Sky's coverage of the Tour Down Under

Harry B

Its sodding rubbish! 30 minutes in which to get coverage of a days racing. One minute rider x is making a breakaway but they never follow it up with how that rider got on.

Give me my beloved Eurosport coverage any time!

I do hope that Sky are not covering any of the grand tours!

prawny

What do you expect, they have to leave some bits out so they can show 10 minutes of Lance and then the roll out.

I couldn't belive they showed the roll out on yesterdays highlights, cadel drafting the car and someone getting back on but didn't mention the crash.

At least it's the only one they show, thank god for Harmon and Kelly.

Harry B

Who is editing it? David Blunket?

Whoever it is clearly has no idea about professional cycling :evil:

afx237vi

prawny wrote:

What do you expect, they have to leave some bits out so they can show 10 minutes of Lance and then the roll out.

I couldn't belive they showed the roll out on yesterdays highlights, cadel drafting the car and someone getting back on but didn't mention the crash.

At least it's the only one they show, thank god for Harmon and Kelly.

That was weird. The 5 minute video on the TDU Youtube page is better edited and gives you a better idea of what happened than the 25 minute show on Sky Sports.

prawny

afx237vi wrote:

prawny wrote:

What do you expect, they have to leave some bits out so they can show 10 minutes of Lance and then the roll out.

I couldn't belive they showed the roll out on yesterdays highlights, cadel drafting the car and someone getting back on but didn't mention the crash.

At least it's the only one they show, thank god for Harmon and Kelly.

That was weird. The 5 minute video on the TDU Youtube page is better edited and gives you a better idea of what happened than the 25 minute show on Sky Sports.

I can belive it, sky sports is gone from the 9th of feb. I'm cutting costs.

I wonder what the wife will say if I get a big feck off dish so I can watch Sporza?

teagar

prawny wrote:

afx237vi wrote:

prawny wrote:

What do you expect, they have to leave some bits out so they can show 10 minutes of Lance and then the roll out.

I couldn't belive they showed the roll out on yesterdays highlights, cadel drafting the car and someone getting back on but didn't mention the crash.

At least it's the only one they show, thank god for Harmon and Kelly.

That was weird. The 5 minute video on the TDU Youtube page is better edited and gives you a better idea of what happened than the 25 minute show on Sky Sports.

I can belive it, sky sports is gone from the 9th of feb. I'm cutting costs.

I wonder what the wife will say if I get a big feck off dish so I can watch Sporza?

More people are thinking that. I know I'm thinking what you wife will say if I get a big dish...

(I really am thinking of a dish to get Sporza).

Verbal

The assumption here is that Sky Sports make the programme. They don't. They're provided the programme by the host broadcaster who also provides the same programme to interested parties around the world.

I think if you're a regular viewer of a Sky Sports produced programme, whether that's football, rugby or whatever then you'll know that their coverage is actually pretty good. If they were to produce their own cycling coverage then, considering they have their own team, it would be in their best interest to make a more slick, informative and better quality highlights prog.

Harry B

Verbal wrote:

The assumption here is that Sky Sports make the programme. They don't. They're provided the programme by the host broadcaster who also provides the same programme to interested parties around the world.

I think if you're a regular viewer of a Sky Sports produced programme, whether that's football, rugby or whatever then you'll know that their coverage is actually pretty good. If they were to produce their own cycling coverage then, considering they have their own team, it would be in their best interest to make a more slick, informative and better quality highlights prog.

I disagree. They are provided with the coverage but I suspect its Sky that edit it to suit their own timings (they would hate to have to miss a commercial break). Eurosport did not produce theirr own coverage. They relied on the host company but still seemed to do a better job, even in places like Italy where the quality of filming wasn't brilliant

afx237vi

Verbal wrote:

The assumption here is that Sky Sports make the programme. They don't. They're provided the programme by the host broadcaster who also provides the same programme to interested parties around the world.

I think if you're a regular viewer of a Sky Sports produced programme, whether that's football, rugby or whatever then you'll know that their coverage is actually pretty good. If they were to produce their own cycling coverage then, considering they have their own team, it would be in their best interest to make a more slick, informative and better quality highlights prog.

