ITV4's 7pm highlights package: a question

KnightOfTheLongTights
KnightOfTheLongTights Posts: 1,415
edited July 2011 in Pro race
You have a 55-minute show, that is curtailed to 35 mins by the huge amount of ads and plugs for Boardman bikes etc.

You have awesome mountain stages of six hours or more to pack in.

So what do you do:

Show 30 mins of cycling with 5 mins of analysis and chat? Or about 20 mins of cycling with 15 mins of chat, 'features', competitions and other bollocks?

Grrrr.
«1

Comments

  • Can I select secret option C) you continue to treat your viewers like morons until they go elsewhere?
  • I thought that the highlights programme was pretty good. It is after all just highlights. They have already broadcast several hours of live coverage earlier in the day.
  • Cleat Eastwood
    Cleat Eastwood Posts: 7,508
    I thought that the highlights programme was pretty good. It is after all just highlights. They have already broadcast several hours of live coverage earlier in the day.

    I thought the itv coverage was excellent. And if you followed imlachs instructions to go ITV.com you would have seen some really nice pieces by Matt Rendell and some interviews not included in the show oh and some jolly fine podcasts by rendell/boardman/boulting.

    This is the age of new media boys and girls, don't just rely on TV, informations is eveeerrrywhere.
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  • I thought that the highlights programme was pretty good. It is after all just highlights. They have already broadcast several hours of live coverage earlier in the day.

    In which case, THAT is where you wedge in all your crappy little features and chats and competitions and 'analysis' - when you have time and lots of coverage to break up.

    NOT when you have just 35 minutes for people who have been at work all day, who just want to watch the bloody CYCLING!!

    Not rocket science.
  • smithy21
    smithy21 Posts: 2,204
    I liked the ITV4 highlights show and watched it as they tended to get interviews from all the relevant people on the stage.

    You've got to remember that they are not aiming this show at hardcore cycling fans- they need to attract the masses who probably watch one race a year.
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    In which case, THAT is where you wedge in all your crappy little features and chats and competitions and 'analysis' - when you have time and lots of coverage to break up.

    NOT when you have just 35 minutes for people who have been at work all day, who just want to watch the bloody CYCLING!!

    Not rocket science.

    If you want more cycling action, record the live show.

    Not brain surgery.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • Secteur
    Secteur Posts: 1,971
    To be fair to the OP (and less patronising), the ads are really irritating - they seem to go on forever (sometimes 5 mins worth or more) and there's a lot of them.

    WOuld be so much better if the BBC did the coverage, in terms of at least not having the ads. They have done a better job of the F1 than ITV ever did.
  • redddraggon
    redddraggon Posts: 10,862
    Watch Eurosport
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  • glasgowbhoy
    glasgowbhoy Posts: 1,341
    Secteur wrote:
    To be fair to the OP (and less patronising), the ads are really irritating - they seem to go on forever (sometimes 5 mins worth or more) and there's a lot of them.

    WOuld be so much better if the BBC did the coverage, in terms of at least not having the ads. They have done a better job of the F1 than ITV ever did.

    I just record and watch a bit later so I can FF through all the commercials.
  • yakk
    yakk Posts: 589
    Hi there, ads v. irritating and agree with comments above regarding enjoying it. Been more humourous this year which is nice to see and makes it more enjoyable. Just to add that it's realively free (TV lisence!), so i don't get that annoyed - good to use the mute button for the ads, or record and FF later.
    Yak
  • inkyfingers
    inkyfingers Posts: 4,400
    edited July 2011
    I hardly watch anything on ITV "live", We generally used to Sky+ the highlights and start watching with dinner at about 7.30 so that we can fast forward through the ads, job done.

    Personally I think they do a great job with the time they have. Clearly if you want to see every pedal stroke you're going to need to watch or record the live show but if you just want to catch up on the days key events, see a few relevant interviews and the odd puff peice with Boulting and Boardman then it's perfect. Clearly they have to pitch the level of coverage to the mass audience, but that's fine with me. If I want in depth discussions about tactics then I come on here or read the inner ring or similar. As discussed in another thread, the TdF is ITV4s biggest rating success so I can't see them messing about with it.

    Plus with ITV you get a group of guys who have cycling in their blood (Imlach, Boulting, Rendell, Boardman), you only had to listen the to BBC Radio 5 tour preview with renowned cycling expert Matt Dawson (yes, the rugby player!) to see what kind of priority the BBC give to road cycling. Or maybe you'd rather pay to see it on Sky?
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  • Secteur wrote:
    To be fair to the OP (and less patronising), the ads are really irritating - they seem to go on forever (sometimes 5 mins worth or more) and there's a lot of them.

    WOuld be so much better if the BBC did the coverage, in terms of at least not having the ads. They have done a better job of the F1 than ITV ever did.

    At least ITV4 provided some coverage. Some people are never happy.
  • Personally, I've tended to watch Eurosport to catch the action and then watch ITV highlights for the little reporter/analysis bits. I can't stand the commentary on ITV anyway so much prefer watching the coverage from Eurosport.

