ITV4's 7pm highlights package: a question

dave milne

ITV4 highlights are great for an hour show - they also add some content to draw in the none-cycling diehards.

For the key stages I would choose Eurosport but for sprint stages in particular the ITV4 highlights package is great

Abdoujaparov

Great to see ITV4's tour viewing figures rocketing this year. Is cycling finally getting some traction in the UK?

Re the ITV highlights show I have to say the racing is probably the worst bit (ok, aside from the competition that seems to go on and on and on). Phil and Paul just make an incredible about of mistakes and, for people who should know a lot about cycling, seem like novices. Eurosport is just miles better (not hard though).

On ITV Boardman, Boulting and Imlach are excellent. Interesting, very professional and funny at times.

So, for me through the tour it was always watch recorded live coverage on eurosport when I got back from work, then the ITV show, but fast forwarding through the ads and some of the racing.

derbygrimpeur

briantrumpet wrote:

derbygrimpeur wrote:

Sky+ provides best of everything.

...including profits of £855m for Rupert Murdoch.

I'll stick with ITV4, thanks.

*Yawn* Get Virgin then if you're that bothered, you can still do both then. But I'll stick with the BEST TV provider thanks.

cristoff wrote:

if you want decent coverage, then it should go to Sky.

Not sure about that. I'm not sure how Sky would improve on ITV4's coverage, aside from perhaps ditching the passed-it Liggett. Sky Sports is good for most stuff, but Athletics, for example, is done much better by the BBC. I think as cycling is quite niche, ITV do it pretty well. I just can't listen to their commentary any more.

mroli

I've got Virgin and you can get Sky through them too, so I'm not sure how any one provider of cable/broadband tv is better than another really.

As has been said on here a million times - Eurosport for the live, ITV for the highlights (although stuck in the office I had ITV on the live and I was ready to throttle Phil and Paul by the end of it. I'm just a fan and not a pro and really, my identification of riders is better than theirs and they just seem to say stuff that is plain WRONG). At least on Eurosport if Harmon is wrong, Sean will put him right and Harmon is not frightened to have opinions.

Boardman, Boulting, Rendell were all excellent and I really enjoyed Imlach's dry wit this time round - a really nice sardonic frontman. Although I also enjoyed Maggy/Rob Hayles and the other guests on Eurosport. James Richardson - obv a top bloke, but not a cycling front man surely?! V+/Sky+ gets rid of the advert and competition issues on ITV too - not a problem.

I think between Eurosport and ITV, there is really good coverage of the TdF - the only thing that could be improved (imho) is the quality of pictures/info fed back from the race. That is where Sky could make a difference (if they threw the kitchen sink at it), but it is the preserve of French television. I couldn't see them doing a better highlights package to be fair.

I love the idea of GPS on the rider's bikes, thus giving accurate locations and time splits and the provision of power data and other computer data would be great for proper analysts too - cycling should embrace technology.

rick_chasey

briantrumpet wrote:

derbygrimpeur wrote:

Sky+ provides best of everything.

...including profits of £855m for Rupert Murdoch.

I'll stick with ITV4, thanks.

Murdoch may have shady politics - right wing blah blah, but that's dealt with with his media outlets, fox, etc. And trust me, I'm to the left of most people on this forum.

The Sky TV service however, is the best on the market, by a long way.

Never found somewhere where sky can't be had - can't say the same for other providers, best HD coverage, if you can afford it, the best sports coverage.

There's a reason it makes a lot of money - it's very good.

derbygrimpeur

mroli wrote:

I've got Virgin and you can get Sky through them too, so I'm not sure how any one provider of cable/broadband tv is better than another really.

You're talking about TV channels there, not the actual TV provider. Sky+HD subscription is far superior to anything else on the market. More channels than rivals. Because I have my broadband through Sky I also get SkyAnytime+ which is basically on demand TV /movies. Absolutely brilliant, not even any need to forward through ad breaks, because there aren't any.

Sorry to the Sky haters, but it really is the best provider. Costs alot, but worth it in my opinion.

Anyway, I digress...

KnightOfTheLongTights

HD: almost as big a waste-of-time white elephant as 3D.

If people think - as they seem to do on this thread - that a 'good highlights package' is something with a minimal amount of actual highlights in it, then they should rule themselves out of jury service.

briantrumpet

Rick Chasey wrote:

The Sky TV service however, is the best on the market, by a long way. Never found somewhere where sky can't be had - can't say the same for other providers, best HD coverage, if you can afford it, the best sports coverage. There's a reason it makes a lot of money - it's very good.

Like Tescos. Good coverage and astute management leads to monopolistic tendencies and the dangers/rewards thereof. Sky has built its dominant position by buying up all the sports and entertainments with passionate followers, leaving the punters with the choice of either missing out on something that matters to them, or going with Murdoch. I don't blame those that can't bear to miss their dose of whatever it is that excites them. But when someone is prepared to distort democracy through the misuse of money and influence (and meanwhile pay no tax in the UK)*, there are principles at stake. And he won't get my shilling.

*EDIT - old reference, but he still seems to be a master of not paying anything like its fair share of taxes.

nevman

TheBullet wrote:

Does anybody know if ITV4 are showing highlights of the whole race in an extended programme as in previous years?

Have searched around but found nothing...

This...need a fix.

dave milne

mroli wrote:

I love the idea of GPS on the rider's bikes, thus giving accurate locations and time splits and the provision of power data and other computer data would be great for proper analysts too - cycling should embrace technology.

They alread yhave this on the SRM website. Limited riders but you get the live speeds, power and bpm all on google maps. Frighteningly low heart rates at huge speeds