BBC coverage of the UCI DH World champs

felix.london

Was riding yesterday but watched it this morning (on the TV) - enjoyed all of it. Good job Red Bull I'd say

bennett_346

I don't think the format of DH MTB helps, being a time trial event. Look at other time trial events, Formula One is one of the BBC's biggest sports shows but how many people watch the qualifying compared to the race? Hardly any, i'd wager, because it's just less exciting looking at numbers compared to looking at one driver overtaking another.

I think the general public would struggle to follow the whole format of WC DH, and it's just less interesting on the whole compared to watching several people actively compete against each other like they do in a road race.

I don't think it would work commercially on the BBC either; it's mainly paid for by intense sponsorship and advertising relying on mountain bikers watching it and seeing what components and brands the pro's ride, and then that in turn influencing their purchases. That wouldn't apply to the general public at all.

Also as mentioned mountain biking is tiny in comparison to other sports, and only a very small fraction of mountain bikers even watch the DH. I'm not even slightly interested in it, i've watched it several times and found it hard to enjoy it or keep my attention on it.

supersonic

The BBC does cover minority sports. Just not this one. It is a bit to radical for the grey haired vote.

bluechair84

I think the coverage was fantastic. They got a good selection of close in shots and a few far away panning shots. If it was to be taken up by a major broadcaster, they might be willing to put more cameras along the course so there are a greater variety of shots, ending each persons run with a shot of them crossing the line.
I wouldn't say it's hard to follow either. Whoever does the graphics that flash up with their timings do a pretty good job. It could be improved by showing the split times compared to the top runners as they do in F1, but for a web-feed, I'm very happy with the product.

YeehaaMcgee

bennett_346 wrote:

I don't think the format of DH MTB helps, being a time trial event. Look at other time trial events, Formula One is one of the BBC's biggest sports shows but how many people watch the qualifying compared to the race? Hardly any, i'd wager, because it's just less exciting looking at numbers compared to looking at one driver overtaking another.

Skiing is always popular, and gets more coverage than skicross or boardercross.

As much as I enjoy watching DH racing, there's too many "hangers on" for it to be taken seriously, frankly. When there's a professional cycling event where a large proportion of the field are self-proclaimedly "not good at pedalling", then you have to wonder what their dedication to the sport is.
It's not like a MotoGP rider would say "Ooh, I don't like this course, it's got too many fast bits in it", or an F1 drivers saying "I don't like this course, it has a lot of corners, I only like going fast in a straight line".
If you want to be at the top of the pile, then you have to excel at all aspects of DH racing, just like the regular podium toppers are. Until the rest of the field take it seriously, why should any governing body, or broadcaster?

felix.london

bluechair84 wrote:

I think the coverage was fantastic. They got a good selection of close in shots and a few far away panning shots. If it was to be taken up by a major broadcaster, they might be willing to put more cameras along the course so there are a greater variety of shots, ending each persons run with a shot of them crossing the line.
I wouldn't say it's hard to follow either. Whoever does the graphics that flash up with their timings do a pretty good job. It could be improved by showing the split times compared to the top runners as they do in F1, but for a web-feed, I'm very happy with the product.

Agree...but who's idea was it to get Danny Hart to do the track walkthrough??...hardly the most charismatic person for the job...I could hardly what he was saying!

bluechair84

felix.london wrote:

bluechair84 wrote:

I think the coverage was fantastic. They got a good selection of close in shots and a few far away panning shots. If it was to be taken up by a major broadcaster, they might be willing to put more cameras along the course so there are a greater variety of shots, ending each persons run with a shot of them crossing the line.
I wouldn't say it's hard to follow either. Whoever does the graphics that flash up with their timings do a pretty good job. It could be improved by showing the split times compared to the top runners as they do in F1, but for a web-feed, I'm very happy with the product.

Agree...but who's idea was it to get Danny Hart to do the track walkthrough??...hardly the most charismatic person for the job...I could hardly what he was saying!

Oh, I missed that. I did see Peaty's practise run following Rat Boy and Minaar. They def need to showcase the guys with some personality.

bluechair84

bluechair84 wrote:

They def need to showcase the guys with some personality.

Actually... Not the a sport packed with personalities!

YeehaaMcgee

bluechair84 wrote:

bluechair84 wrote:

They def need to showcase the guys with some personality.

Actually... Not the a sport packed with personalities!

Personality isn't all it takes to be interesting and engaging in front of the camera though!

felix.london

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

bluechair84 wrote:

bluechair84 wrote:

They def need to showcase the guys with some personality.

Actually... Not the a sport packed with personalities!

Personality isn't all it takes to be interesting and engaging in front of the camera though!

Well unfortunately for Mr. Hart, he is lacking that too!

YeehaaMcgee

I dunno, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt. I know some very charismatic people who turn into Keanu reeves on valium as soon as they're in front of a camera.
Likewise, I also know people with all the personality of a fencepost, who light up on camera and make great TV presenters.

bennett_346

Isn't Hart autistic?

welshkev

bennett_346 wrote:

Isn't Hart autistic?

Is he? I've never heard that before :?

I did see an interview with him the other day and he definitely wasn't engaging in front if the camera lol

bennett_346

I'm fairly sure i've read in several places that he is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1mMgYCjv0Y

Comments. Dunno how verifiable they are though.

Northwind

Look on the bright side, it could have been ratboy...

