Poor Channel 4 viewing figures

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I think there's too much racing on TV. Every grade or group one should be televised on Channel 4. Every big handicap. Nothing else should get a sniff of TV time IMHO.

Cheltenham, Aintree, Ascot and Glorious Goodwood should be covered in full. I wouldn't bother with anything else.

There's two dedicated racing channels which is ridiculous. There's not even a dedicated football channel for the nations favourite sport yet horses get two. Wtf?
 
basically horse racing is a minority sport and the general public are getting less and less interested in it with every passing year.

I have been to Ascot for the King George towards the end of July and the number of people uninterested in the actual racing never fails to amaze me.
That is why I have always given the Royal meeting a miss, and watch all races on the TV.

I have never bothered much with the stuff between the races at Royal Ascot anyway because I understand that they have to show some fashion items but the bit I did see this year did strike me as boring. Instead of focusing on individual presenters (well ok get rid of Rishi for starters) I think the main thing that channel 4 have lost has been the production team. I am not surprised that viewing figures keep falling but it is a worry as without the Saturday afternoon racing on terrestrial TV I would be unlikely to show any interest in the sport.

I think the time has come for a radical overhaul of how the sport is presented. The Irish Derby takes place at 6.30pm on Saturday. I wonder what the viewing figures would be like if they had for example the King George at Ascot next month at that time on channel 4? Pop concerts at racecourses in the summer are popular too. Why not show these on TV along with some racing? And how about do what football does - a highlights show of the main Saturday races? You never know but a 20 minute slot on channel 4 each Saturday evening might actually boost the ratings for their afternoon coverage.
 
Steveo77 said:
basically horse racing is a minority sport and the general public are getting less and less interested in it with every passing year.
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What exactly are you basing this on? the crowds at race meetings are holding up very well especially in the summer considering the state of the economy etc.
 
He's right UC.

In my experience of going to the races with people in their 20's and 30's (surely the target age range for new racing fans) the only person who has been bothered about the horse racing has been me. No one cares. You go to the races nowadays to dress up and have a few drinks. My fiancee has been to York a couple of times with me and a small group and she's literally not known when racing has started and she's not cared for that matter either.

Racing is a sport for old men and gambling addicts.
 
Basing an argument around whether crowds are holding up is perfectly fine but the reason people are going is, in my experience, not because horses are running from one end of a track to another.
 
Bostonbob said:
Basing an argument around whether crowds are holding up is perfectly fine but the reason people are going is, in my experience, not because horses are running from one end of a track to another.
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Well that's totally the opposite view I get, I work occasionally for a bookie on course, will be at Chester on Saturday and everyone in the enclosure we bet in certainly watches the races and bets on them even if they are all half pissed, maybe it's different in the posh areas but certainly not from what i've seen in the cheap ring or tatts.

And as for racing is for old men, I'm 43 and most people at chester on sat will be younger than me.
 
In the 'posh' areas certainly people are visiting more for an occasion rather than the racing and you could have any class running. I love the occasion whether that be in the posh or normal enclosure and certainly everyone I go with will have a bet in each race and is very interested in what is going on
 
Steveo77 said:
(well ok get rid of Rishi for starters)
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Don't suppose they can get rid of him - he'd probably play the "race" card if they do and have more chance of winning than McCirick and his "age card".

I see Rishi has popped up at Wimbledon too asking his usual dumb questions<steam>
 
Janabelle13 said:
Don't suppose they can get rid of him - he'd probably play the "race" card if they do and have more chance of winning than McCirick and his "age card".

I see Rishi has popped up at Wimbledon too asking his usual dumb questions<steam>
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Why would he "play the race card"? Does every woman who's ever been sacked "play the gender card"?
 
Channel 4 could see his race card and raise him with their "you're a ****ing useless twat leave our premises and never come back" card.
 
Darremi said:
I agree with most people on here, Cunningham and McGrath are terrible, because neither has one ounce of a sense of humour or a genuine smile about them. It is always too pre-prepared and rather haughty. I actually think for all he is rather smug that Cunningham gives the impression of not knowing very much about actual horses at all!

I like Rishi Persad actually, and Emma Spencer has grown on me.

