ITV4 coverage of the Vuelta
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No live coverage of today's crucial ITT stage on Eursport, so they have played a blinder, given that the UK home favourite should take the leader's jersey.
ITV have it all for themselves.
Worst news of all?
No live coverage of the Angliru stage on either Eurosport OR ITV 4, next Sunday.
What a joke. They (ES) will wheel out the old party line and expect loyalty from their subscribers."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
Blazing Saddles wrote:Worst news of all?
No live coverage of the Angliru stage on either Eurosport OR ITV 4, next Sunday.
What a joke. They (ES) will wheel out the old party line and expect loyalty from their subscribers.
What the hell? That's like showing every much of the world cup but not showing the final. I guess Eurosport will be showing the World U 23 Tiddlywink Championships and ITV4 a repeat of Minder instead."I have a lovely photo of a Camargue horse but will not post it now" (Frenchfighter - July 2013)0 -
inkyfingers wrote:Blazing Saddles wrote:Worst news of all?
No live coverage of the Angliru stage on either Eurosport OR ITV 4, next Sunday.
What a joke. They (ES) will wheel out the old party line and expect loyalty from their subscribers.
What the hell? That's like showing every much of the world cup but not showing the final. I guess Eurosport will be showing the World U 23 Tiddlywink Championships and ITV4 a repeat of Minder instead.
Unlike Eurosport, ITV 4 have a sensible back up plan, I have discovered:
http://www.itv.com/lavuelta/2011/live/
Note the small, blue print."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
inkyfingers wrote:... and ITV4 a repeat of Minder instead.
Minder has a better theme tune.
The viewing figures of the ITT might go through the roof if ITV4's regular viewers see it. They might mistake it for Police Camera Action. Perhaps they should get Michael Burke or someone like that to do the commentary for the day.
I don't mind the live coverage but the highlights programme shows so little of the race that you don't really get an idea about what actually happened. The stage finish was great yesterday. But on the Highlights programme you saw Martin attack followed by a load of adverts then Martin getting caught and then Martin sprinting for the line. You didn't really get any sense of what really took place.
As for the picture, I'm watching on Eurosport and ITV4 at the same time (muting when adverts comre on or a commentator gets too annoying) and Eurosport where not losing their picture the way that ITV4 were.
I want ITV4 to keep showing it so I'm watching it's really poor at times. Hopefully it'll get better.Scottish and British...and a bit French0 -
I'm quite happy with the coverage. Don't have and won't have Sky, so have to make do with ITV4 or internet feeds.
Great to actually have the coverage and I hope that ITV4 decide it is worth doing for the Giro and classics. Even with picture breakup etc it is still much better than nothing and yesterday showed how a good stage is worth seeing whatever the coverage.
There are too many adverts at times, but if that is the price for the coverage, I am happy with the compromise. No problems with the commentary either - nice to have Matt Keenan's knowledge and he picks up things that Phil and Paul miss.
Whatever the criticisms are, it is still better than not having any coverage at all, so I would rather congratulate ITV4 than complain about it.0 -
The race commentary, if you can bear to listen to it, is actually pretty good. Just a shame Matt Keenan shows no emotion in his voice at all.
10 out of 10 to itv for showing us something. Good viewing figures might help their cycling coverage grow0 -
Keenan is growing on me - he really needs a wingman to break it up a little bit. Harmon and Smith are good. Rendell and Boulting are good, but excellent when Boardman is added into the mix.
Will ITV.com be able to cope with the demand next Sun?!http://www.georgesfoundation.org
http://100hillsforgeorge.blogspot.com/
http://www.12on12in12.blogspot.co.uk/0 -
Today is most probably the most important (can't spell deceicive
) stage of the race thus far and where is Eurosport's coverage? Nowhere! Thank G_d for ITV4. To err is human, but to make a real balls up takes a super computer.0 -
Great coverage today by Ned and the guys I really enjoyed it.0
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We should be thankful they're covering it. As is usual, and expected, the rest of the media are almost ignoring it. Cycling only happens for 3 weeks in July, don't you know...All Road/ Gravel: tbcWinter: tbcMTB: tbcRoad: tbc"Look at the time...." "he's fallen like an old lady on a cruise ship..."0
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What? Dreadful! Biased or what.Gazzaputt wrote:Great coverage today by Ned and the guys I really enjoyed it.