There was coverage on the scottish national news incidentally- run up and results. And it's usually covered on the Adventure Show in some detail though that show goes out later. They do a brilliant job with that, probably helps to have a mountain biker presenting it (albeit a terrible mountain biker)

stubs

I like MTBiking but I wouldnt even go to watch a DH race if I was paid to go and deffo wouldnt watch it on TV. I watch road cycling even though I dont particulary like riding on the road and wouldnt buy a road bike or roadie gear.

Anyway we have this thing called the internet who the hell needs the results to be on the TV news.

adamfo

welshkev wrote:

it's weird though. I know 1 person who plays tennis regulary.

how is it so popular?

If you follow a tennis match on Betfair even early round matches will have tens of millions of pounds being traded.
Tennis is enormous Worldwide. So is 20/20 cricket.

All sorts of sports can be viewed on the free streaming sites like http://www.frombar.com/

YeehaaMcgee

stubs wrote:

Anyway we have this thing called the internet who the hell needs the results to be on the TV news.

The high percentage of people who don't have internet good enough to watch streaming video reliably, and/or don't have a computer of some sort linked to their telly and/or would prefer proper broadcast quality video.

bluechair84

It's going in that direction though, with so many past programmes becoming available on places like iPlayer or netflix. Broadcast TV will become a thing of the past.

welshkev

adamfo wrote:

welshkev wrote:

it's weird though. I know 1 person who plays tennis regulary.

how is it so popular?

If you follow a tennis match on Betfair even early round matches will have tens of millions of pounds being traded.
Tennis is enormous Worldwide. So is 20/20 cricket.

All sorts of sports can be viewed on the free streaming sites like http://www.frombar.com/

that's the thing though isn't it. is it down to the revenue it generates or the popularity?

yeah I use a different site to watch sport, I watched the lions the other day as i'm too tight to pay for sky

YeehaaMcgee

bluechair84 wrote:

It's going in that direction though, with so many past programmes becoming available on places like iPlayer or netflix. Broadcast TV will become a thing of the past.

i agree that it's going. But it hasn't gone yet.

welshkev

YeehaaMcgee wrote:

bluechair84 wrote:

It's going in that direction though, with so many past programmes becoming available on places like iPlayer or netflix. Broadcast TV will become a thing of the past.

i agree that it's going. But it hasn't gone yet.

yeah with smart TV's and the way sky do it now when you connect the HD box to your router it's inevitable really

felix.london

Haven't BT just got the rights to show live Premier League games next season - all through broadband

YeehaaMcgee

And MotoGP, I hear. Which means viewing figures will fall through the floor.

Long_Time_Lurker

It's because no-one gives a sh*t.
Likewise, England has had the #1 vert bmx rider for the last 6 years, yet hardly anyone knows his name.
Yes, there are lots of people who ride mountain bikes and BMXs, but that doesn't mean they will watch it when it is shown on telly.

And in some people's eyes, being on mainstream tv adversely affects the credibility of the sport (see skateboarding and snowboarding as an example - the introduction of big business is seen as 'sucking the soul' out of it).
There are people out there (and maybe on here), who don't want it to go big - they like the fact that they partake in a niche sport.

paul.skibum

I just checked the BBC cycling site and there is no news from the WC which I agree with other posters is a bit poor - yes its a minority sport but it is a UCI supported (I use that term losely) event, a world cup and should at least merit a mention and results. I was going to drop an email to their head of sports but he only does twitter not email so I cant be arsed.

I watch every DH race I can - the riding that can be seen at these events is phenomenal - even the 40th qualifier is a fast fast rider with a shed load of talent. Watch the fort bill feed through the woods and the way these guys dance their bikes through the roots and rocks, absorb the compressions and get in pedal strokes where seemingly there is no space is a lesson for any rider, same with how they deal with corners and berms.

So many people pay for skills training but to be honest you can learn a lot just watching good riders ride, especially if you are able to apply a little physics to the skills you are watching and work it out.

I like the Red Bull feed and before it the freecaster feeds, Rob Warner is a passionate commentator who maybe lacks a little depth from time to time (you can only hear two commentators talking about how a rider is carrying speed so many times before you tune out!) but tries hard and has enough knowledge of the modern sport and riders to make it worth while. I dont want or expect to see it on national TV any more than I would expect to turn on BBC 1 to see the latest round of the skiing DH, I also read enough cycling websites to find the news without going to the BBC cycling page.

felix.london

think I'd agree with all of that skibum

welshkev

Long Time Lurker wrote:

It's because no-one gives a sh*t.
.

please refer to earlier posts. where's your info to back that up?

so when the X-games is shown do people who, skate, ride bmx or snowboard stop doing it cos it's on TV? of course not!

welshkev

paul.skibum wrote:

Iout.

I I dont want or expect to see it on national TV any more than I would expect to turn on BBC 1 to see the latest round of the skiing DH,.

ski sunday?

stubs

The BBC should really put DH results on its website after all thats the beebs remit to cover everything.

However DH is a niche sport with a very small number of people who take part. The town and surrounding area I live in has a population of about 30,000 and a quick google has brought up 4 bowling clubs, 2 tennis clubs, 2 cricket clubs, 4 football clubs, 3 snooker teams, 2 golf courses, 12 darts teams and 3 horse riding stables. On a saturday/sunday It wouldnt surprise me if more people are taking part in some sporting activity in my small town than attend the average National DH race.