    Sky+ provides best of everything.
  • gert_lush
    gert_lush Posts: 634
    Interesting article here about viewing figures for the Tour on ITV4 vs Eurosport

    http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/itv4-and-halfords-win-big-with-tour-de-france-coverage/011573
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  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,137
    gert_lush wrote:
    Interesting article here about viewing figures for the Tour on ITV4 vs Eurosport

    http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/itv4-and-halfords-win-big-with-tour-de-france-coverage/011573

    The Eurosport figure is a bit wrong though, as it doesn't include the figures for the HD channel, which are about the same again.

    It has been rumoured that Channel 4 want the Tour back (ITV have it for the next two years)
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  • Le Commentateur
    Le Commentateur Posts: 4,099
    Interesting stuff (and with a comment from one of the Rouleur designers).
  • I don't think you can take viewing figures seriously as an indication of either a prog's quality or its popularity, when it is the only option - i.e., the only free-to-air highlights on the box.

    Of course it gets decent figures - it's all people have! Sh * te or not.

    ITV4's viewing figs indicate nothing but the popularity of the Tour.
  • In it's defence, it was roughly 192 times better than their online coverage haha
  • andyrac
    andyrac Posts: 1,123
    Are the figures big enough for ITV to have nightly Vuelta highlights???? Or is that a silly question???
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  • Cleat Eastwood
    Cleat Eastwood Posts: 7,508
    AndyRAC wrote:
    Are the figures big enough for ITV to have nightly Vuelta highlights???? Or is that a silly question???

    Well on their last pocast Matt Rendell said something along the lines of "we'll see you for....oh but its still in negotiation.....question mark"

    To which boulting said "lets leave the question mark with a question mark"

    So they may have something in the pipelines. It'd be pretty hard for ITV to ignore those viewing figures.
    The dissenter is every human being at those moments of his life when he resigns
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  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 17,688
    Sky+ provides best of everything.
    ...including profits of £855m for Rupert Murdoch.

    I'll stick with ITV4, thanks.
  • andy_wrx
    andy_wrx Posts: 3,396
    Well, they had Tour of California coverage over the Giro, so yes I'd say it's silly :D

    ITV's contract is with ASO, owners of the Tour, and they've also shown highlights shows of their other races, like Paris-Nice, as highlights on a Sunday morning.

    I guess ToC is similar, or via Versus sports channel in the USA as it has Liggett and Sherwen commentary
  • I for one found itv's coverage really good. The ads weren't too bad and were no where near as bad as the commentary. Seriously does anyone know where mark cavendish is from? He goes like a rocket ... Locked on ....

    Boardman comes across really well the guy is obviously a huge fan..
    All hail the FSM and his noodly appendage!
  • durhamwasp
    durhamwasp Posts: 1,247
    Fair play to ITV4, i thought their coverage was good, and i loved every highlights show.

    If any channel is prepared to show live cycling on British TV for free, i aint gonna complain.
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  • TheBullet
    TheBullet Posts: 58
    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...
    Winners never quit and quitters never win!!
  • I like the ITV coverage. Yes too many ads etc but that's commercial TV. What I particularly like is being able to switch from ITV to Eurosport and vice versa when the ads come on!

    Liggett and Sherwen's commentary may not be to everyone's taste but it's what I've come accustomed to over the last 30 years. I like Sean Kelly but Harmon annoys me. Particularly when he asks the mighty one's opinion as an ex-professional and then disagrees with him! I never thought I'd say it but bring back Duffield!

    That said, Liggett is going a bit Murray Walker and getting on my proverbials. The most glaring example was when Andy Schleck was in the starting gate for the ITT and PL commented that his entire ensemble was in yellow, shoes, bike, helmet etc when the live TV pictures clearly showed this was not true. I had to rewind to make sure I hadn't misheard.

    (I'm just sad that it's another year to go)
  • El Imbatido
    El Imbatido Posts: 144
    I like the ITV coverage. Yes too many ads etc but that's commercial TV. What I particularly like is being able to switch from ITV to Eurosport and vice versa when the ads come on!

    Liggett and Sherwen's commentary may not be to everyone's taste but it's what I've come accustomed to over the last 30 years. I like Sean Kelly but Harmon annoys me. Particularly when he asks the mighty one's opinion as an ex-professional and then disagrees with him! I never thought I'd say it but bring back Duffield!

    That said, Liggett is going a bit Murray Walker and getting on my proverbials. The most glaring example was when Andy Schleck was in the starting gate for the ITT and PL commented that his entire ensemble was in yellow, shoes, bike, helmet etc when the live TV pictures clearly showed this was not true. I had to rewind to make sure I hadn't misheard.

    (I'm just sad that it's another year to go)

    Or when Johnathon Hivert crashing on stage 17 descent (on that crazy descent where Contador and Sanchez went kamkazie). He said when Hivert crashed 'It looks like Olano crashed'.......LOL i nearly pissed myself laughing...Olano has been retired for 10 years
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  • Ax
    Ax Posts: 36
    Seriously does anyone know where mark cavendish is from? He goes like a rocket ... Locked on ....

    I don’t think they mentioned where Cav was from but they did keep professing their love for him …. I love man :wink:
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  • cristoff
    cristoff Posts: 229
    if you want decent coverage, then it should go to Sky.

    Alot of people will complain about it not being free but if you want a slick programme ,and the coverage afforded that it deserves, then Sky are the only uk broadcaster available to do that.

    Might be a bit biased though!
  • dave milne
    dave milne Posts: 703
    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