Channel Four-mula 1 (UK Viewers take note)

[ADx_Wales]

This may end up in another thread, but seeing as nobody on this forum has noticed it yet:

http://www.pitpass.com/44067-Channel-4- ... to-host-F1

For the non-mainland-Brits, Channel 4 is a tv channel that launced in 1982(corrected by dr.baker), and has steadily been getting more and more of a popular channel to see the likes of American comedies/dramas, they were the first channel to have the NFL shown in Britain, and their motorsport ventuers include LIVE coverage of the WRC.

Turns out they're interested in getting the F1 rights, bad news for the anti-advert brigade. Those Big Brother phone-vote pennies are going to pay off.

[Faustus]

http://www.nooooooooooooooo.com/

[ADx_Wales]

Lets face it, if there were adverts this season, not one difference would have been made to the coverage...

[DOSBoot]

http://www.nooooooooooooooo.com/

I think I can do better.

[AndreaModa]

Guys I highly doubt this is going to happen. First of all it's pitpass which as we all know are a very reliable source for F1 stories aren't they? The bulk of that article is more like a history lesson for those who don't live in the UK and don't know what or how our channels work! The rest is mere speculation with no sources, except the Evening Standard. If this were to be even remotely believable then I'd like to hear what Channel 4 themselves have to say.

And then you'd have to take a look at Channel 4 itself. Now ITV is and always has been the most successful of the commercial, terrestrial TV channels in Britain, followed by Channel 4 and then lagging miles behind, Channel 5. If ITV are in no position to afford F1, what makes anyone think Channel 4 are any different? There's absolutely no money in TV advertising at the moment, it's been decimated thanks to online advertising, hence why you'll find in the 'ad breaks' of many ITV programs, there'll just be trails for other programs and the channel's own ads. There's no argument over the fact that Channel 4 has been very successful in recent years with a whole raft of sitcoms and comedy shows like The Inbetweeners, IT Crowd, etc etc, but I'd be stunned if they were in any position to afford the rights to F1 without compromising the rest of the channel's content.

Besides, the BBC will see out their contract to 2013, and we'll see what happens from there. What can't be denied is that they are very happy with viewing figures and the demographic targets they are meeting. At the end of the day, they can't get much more successful than where they are at the moment so my bet is that all this speculation is most likely being driven by News Corp and when all is said and done, F1 will remain on the BBC after all.

Like the thread title by the way ADx

[shinji]

I really hope the rights don't end up like a hot potato. The BBC coverage is pretty much what it needs to be, I don't want more change.

And now I can't switch to Setanta during an ad-break like I could with UTV.

[dr-baker]

This may end up in another thread, but seeing as nobody on this forum has noticed it yet:

http://www.pitpass.com/44067-Channel-4- ... to-host-F1

For the non-mainland-Brits, Channel 4 is a tv channel that launced in 1983, and has steadily been getting more and more of a popular channel to see the likes of American comedies/dramas, they were the first channel to have the NFL shown in Britain, and their motorsport ventuers include LIVE coverage of the WRC.

Turns out they're interested in getting the F1 rights, bad news for the anti-advert brigade. Those Big Brother phone-vote pennies are going to pay off.

Sorry, but it was 1982, not 1983. I know, because it was the year that Prince William and I were born.

[ADx_Wales]

Ooops, shoot that researcher.

[Horns]

Can't see this happening. Its not their sort of programming, and they don't have the budget.

[shinji]

Can't see this happening. Its not their sort of programming, and they don't have the budget.

I'd have believed it in the 90s when they had other sport (I know they had Italian football, possibly American football as well?) but I agree with you that now it wouldn't fit with them at all.

[Thunderer]

Can't see this happening. Its not their sort of programming, and they don't have the budget.

I'd have believed it in the 90s when they had other sport (I know they had Italian football, possibly American football as well?) but I agree with you that now it wouldn't fit with them at all.

Bingo! While the coverage of Football Italia back in the 1990s was excellent, F1 coverage is far beyond the capabilities of Channel 4's live broadcasting. Even if the BBC gave F1 the push and C4 launched a successful bid to cover it, It would be 'stripped back' compared to what it is now. You'd be lucky to get a pre-race build-up and Qualifying/Practice/F1 Forum would more than likely be ousted. Besides, surely the endless re-runs of Friends, Scrubs, The Simpsons and the rest of the US imports that make around 80% of C4's broadcasting time don't make enough revenue to pay FOM?

But just in case.... any 'TV Mock' makers out there want to make a C4 ident with the 'Fourscore' theme being played by the engine notes of F1 cars?

