ITV 4 Tour coverage .

[GrumpyGregry]

I find it hard to take those little 'route analysis' skits from Chris Boardman, they are so cheesy, just an extra advert for his bikes on top of the halfords sponsorship messages.

But ordinary folk, so not us cycle obsessives, who watch the TdF on TV would be hard pressed to know he was riding one of his own brand bikes given ITV have insisted it be de-logoed

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I find it hard to take those little 'route analysis' skits from Chris Boardman, they are so cheesy, just an extra advert for his bikes on top of the halfords sponsorship messages.

Yeah, what does he know about bike racing?

I can't see why everyone's got a problem with this. Isn't anyone else allowed to earn a living?
And wigsie you of all people - did you lose the contract or something?

 

[4F]

But ordinary folk, so not us cycle obsessives, who watch the TdF on TV would be hard pressed to know he was riding one of his own brand bikes given ITV have insisted it be de-logoed

It seems to be working. My FIL works in a local bikehut and yesterday was telling me says it is almost impossible to get hold of a boardman bike at the moment.

 

[beanzontoast]

I find it hard to take those little 'route analysis' skits from Chris Boardman, they are so cheesy, just an extra advert for his bikes on top of the halfords sponsorship messages.

I get distracted by the wheezing noise that accompanies his section - is the cameraman on an electric bike or something? Surely that's not the sound of the bike Chris is riding?

 

[mangaman]

I've been watching the Eurosport coverage, so I've managed to avoid Liggett and Sherwin.

What were they like when Lance cracked - I kind of imagine them in floods of tears, completely speechless.

 

[Wigsie]

What were they like when Lance cracked - I kind of imagine them in floods of tears, completely speechless.

I did sense an air of devestation in their trembling voices! am sure Lance will be having a cry w@nk later poor guy .

Yeah, what does he know about bike racing?

I can't see why everyone's got a problem with this. Isn't anyone else allowed to earn a living?
And wigsie you of all people - did you lose the contract or something?

Given he knows more than most, but you don't see Martin Brundell pootling down the start/finish straight in his old F1 car (de badged or not) arm draped out the side of the cockpit with a mic strapped to his noggin like kylie minogue telling us what it would be like if he wasnt going 2mph.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Given he knows more than most, but you don't see Martin Brundell pootling down the start/finish straight in his old F1 car (de badged or not) arm draped out the side of the cockpit with a mic strapped to his noggin like kylie minogue telling us what it would be like if he wasnt going 2mph.

I'm a bit out of touch with F1 (and reality) and I'm not sure who Brundell is but it'd be much more fun if it was say James Hunt in an open top 70s gold coloured Roller with a dolly bird holding an ice bucket with a bottle of champers in it and James, fag in cake hole, waxing lyical about any old tosh.

In fact if you swap Hunt for Cipollini and the Roller for a tandem you could use that for the ITV4 coverage.

 

[Wigsie]

I'm a bit out of touch with F1 (and reality) and I'm not sure who Brundell is but it'd be much more fun if it was say James Hunt in an open top 70s gold coloured Roller with a dolly bird holding an ice bucket with a bottle of champers in it and James, fag in cake hole, waxing lyical about any old tosh.

In fact if you swap Hunt for Cipollini and the Roller for a tandem you could use that for the ITV4 coverage.

You are wasted in timber Ed!

 

[Ghost Donkey]

I guess concentrating on too much actual race footage wouldn't maximise revenue and for which ITV4 has to pay for as opposed to showing ads which brings them money. It's a fine balance as if they misjudge it and lose audience then their sponsors wouldn't be very impressed I would have thought.

I'm in complete agreement and reading back my original post I just didn't write what I meant to sya very clearly. My main reason for recording (which I didn't write earlier) isn't to skip the adverts but so I can watch the coverage when the kids have gone to bed. I don't record it to fast forward the adverts but as I have that option I will use it.