I think the main problem is that there are too many presenters. The BBC was mainly Clare and Willie, with a few soundbites after the race from Rishi and that was about it. I feel like we spend too much time flitting from one section of the course and one presenter to another. The presenting team needs to be streamlined to contain only the valuable few pundits who actually have something decent to say AS WELL AS a good TV persona.

It also seems over-produced, with too many features and not enough genuine racing, and that includes the horses in the paddock etc. It just seems very poorly put together, and I found myself switching over on Saturday between races, and that was something I would never have done with the old BBC or C4 coverage.

Plus I like the old theme tune!!
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Well said Darremi !! They do float from one thing to another and it is far too much to cram in .. plus at times they try to cover too many races and of course the MULTIPLE ADVERT BREAKS which are just irritating! It stands to reason when you take all this on board it wont work - its too much! Somebody at Channel 4 who know what they are doing need to address some changes....
 
Tamerlo said:
Channel 4 coverage....an absolute joke!

Clare Balding...all hyperbole, hands and mouth never stop moving. An oppressive, overbearing commentator.
Graham Cunningham...him and his "sectional times." Last year the horse did this and that. On and on appraisals in the same, monotonous style. He should be a magistrate in the Coliseum, evaluating how many lions ate how many people. An absolute dickhead.
Richie Persad...Who is this guy and where does he come from? He'd be better off doing adverts for steradent.
The fashion feature...the biggest fiasco of all and the worst camera work I have ever seen. Showed hardly any female race goers in full profile. More time was spent showing the dumpy, ill-dressed presenter extolling this, that, and the other-without our being able to see anything or anyone properly. They obviously didn't have cameras sited properly. Disastrous!
Racing coverage....Dire! They couldn't even name all the race runners- just one or two per screen shot as they jumped from page to page. Haphazard paddock views of only the horses Balding or Persad were interested in. After the sad demise of Thomas Chippendale, why on earth interview connections? Can't they be discreet and leave well alone in the immediate aftermath of tragedy?
I'm sorry, folks, but Channel 4 Racing is just a bunch of amateurish, sensationalising jokers.
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Ha... I liked that!!!
 
OddDog said:
Channel 4 could see his race card and raise him with their "you're a ****ing useless twat leave our premises and never come back" card.
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Ha ha ha.. god I was only gonna put one post on here but that made me laugh! Good posts on this thread! Janabelles bought a smile to my face too...
 
With regard to the fashion stuff I did perk up a bit when the awful Yank referred to Gina Bryce looking lovely in nude. I was rather disappointed to learn that nude is now a fashionable frock colour. As regards the coverage Channel 4 have lost their characters (Down, Francome and the idiot McCririck) and it all comes across a bit dull now in comparison. Simon Holt is outstanding in his commentary though IMHO.
 
A couple of years ago I remember seeing a wonderful 30 minute programme about the art of sports commentary, and some of it's finest exponents were on there giving their views. There were some wonderful old clips of famous commentaries and one of the key things everyone agreed on is that you have to capture the drama of the moment and transport it into the living rooms of the masses. Down the years, horse racing commentators have (IMHO) been at the pinnacle of this subtle art. Remember Peter O'Sullivan describing Dessie's relentless slog up the Cheltenham hill: "Desert Orchid drifting over to the stands side. He's beginning to get up. Desert Orchid is beginning to get up" - it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up just typing that. Or Graham Goode's commentary on the 1986 Epsom Derby: "Powering down the outside is the red-hot favourite Dancing Brave. But oh so much to do!! One and a half in which to do it". Simon Holt has delivered some superb commentary over the years, his pinnacle for me was Denman's 2nd Hennessy, a race I can watch over and over again and Holt's commentary is absolutely perfect.

The presenter, on the other hand, needs decent material to work with and needs to deliver it with the right sentiment. I'm sure Alastair Down would have scripted his own pieces on the show and his prose can move one to tears. Nick Luck is particularly eloquent and thankfully refuses to lower the standard of his language. Claire Balding is passionate and articulate and is a good anchor. But I have to agree with others that Graham Cunningham is smarm personified.

I usually watch he RUK / ATR coverage at the weekends as I get a better quality feed. I must say RUK in particular do a thoroughly professional job but I do hate it when there is too much racing on and they are showing a race every 5 minutes. When there are fewer races on RUK they do some excellent pre-race analysis and that is what the true racing fan wants to see.
 
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