Of course, but that ain't going to happen, mainly because there's only 1 pro race in Britain and that's on ITV 4.

Cycling is a hard sport to televise, especially in highlights form, but 25 minutes is simply not long enough to present a coherent picture of what happened that day.

iainf72

afx237vi wrote:

That was weird. The 5 minute video on the TDU Youtube page is better edited and gives you a better idea of what happened than the 25 minute show on Sky Sports.

Is it just people riding through featureless landscape in obviously hot weather followed by a bunch sprint?

prawny

iainf72 wrote:

afx237vi wrote:

That was weird. The 5 minute video on the TDU Youtube page is better edited and gives you a better idea of what happened than the 25 minute show on Sky Sports.

Is it just people riding through featureless landscape in obviously hot weather followed by a bunch sprint?

No that's next month on eurosport

sampras38

I like my tennis and films too much to get rid of Sky but yeah, the TDU coverage is pretty bad. They'll happily broadcast hours upon hours of the australian open, but only 30 mins of cycling. Although, the AO is a Slam and the cycling isn't exactly a big Tour so I can understand it.

afx237vi

prawny wrote:

iainf72 wrote:

afx237vi wrote:

That was weird. The 5 minute video on the TDU Youtube page is better edited and gives you a better idea of what happened than the 25 minute show on Sky Sports.

Is it just people riding through featureless landscape in obviously hot weather followed by a bunch sprint?

No that's next month on eurosport

... but with extra added crosswinds! And Tom Boonen winning.

iainf72

afx237vi wrote:

... but with extra added crosswinds! And Tom Boonen winning.

Show some national pride man...

Oh wait, wrong thread

I expect there is only 30 minutes of TdU coverage globally every day. Not that I've watched the race this year, but how long could you actually watch coverage of the race for?

afx237vi

iainf72 wrote:

afx237vi wrote:

... but with extra added crosswinds! And Tom Boonen winning.

Show some national pride man...

Oh wait, wrong thread

I expect there is only 30 minutes of TdU coverage globally every day. Not that I've watched the race this year, but how long could you actually watch coverage of the race for?

Dude. It's been nearly 4 months since Lombardy. I would watch La Tropicale Amissa Bongo if someone put it on telly.

Go Dumoulin!

Pross

I was surprised how much of the commentary on the crit was dedicated to LA and his break. With it being Team Sky's first race and a Sky programme (if not footage) I would have thought a bit more time would have been spent on focussing on them.

iainf72

Pross wrote:

I was surprised how much of the commentary on the crit was dedicated to LA and his break. With it being Team Sky's first race and a Sky programme (if not footage) I would have thought a bit more time would have been spent on focussing on them.

Wouldn't the footage be provided by the host broadcaster?

prawny

iainf72 wrote:

Pross wrote:

I was surprised how much of the commentary on the crit was dedicated to LA and his break. With it being Team Sky's first race and a Sky programme (if not footage) I would have thought a bit more time would have been spent on focussing on them.

Wouldn't the footage be provided by the host broadcaster?

Yeah I blame Liggett.

Verbal

That is my understanding as well - a half-hour highlights prog made available globally every day. Sky won't re-edit it, there's no point if its already that short and it will come to them with gaps for breaks. Although I believe stage 5 will be shown Live on Sky Sports 1 at some un-Godly hour (don't quote me on that)...

Pross

iainf72 wrote:

Pross wrote:

I was surprised how much of the commentary on the crit was dedicated to LA and his break. With it being Team Sky's first race and a Sky programme (if not footage) I would have thought a bit more time would have been spent on focussing on them.

Wouldn't the footage be provided by the host broadcaster?

Yes, but I assume that Sky get more footage than that and edit it into their own programme hence the 'if not footage' comment. If that's the case I'd have thought the editing would have been more Team Sky biased.

hammerite

I think Sky showed the crit live though, they're also showing some of the race live this weekend, shame it's in the middle of the night. They seem to have drafted Chris Boardman in to help with the commentating.

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,15635,00.html