I watched as Eurosport weren't live and kept waiting for the Aussie that some of you have rated. Got him for about 15 mins - and he was good. Thankfully Dave Harmonious will be back live soon.'Google can bring back a hundred thousand answers. A librarian can bring you back the right one.'
Neil Gaiman0 -
Why is it not on itv player? It was the other day. Only random days?0
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Sirius631 wrote:Today is most probably the most important (can't spell deceicive ) stage of the race thus far and where is Eurosport's coverage? Nowhere! Thank G_d for ITV4.
I sort of agree, but c'mon, it is a TT. zzzzzzzZZZZZZZZZ
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Ms Tree wrote:
What? Dreadful! Biased or what.Gazzaputt wrote:Great coverage today by Ned and the guys I really enjoyed it.
Working for a British TV station where two British riders, riding for a British team are contention for the race lead. What do you expect, they're not the BBC!
I also enjoyed yesterday's coverage and was good to have Boulting/Rendell/Dowsett talking over the pictures rather than just the commentary. Keenan actually made a number of mistakes yesterday in the short period of time that ITV played his commentary.0 -
WELL A LOT OF MOANING HERE !
I would agree that the coverage isn't outstanding but it is still coverage and (sort of) FREE.
We should all thank ITV4 for there efforts in bringing the best sport in the world to a larger audience.
Mr Boulting from what I can see is doing a very professional job with very little at his disposal. He makes a tough job look so easy.
Imagine for a moment being the anchorman on a cycling TV show, There really ain't that much to discuss or if there is there is danger of getting all technical and losing the viewers that are new to the sport. Mix this with special guest riders who are nervous and haven't had much training if anything on being on TV, then you might just start to see that Ned is juggling a lot of plates. it could so easily all come crashing down but on the whole Ned keeps it going.
Chris Boardman what a guy not only the best in the world on a bike in his time, now a brilliant TV cycling pundit ............. sooner or later those TV Programme Planners are going to have to give Chris his own show. In Chris Boardman you have it all, experience of the sport in a package that is eloquent and decisive in it's portrayl of the action of the day. It's annoying but Chris is probably good at everything he does.
The Vuelta is the poor cousin of the Tour de France it is no surprise to me that the quality around it is lesser and that goes for the TV coverage.
But it is still a great race...... thank god they still have sponsors out there willing to support grand tours.
THERE IS A SILVER LINING TO EVERY CLOUD if you don't like the coverage you can press the off button on the TV and maybe just maybe go out on your bike.
JUST THINK ABOUT ALL THOSE WASTED TRAINING HOURS WATCHING CYCLING ON TV, its a crime !
I expect Cycling Plus to do a fearture on the amount of Calories you DON'T burn while watching cycling on TV and how much slower it makes you. :oops:0 -
(starts talking)
The coverage is welcome most definitely but the production is awful, on my sky player the sound is nearly 1 sec behind the picture, quite funny really.
why is the guy above me shouting?0 -
Was it just me or did anyone else find yesterday's highlights of the ITT really frustrating?
They were telling you where riders finished as they were riding. I didn't know the result and was disappointed when they showed riders in no proper sequence.
To be told "Bradley Wiggins was up at the first checkpoint but faded and would finish third on the stage and third on GC" didn't really make it much of a viewing spectacle.
It looked like it had been edited as a follow-up review well after the event rather than highlights of the live action.
Frustrating but as many have said, it's cyclng on the TV0 -
NHRC Chris wrote:Was it just me or did anyone else find yesterday's highlights of the ITT really frustrating?
They were telling you where riders finished as they were riding. I didn't know the result
and was disappointed when they showed riders in no proper sequence.
To be told "Bradley Wiggins was up at the first checkpoint but faded and would finish third on the stage and third on GC" didn't really make it much of a viewing spectacle.
It looked like it had been edited as a follow-up review well after the event rather than highlights of the live action.
Frustrating but as many have said, it's cyclng on the TV
^^^^^This.
I only managed to catch the highlights, and they told me where every single rider finished before id finished watching them bleeding well finish. (i think that makes sense).
What was all that about! I tune in to watch something exciting possible unfold, not to be told the outcome, and then watch it!
