Horse Racing Coverage: you are the producer

[Tal]

So, like the racecourses themselves, the move for the TV coverage should be away from the racing fans and towards the wider market of entertainment.

You want more races over a concentrated period and more pieces about general interest, so that there's a more accessible product for a wider market: if they find a racing programme fun, even if it isn't as much about racing as it used to be, they will be more likely to come to watch it live and enjoy the experience.

You want to keep "form guides" like Cunningham and McGrath, who - for want of a better expression - will tell you which horses they think will win, rather than looking for value against a confusing betting market.

Let's take Sky's F1 coverage. It is a highly technical overall product but the main race programme is fast-paced and shouty.  They save the really nerdy stuff for separate shows, even though they're generally bolted to either end of the main programme, like Ted's Notebook.

Would you use a show like The Morning Line for the high level content and perhaps an evening show to review the day's events? This would leave the main show for a more accessible, mainstream product.

There are more betting site adverts now than there have been on tv generally. Where does this feature in your new format?

[PokerBroker]

Would you use a show like The Morning Line for the high level content and perhaps an evening show to review the day's events? This would leave the main show for a more accessible, mainstream product.

I think this is a good idea.  I think you could have a better product for the morning line for the purists and punters.  I think maybe a a show 2/3 times a week looking at the background and whats going on would be good and then after racing perhaps at night before match of the or even on the Sunday a review show with realy good analysis. 

But at what point does it become overkill? 

[Doobs]

They don't bring on the dancing girls at half time in the football or in the middle of a grand prix. It is a racing program.  No more people are tuning in for the dancing girls and racing fans will switch off in their droves.  The jibber jabber in the football program is about football and in the f1 program is about f1.  Sure you might get a bit of history or nice pictures of monaco, but mostly they just concentrate on the sport in question.

Suspect they could can a few adverts.  I know it is what pays tge bills, but they are far more intrusive in the racing than they are on football, f1 etc.

[teddybloat]

racing has such limited appeal outside of people who are interested in betting.

a load of the girls from work love going the races, i've been a fair few time and a lot of my mates go regularly too. but watching horses run on tele? no thanks.

is it actually a sport?  -to me its races being run for the sole purpose of people having something to bet on. it's harldy laden with sporting drama. maybe focus less on the betting and try to paint it as a proper sport. sportify is a horrible word but a proper focus on any jockey / stable / horse championship that exist  [they may already exist, but betting is the sole focus] could maybe get green people like me into racing.

betting is so opaque. unless your dad or some mates can get you interested few people have a clue what to do.

either get people into betting, or appeal to the girls and lads who to the races to be seen / have a piss up. gok wan describing shoes or tim lovejoy giving it his best new lad schtick - i doubt it'd work anyway.

fwiw i have a passing interest in betting, and have been to the races for a social, but theres no way i'd ever watch horse racing on the television. dumb it down, talk it up all you want. its a boring spectacle for me.

[Dekka]

Stop showing the horses completely and replace with non-stop pictures of spinning fruit machine reels.  This seems to work in my local bookies.  No one's interested in the racing but they're 3 deep watching whoever's doing the housekeeping money on the FOBTs.

[Tal]

Stop showing the horses completely and replace with non-stop pictures of spinning fruit machine reels.  This seems to work in my local bookies.  No one's interested in the racing but they're 3 deep watching whoever's doing the housekeeping money on the FOBTs.

I was in a ladbrokes shop last week. They had kabaddi on. The girls behind the counter asked what it was. I explained the rules as I understand them to be. Their response was "Why would anyone bet on that?!"

I couldn't help myself...

"You've got virtual horse racing on every five minutes and there's a woman over there shouting at a fruit machine!"

[Dekka]

Stop showing the horses completely and replace with non-stop pictures of spinning fruit machine reels.  This seems to work in my local bookies.  No one's interested in the racing but they're 3 deep watching whoever's doing the housekeeping money on the FOBTs.

I was in a ladbrokes shop last week. They had kabaddi on. The girls behind the counter asked what it was. I explained the rules as I understand them to be. Their response was "Why would anyone bet on that?!"

I couldn't help myself...

"You've got virtual horse racing on every five minutes and there's a woman over there shouting at a fruit machine!"

Haha.  Great response.  It seems that shouting at the FOBTs is a tactic used by most that play them.  As is hitting them. 

[Tonibell]

And these are the people you need to interest in racing. We don't have a pari-mutuel monopoly so we kid ourselves that it's us against the bookies but they are just agents. Losers pay for the winners and a successful ITV programme will increase the pool.

Crank up the razzmatazz. Make it all about life-changing winnings: accumulators; Pick Sixes; owners' syndicates winning prize money (bonuses for syndicate ownership?, syndicate only races?).

Terrestrial racing coverage nearly disappeared ten years ago. It was only the Tote paying £3million to Channel Four that saved it. Now the huge increase in bookies' marketing budgets has made racing a valuable property. It won't be judged on how many ordinary viewers switch over from Cash in the Attic but on how many Oi Oi lads tap tap boom and sign up and bet.  I just have to accept that the racing coverage that is in my best interests is not the racing coverage that I would want to watch.

[Tonibell]

[Deleted self-quoting, ffs.] (I'll go blind).

[atdc21]

I couldn't have Chapman for free, he might speak his mind but his voice and style just fks me off.
Would want Mcgrath no probs there, also keep the lovely Emma 

 

[pokerplayingfarmer]

Definitely gtfo with the fashion.

Tbh, I only started betting on horses early this year, by way of a friend getting me into it.  Before then I couldn't watch a racing show on tv at all, had no interest whatsoever.  Now though I'll watch c4, atr, ruk all for fun, whether I have bets on or not.  I'm all of a sudden interested, I love it.  Yes it's because I have an ulterior motive, to pick up whatever info I can to help my betting cause, but that's my point: horse racing and betting go hand in hand.

 Any show content has to be directly relevant, no bullshit fashion or any of that crap.  I actually enjoy the history element, previous winners and notable races etc, its nostalgic to an extent even for me who hasn't seen the older meetings and big memorable races, I also like the trainer interviews and think training yard/stable features would be a plus.  The problem is people who aren't interested in racing aren't going to watch, end of.  The answer for me is to get more people betting, however that maybe.

[Dewi_cool]

http://www.racingpost.com/news/horse-racing/fitzgerald-latest-to-land-prize-role-on-itv-racing-team/2147110/top/#newsArchiveTabs=last7DaysNews

[tikay]

http://www.racingpost.com/news/horse-racing/fitzgerald-latest-to-land-prize-role-on-itv-racing-team/2147110/top/#newsArchiveTabs=last7DaysNews

I know I'm swimming against the tide here, but I'm rather pleased by that, I enjoy Mick's contributions. Fair to say, he knows the game pretty well even if many disagree with his opinions.

[Doobs]

http://www.racingpost.com/news/horse-racing/fitzgerald-latest-to-land-prize-role-on-itv-racing-team/2147110/top/#newsArchiveTabs=last7DaysNews

I know I'm swimming against the tide here, but I'm rather pleased by that, I enjoy Mick's contributions. Fair to say, he knows the game pretty well even if many disagree with his opinions.

And if you are going to employ an aftertimer, why not employ the World's greatest.

[Chompy]

"There ya go"

Was everyone else busy?

Oli Bell a great signing though. Can see him winding up on the BBC ten years down the line.