team or approach ITV had opted for, as in common with their predecessor Channel 4 Racing, they faced an unenviable task from the outset.
One really cannot emphasise enough just how difficult of a task it is to find the right balance in the terrestrial television coverage of horse racing. There is no escaping the fact that horse racing is a complex sport and while the vast majority of those reading this are likely to be familiar with those complexities to one extent or another, that will not be the case with a significant number of those that tune into racing on terrestrial television. Thus, finding a balance that appeases established racing fans whilst not alienating less informed observers is a notably challenging test.
Channel 4 Racing produced some wonderful content in recent years, but they met with criticism for going too far down the road of producing coverage that was perhaps more suited to a specialist racing channel rather than terrestrial television. ITV Racing have clearly set out in a different direction, embracing a more relaxed style of broadcasting and seeking to explain the sport’s complexities with the aim of welcoming a new audience to the sport.
There are sure to be established racing supporters that criticise this approach and of course, they are entitled to their views. However, I would respectfully suggest that the bigger picture should be considered by those that already love the sport. Horse racing really should not fall into the trap of taking the value of terrestrial television coverage for granted. It offers our sport a shop window to a mainstream audience that is the envy of so many other sports. It is the single greatest recruitment tool that then sport has to attract new fans into the game. While those already bitten by the racing bug might prefer more technical coverage of the sport, it is so important to be aware of the greater good that can be achieved by coverage that caters to and educates the curious newcomer.
With this goal in mind, ITV Racing landed a coup in recruiting Ed Chamberlin. A vastly experienced broadcaster that is well known amongst a non-racing audience, he is a passionate racing fan that is essentially living his dream by broadcasting horse racing. The sport has no shortage of specialist racing broadcasters that would do a fine job on ITV, but very few have the genuinely fresh enthusiasm that Chamberlin will bring to the table and that is just what is needed to deliver the product ITV Racing are pitching.
One early observation of Chamberlin’s maiden performance was that he seemed slightly nervous in the opening exchanges of the programme on Sunday. This may have been unexpected from a man with such vast live broadcasting experience, but for me it did nothing but reinforce his suitability for the job. Nerves are a by-product of emotional investment. He clearly cares deeply about horse racing and he cares about doing a good job in presenting it. Moving from the security of the Monday Night Football studio into the quite literal stormy cauldron of Cheltenham has taken him out of his comfort zone and there is little doubt it will bring the very best out of him as a broadcaster as he pursues his passion.
In terms of how ITV Racing went about the exceptionally difficult task of covering the racing in a style that engages and educates the newcomer without patronising the more informed viewers, there was a lot to like about the way they approached it. To work well, such efforts will need to be subtle and concise. Simple things like Mick Fitzgerald explaining the height difference between fences and hurdles and Richard Hoiles giving a brief description of what a handicap race is achieved just that.
Their coverage to betting was also geared in the same direction, with Matt Chapman dropping in simple explanations of the odds into his typically energetic pieces from the betting ring. Chapman will always divide opinion, but that is exactly why he was such an important addition to the team. Whether one finds his mischievous and fun-loving enthusiasm for the game infectious or irritating, he engages people and that is what matters most.
On the subject of the betting coverage, how refreshing it was that the broadcast wasn’t bogged down with multiple interviews with bookmaker representatives. Bookmaker sponsorship is of course an important part of what makes the financing of racing tick, but television coverage of the sport has become saturated with such interviews and one suspects that there weren’t too many people watching that missed them.
Another excellent but divisive decision was to include Victoria Pendleton on the team. Given the perplexingly negative reaction in some quarters to her remarkable quest to ride at last season’s Cheltenham Festival, her appointment was always likely to garner a mixed reaction, but the naysayers are perhaps missing the point.
Victoria Pendleton is quite clearly not a horse racing expert, but she doesn’t pretend to be. She has been bitten by the racing bug and is able to communicate that passion and enthusiasm in an engaging manner that anyone that has been bitten by the racing bug can relate to. Rather than being a negative, her inexperience in racing is a positive, as she appreciates and verbalises the simple pleasures and beauties of horse racing that many of us that have been in the game for many years no longer notice as much as we should. She is a perfect fit for what ITV Racing are looking to achieve.
While much of this piece has focused on how ITV Racing is seeking to cater to the newcomer, there was plenty in there for the purist too. The excellent feature with Jonjo O’Neill will have been a highlight for many, as were some of the post-race interviews with engaging subjects such as Willie Twiston-Davies and Lizzie Kelly. The in-race footage, which included the creative use of drone cameras, also promises to be a positive feature of the coverage.
Other aspects of the coverage that hit the right note were the mid-race analysis from Luke Harvey and Tony McCoy. Their contrasting personalities make them a well-matched pairing and they worked well together. Alice Plunkett’s contributions in the saddling enclosure worked well, as did her interviews with various members of stable staff, which were a nice touch. Oli Bell may have had a relatively minor role in proceedings from Musselburgh, but he played his part in a notably assured, professional and likeable manner. The first episode of the Opening Show on Saturday will give him the chance to shine in a more prominent role.
In terms of the technical quality of the broadcast, there were some teething problems throughout the show, some of which were not helped by the inclement weather. However, for every issue that the viewer may have spotted, one can be sure that the production and technical staff noticed twice as many and will be working hard all week to remedy them going forward. There is also scope to improve the on-screen graphics, which were criticised for being smaller than ideal in places. All told, one can expect ITV Racing to very much come on from their first run and it will be intriguing to see the progression of the coverage in the weeks and months ahead.
To bring it all back to what the overall message is, the merits of the ITV Racing coverage is entirely a matter of personal opinion, there is no right or wrong answer. However, everyone in racing would be advised to consider the bigger picture before passing judgement.
With the future of gambling advertising in Great Britain set to come under serious scrutiny from the government in the near future, it would be ill-advised for anyone to take it for granted that horse racing will always be covered on terrestrial television. ITV Racing are doing the right thing in the long-term interests of horse racing in approaching their coverage with a view to enticing a new audience to the sport. This approach should be supported by those in racing now, as it will be no good appreciating the value of it if the day ever comes when racing no longer has terrestrial television as its primary shop window.
 