Like going to the cinema to see a film, they tell you how it ends, and then you have to sit through it feeling deflated.0 -
I've liked their coverage: I think they've got into their stride now (it was a little bit awkward with Ben Swift at the start because he didn't really have much to say) and I'd echo the comments that Boardman is a great guest.0
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As I've been away and didn't have Eurosport I've been glad of the ITV coverage. However, I can't understand why they are using the Aussie commentator - why not let Rendell and Boulting commentate via a feed if necessary? Nothing against the Aussie guy who is pretty knowledgable but listening to him on his own makes you realise why you usually have a two man commentary team and puts into context the 'stupid questions' that Harmon or even Kirby put to their co-commentators as they break up the monotony (cycling doesn't exactly lend itself to a running commentary until the final km).0
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The on screen graphics for the Vuelta are miles better than anything the tour has - clocks that appear every time the break goes under a banner so you actually know the gaps, the gradient %age from the motorbikes, the number of the motorbike that is showing the pictures, all very helpful.Jibbering Sports Stuff: http://jibbering.com/sports/0
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I agree with the comments on the TT highlights above, it is the one stage I didn't watch live and I usually find with the TT that highlights are easier to follow but they really messed the format up the way they put those together - it was probably a result of the highlight show being so short.0
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I know the pics are provided by one company, but they're awful. I don't have HD, so no idea if it's being broadcast in HD, but the SD would appear to be some sort of sub-SD, like they've dug up up some old inferior cameras and are doing some upscaling. At times it just seems fury and unfocused. I'd blame the TV but it's fine on other channels.0
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Enjoy it for what it is, cycling coverage on a shoestring budget.
Generally it has been watchable. As for the commentary, buying stock commentary is probably a fraction of the cost of paying someone like Ned to do it. Who is to say Ned would anyway.
As for the pundits, give them a chance. The brilliant tdf coverage by itv4 this year has been years in the making. That used to be really wooden using mainly the same people who do it so well these days.
There are no minor leagues of cycling coverage in which to hone your skills to be a pundit so the first forays of the likes of Swift and Dowsett are on national TV.
Imho, the only one who took to cycling broadcasting like a duck to water was Ned. That was because he was a very good reporter who was happy to do cycling. Not a cycling expert who was happy to have a go at reporting.
One thing to note as fans of a minority sport, the Elite Ice Hockey League in this country has to pay the production costs for Sky to cover the sport.0 -
dougzz wrote:I know the pics are provided by one company, but they're awful. I don't have HD, so no idea if it's being broadcast in HD, but the SD would appear to be some sort of sub-SD, like they've dug up up some old inferior cameras and are doing some upscaling. At times it just seems fury and unfocused. I'd blame the TV but it's fine on other channels.
ITV 4's "HD" pictures are nowhere near true quality, but are much, much better than Eurosport's "SD" relay, that we are now left with, since the US open tennis took over their "HD" slot."Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.0 -
You had me worried there, but Eurosport non-subscribers can see it on Eurosport Germany as far as I can see. It seems like it's only Sky's British EuroSport which hates Team Sky's Wiggins... irony!Blazing Saddles wrote:No live coverage of the Angliru stage on either Eurosport OR ITV 4, next Sunday. What a joke. They (ES) will wheel out the old party line and expect loyalty from their subscribers.0 -
I've only watched the TT coverage on ITV4 so far and i actually found the banter between the 3 guys ok to listen to. The Aussie chap in the other hand was bloody awful. He sounded like a US commentator when they're not sure of the sport they are commentating on. Just coming out with facts and statements. No flow with his commentary at all. I think i muted it in the end.0
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The live coverage is bearable but the highlights are terrible. 35 minutes isn't enough time.0
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It's interesting you like the clocks jim - they are supposed to be 2nd best to the permanent GPS based time gap shown top left at the tdf (and other france tv races). I guess that the big advantage with the clocks is that if you watch carefully you can see all the time gaps, not just between the leader and the group with the other moto. I've found that handy in this race.jibberjim wrote:The on screen graphics for the Vuelta are miles better than anything the tour has - clocks that appear every time the break goes under a banner so you actually know the gaps, the gradient %age from the motorbikes, the number of the motorbike that is showing the pictures, all very helpful.
France TV do number the motos on screen - maybe ITV or Eurosport don't carry that part of the feed.
they should definitely implement the gradient indicators though. Now ASO does both races, maybe they will.0