[Ferrarist]

But just in case.... any 'TV Mock' makers out there want to make a C4 ident with the 'Fourscore' theme being played by the engine notes of F1 cars?

cwilliams1976 could do that

[FullMetalJack]

http://www.nooooooooooooooo.com/

I think I can do better.

I beg to differ.

[patrick]

They show the WRC live? when did that happen?!

Certainly of all the terrestrial channels here, Channel Four is probably the lesser of several evils when compared with ITV and Five. But they can't afford to run it without adverts, or most likely afford the whole business in the first place.

[ADx_Wales]

2002 and 2003, the only reason I remember is it was the year following Richard Burns winning the title with Subaru and then going to Pug to defend the title.
There was a live interview booth that channel 4 used, containing interviewer John Desbrough, who now presents the ESPN WRC coverage.

ITV bagged the 2004 rights and the WRC vanished of TV screens forever...

[patrick]

2002 and 2003, the only reason I remember is it was the year following Richard Burns winning the title with Subaru and then going to Pug to defend the title.
There was a live interview booth that channel 4 used, containing interviewer John Desbrough, who now presents the ESPN WRC coverage.

ITV bagged the 2004 rights and the WRC vanished of TV screens forever...

Oh, i thought it was a while ago. and it does have that crappy show on Dave, it's not bad actually but there are plenty of pointless interviews with ken block to the point that i just don't watch it.

[DOSBoot]

http://www.nooooooooooooooo.com/

I think I can do better.

I beg to differ.

That was in my posted video already. You would have been better off with this.

[sswishbone]

Have to say Channel four would not be great, did anyone ever watch the cricket on there? Fantastic coverage except when a match was on saturday and a horse racing event was on the same weekend...

"We are off to chepstowe for the next to hours, if you have filmfour we'll be continuing there otherwise ta ta1

Could you imagine this. "well shock of all shocks we have lost Button in Q1. Now we are off to York, if you have filmfour you can see Q2 and Q3 there, otherwise we'll give you the round up during the race tomorrow. Which we must remind you will have slight interruption for the second day of the York horse gala."

It'd be bloody awful!

[ADx_Wales]

What you forgot about the horse racing on channel 4 was that their horse racing coverage was just as good.

What everyone seems to be assuming is that Channel 4 will put what would end up being a "priority" program, like F1, on hold in favour of something less dominant, like an episode of hollyoaks or something.

May I remind you all the amount of times on ITV when "coronation street follows shortly" would appear on screen every time the GP would be on either of the American sub-continents. Forget Antiques Roadshow delays, this was a major problem, ITV never showed the inaugual 2000 Indy GP LIVE because they were too concerned about the amount of times soap fans would have to put up with non-fiction for just that little bit longer.

Channel 4 does not really have a soap to "flagship" their channel, neither do they have an antiques show, they used to have one of the most popular reality tv shows (until it became all "manufactured" and suddernly lost a lot of viewers, reminiscent of anything?), but they dont have that to boast anymore.

Channel 4 was always the ones who were not afraid to head for the more controversial or taboo subjects, whether it be factual or fictional, there is a big massive "IF" in this announcement, but IF they get it, this would severely up their "terrestrial" stakes, even more so than the amount of "new" channels appearing on the freeview digibox. They may not have all the pre-race and post-race stuff that the BBC have tacked onto either side of a world-feed coverage, but maybe it could be a refreshing change to have that taken away (less is more?).

[dr-baker]

They may not have all the pre-race and post-race stuff that the BBC have tacked onto either side of a world-feed coverage, but maybe it could be a refreshing change to have that taken away (less is more?).

So long as we get FP1, 2 and 3, Qualifying (from 5 mins before until just after the chequered flag) and the races with pre-race grid walk, podium and post-race press conference, I'll be happy. The majority of the rest of the coverage tends to be stuff I read either here or in Autosport anyway, so I tend not to watch.

[WeirdKerr]

To be honest i dont care where my f1 coverage is AS long as i dont need to shell out to Mr Murdoch......(i dont have a sky subscription)

[DemocalypseNow]

To be honest i dont care where my f1 coverage is AS long as i dont need to shell out to Mr Murdoch......(i dont have a sky subscription)

This post needs a like button.

DOWN WITH NEWS CORP

[ADx_Wales]

Another Theoretical suggestion, we have all mutually agreed that this is one big-fat NO.

There is also a "sister" channel called More 4, which usually shows the more documentary based programming which arent exactly "priority viewing", and also some of the more "intelligent" american tv shows.....which explains the showing of the US version of Shameless.....

More 4 could be the channel that all the non-race coverage could be shown.

[dr-baker]

Another Theoretical suggestion, we have all mutually agreed that this is one big-fat NO.