I missed the broadcast new years day because of work

A mate of mine texted me pointing out they didn't show the finishes to the first 2 races on the card
 
I missed the broadcast new years day because of work

A mate of mine texted me pointing out they didn't show the finishes to the first 2 races on the card

Correct.

I was disappointed in that too as I was waiting to see how CSS ran in the first only for EC to 'spoil' it by telling us LK had won the opener.

That and Chapman, though, amounted to just about the only real disappointments I found.
 
Does anyone here know if or where Irish viewers can watch ITV's version of The Morning Mine tomorrow morning? There are no tv listings available through Sky for ITV as it's classified as "Other Channels" so have no idea what time it's even scheduled for.


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Full schedule for Irish TV here:

http://www.theirishfield.ie/tv3-publishes-full-itv-racing-schedule-244737/

Missing quite a few regular Saturdays and nothing now until 28th Jan which is very disappointing imo. Also, it doesn't appear that the "Opening Show" (Morning Line) will be shown on Irish TV at all.
 
not really tv, but closest thread i could find to ask in, anyone know whats gone on so coral can't show some meetings live in store? Not sure which courses are affected but think Hereford was the only live meeting today being shown on screen, can't find anything online about it.
 
Meanwhile, At The Races does not expect to have high-definition broadcasts of Irish racing until two years' time at the earliest. The channel's product has begun to look somewhat anachronistic, especially when RTé broadcasts racing at the same time."At The Races is currently planning the roll out of a full HD channel in 2019," said a Horse Racing Ireland spokesman. "SIS Live is working with SIS to upgrade the current satellite-based outside-broadcast service for Irish racing to a dedicated permanent network combining both microwave and fibre connectivity.
"This new network will provide higher quality and faster delivery of the racecourse pictures to the bookmakers plus will also allow new products and services to be offered such as in-running data."