I have no problems with adverts or sponsorship. Commercial broadcasters are prepared to pay large amounts for sport as they can sell targeted advertising at a premium. The cost of advertising during sports in relation to viewing figures is relatively high as advertisersand sponsors know who are watching. TDF, premiership coverage when they had it, formula one are all very lucrative for commercial braodcasters which is why they pay so much. Unfortunatley I worked for many years at ITV in their broadcast operations and have had this drummed into me for too long :-(

There is generally a fixed time slot for the program and as you say it is a fine balance of included content to keep everyone happy. My main gripe is that on the highlights they show a bit of a crash early on or a dog running across the road maybe and then start X amount of time before the end of the stage on most days. This wasn't the case on the cobbled stage and I would like to see more of what they did there. Take Sunday's highlights. I'd have likes to have seen more clips of the penultimate climb as different teams pushed and certain riders were dropped and a bit of the decent. A bit too much time is sent inthe studio for my liking. It all has it's place as does the email/text questions, especially for providing information on how a stage race such as this works to help new viewers understand and enjoy it more.

ITV would have to do well to lose a major amount of audience figures as they are the only free to air channel showing highlights in the UK. The commentary is good and I've watched the highlighs on ITV4 for years. I only have a minor gripe and apear to have gone off on one. Again

 

[Ghost Donkey]

I get distracted by the wheezing noise that accompanies his section - is the cameraman on an electric bike or something? Surely that's not the sound of the bike Chris is riding?

I've noticed that and presumed it was Chris's knees after all those years of riding. It's most likely whatever the cameraman is on at the time. Perhaps a battery assisted rickshaw, the kind kitted out for a camera crew Eddie Izzard used when he ran round the country or a similar contraption.

 

[hondated]

Totally agree with all those that say the C4 coverage is not very good.I am fortunate in being retired so thankfully I can watch the stages live on Eurosport but being an addict I have been watching high lights on C4 and I have been very disappointed.Todays was the worse ever as they climbed the Madeline and if you had blinked you would have missed it.As someone has said it just consists of adverts and short interviews and very little racing.
As for the commentatoors I respect and like all of them ( especially Gary as he gave me a ticket to get into Dover Castle when the tour came over that year) but they are wasted on this programme.

 

[Fattman]

Mr & Mrs Fattman are very lucky as we have the HD Eurosport to record; but we prefer the music on the ITV coverage, it's kinda comforting...

But being time-short, we'll watch the ITV highlights (recorded), whizz through the adverts, then switch to the approximate same km mark on the live Eurosport coverage (this works partic. well on the sprint stages), say with 20km to go. And then go back to ITV to listen to the closing music, obviously.

Has anyone tried the ITV audio podcast? I quite like it, especially if having to take the hateful train to work instead of riding. They sometimes get insightful bits of interview in there that they don't have on the tv...

 

[Wigsie]

Totally agree with all those that say the C4 coverage is not very good.I am fortunate in being retired so thankfully I can watch the stages live on Eurosport but being an addict I have been watching high lights on C4 and I have been very disappointed.Todays was the worse ever as they climbed the Madeline and if you had blinked you would have missed it.As someone has said it just consists of adverts and short interviews and very little racing.
As for the commentatoors I respect and like all of them ( especially Gary as he gave me a ticket to get into Dover Castle when the tour came over that year) but they are wasted on this programme.

Me Too!!! I switched on the tv flicked over to C4 for the highlights and Lance, Andy, Cadel and Thor had been locked in a house with a bunch of crazy lesbians and some northerner was commenting on their every move.... must have been the rest day!

 

[PaulB]

For years i used to tape the coverage ,and spend weeks afterwards looking back .

This year it seems rubbish stale and old .Far too much talking and not enough action .And the commercial breaks do my head in .

Good old Eurosport .Sorry Phil and Paul you have lost me now .

Agreed. Too many advert breaks (Eurosport won't go to a commercial break in the last 35 kilometres) and Eurosport stay on air 'till the race is over. ITV4? Hey, a 1980's programme is scheduled at 4.30 so that's when it's going on! The schedule is holy, the race is secondary! A bit pathetic that attitude, innit?

 

[Ghost Donkey]

I get distracted by the wheezing noise that accompanies his section - is the cameraman on an electric bike or something? Surely that's not the sound of the bike Chris is riding?

Cameraman on a Segway which must be a pretty difficult job.