HRI and SIS had expected to have in-running data available at all Irish tracks from January 1 but there has been a delay and it remains unclear as to when this ground-breaking sectional-timing development will be realised.
 
Full schedule for Irish TV here:

http://www.theirishfield.ie/tv3-publishes-full-itv-racing-schedule-244737/

Missing quite a few regular Saturdays and nothing now until 28th Jan which is very disappointing imo. Also, it doesn't appear that the "Opening Show" (Morning Line) will be shown on Irish TV at all.
I think ITV 4 is available free to air on virgin media in Ireland, which the next few Saturdays are on. Not sure if it will be blocked when the live racing is on, will find out this Saturday.

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Opening Show excellent this morning. So much better then Morning Line. Oil Bell excellent in the pitch role...and just enough guests and the right mix of features. Even Pendo was good!
 
This morning's show was fine, I thought, but the joiner responsible for the flooring on the studio dais deserves a clawhammer up the toolbox for an amateurish finish.
 
The graphics are better this time ( or am I remembering last weeks wrong?)

Looks like they've responded to general criticism about them. I didn't pay too much attention to it the last time but thought it was okay today other than the old-fashioned git in me preferring lists to be justified to the left. They do it for the betting so why not for the cards? Just to be different?
 
It was generally a lot more polished today as might be expected. Good to see Matt Chapman had calmed down and I particularly enjoyed the way he highlighted a couple of books only offering 1/5 odds each way


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The graphics are better this time ( or am I remembering last weeks wrong?)

We said the same, I think they swapped the colour of the label 'Jockey/Trainer' and the actual names as I'm sure last week the latter were in orange which made them hard to read, whereas they were in white this week.

I thought it was an improvement on last week - a toned down and more relevant Chappers, fewer presenters, seem to have improved some of the little annoying glitches and hit a better balance between explaining things for the newbies (the grackle noseband segment) and just getting on with it. I'm still no particular fan of Mick Fitz as a presenter and they could do with dropping the annoying habit of cutting into Richard Hoiles' commentary as the comments of Luke Harvey and Fitzy add nothing, but overall I enjoyed today's coverage.
 
I'd agree with all that - I watched about an hour of it ( well, it was on while I was pottering about) and thoroughly enjoyed what I saw of it. I'm not a huge fan of MF presenting - he's still picking the Henderson horses regardless ( well, I think he is!) and for all his capability in the saddle, I think there are better presenters out there. Chaparse wasn't so annoying today either !


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First time managed to sit down and properly watch it and thoroughly enjoyed it too. Its just a shame that the fog has ruined a couple of meetings for them but its a great start and for the weekend punter there is probably enough information there to keep them interested for longer. Fitz is harmless enough but its great to see Leglock on it as he was always fun to watch when I had SKY and ATR - for all his tomfoolery he does know his stuff. And they couldnt really not have a racing programme without Chappers - again another Marmite character but TV needs him for better or worse.

I like the graphics - didnt notice the colour change but found them easy to read and liked the summary of the winning connections that comes up as they are interviewing post race on the walk back, includes the breeder too nice touch.

I do subscribe via iPad for both ATR and RUK but rarely watch RUK as its too condensending for me - so as soon as that subscription offer finishes I am cancelling that. Plus the app is cumbersome and there are no replays via it.

Marks out of 10 so far - a solid 8 with glimpses of the achievable 9
 
It was generally a lot more polished today as might be expected. Good to see Matt Chapman had calmed down and I particularly enjoyed the way he highlighted a couple of books only offering 1/5 odds each way


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That's great but has to be given context - if the books who are 1/4 are a point or so under the books offering 1/5 then a lot of the time they'll be offering the worst of the value.

This needs to be highlighted also.

Martin
 
That's great but has to be given context - if the books who are 1/4 are a point or so under the books offering 1/5 then a lot of the time they'll be offering the worst of the value.

This needs to be highlighted also.

Martin

Agreed and Chappers did mention this as the 1/5 odds bookies defence but my experience at Cheltenham in particular is that this just isn't true


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