There is also a "sister" channel called More 4, which usually shows the more documentary based programming which arent exactly "priority viewing", and also some of the more "intelligent" american tv shows.....which explains the showing of the US version of Shameless.....

More 4 could be the channel that all the non-race coverage could be shown.

Not a bad idea, but F1 still belongs on BBC...

[Paul Hayes]

The suggestion that Channel 4 has a "cash pile" would be shot down by anyone doing the most casual bit of Googling about Channel 4's recent fortunes.

Not a credible article, I'm afraid.

[JQW]

The suggestion that Channel 4 has a "cash pile" would be shot down by anyone doing the most casual bit of Googling about Channel 4's recent fortunes.

Not a credible article, I'm afraid.

Indeed, they're skint. The last I heard their only shows to make a profit on advertising were Hollyoaks and some of their US imports.

The other issue that makes the article sound suspect is the fact that Channel 4 have no production facilities of their own, and farm out everything to others. As the article makes no mention of this, I simply believe it's entirely bogus.

[FullMetalJack]

To be honest i dont care where my f1 coverage is AS long as i dont need to shell out to Mr Murdoch......(i dont have a sky subscription)

This.

[Paul Hayes]

The suggestion that Channel 4 has a "cash pile" would be shot down by anyone doing the most casual bit of Googling about Channel 4's recent fortunes.

Not a credible article, I'm afraid.

Indeed, they're skint. The last I heard their only shows to make a profit on advertising were Hollyoaks and some of their US imports.

The other issue that makes the article sound suspect is the fact that Channel 4 have no production facilities of their own, and farm out everything to others. As the article makes no mention of this, I simply believe it's entirely bogus.

Well yes, that's the whole point of Channel 4 - to act as a "publisher" of programmes made by independent production companies.

But that's very common on all channels these days, and plenty of other sports events on the BBC and ITV aren't produced in-house. Channel 4's award-winning cricket coverage back in the day was an independent production, for example.

Indeed, ITV's F1 coverage wasn't in-house, as I recall, but an indy production by Mach 3.

[dr-baker]

Reviving/bumping this thread because Bernie now reckons that if the BBC does not want to renew its contract, he will approach Richard Desmond to televise it on Channel 5.

BBC's still the best place for it. And doesn't Channel 4 still get to more households that Channel 5, or have Channel 5 solved that reception problem now?

[ADx_Wales]

Probably, unless that old joke is still going round.

Channel 5 though, would prefrer channel 4, but what ya gonna do, Channel 5 dont really have anything noteworthy that will result in a show being missed because of Live F1.....they also have the "extra" channels of Fiver and Five USA, however Fiver is not sport related whatsoever, Five USA does exactly what it says on the tin. And aside from the less important European Not Really A League Sort-Of Tournament Thing, there isnt any sport on channel 5 that doesnt involve casino cards. They did have V8 supercar highlights once, but did not really edit the footage well.

They'd Make an effort no doubt, IF Channel 5 has money.

Oh and here's the clincher, Channel 5's news comes from Sky News, as in the "yet to be taken over" BSkyB, who were Murdoch's company anyway.

[eagleash]

They have the cricket highlights which is basically Sky's coverage, & had MotoGP till 2002. They have a habit of picking up progs. reckoned to be past their sell by & making a success of them. (Aussie soaps & from August, Big Brother returns!)
Haven't heard so many rumours of financial probs for C5 as ITV or C4, from small beginnings they have grown steadily & 5th Gear & TGS have been sold on (to "Dave" obviously!)
With generally only a 5% market share something as ambitious as this seems unlikely but not impossible.
The guy who bought the channel last year seems to have high hopes for it.
Chances are though, Bernie felt a bit bored & decided to make something up whilst waiting for his coffee to cool.

[Barbazza]

5's football coverage has been *appalling* though. Particularly the Italian football which I've no idea why they even bought the rights for given that they clearly didn't know what to do with it. The cricket is pretty good, but that's highlights and handled by the same company who did the coverage on C4 previously.

I think that they'd probably do a better job with it than C4 actually if they put some effort in, and they do seem to be trying to change their image. I don't think the signal is as much of a problem now, and should be even less so when the analogue signal is switched off completely (which happens in my region in a couple of months)

I'd still rather it stay with the Beeb though!

[LukeB]

Does Channel 5 still show really bad softcore porn?
It was an important part of my formative years (and they all seemed to star the same woman)

[eagleash]

Does Channel 5 still show really bad softcore porn?
It was an important part of my formative years (and they all seemed to star the same woman)

No; they've moved a bit more up market...

[shinji]

I don't have Channel 5...

[JQW]

Channel 5 is now owned by Richard Desmond, pornographer and publisher of the extremely bigoted Daily Express. He's an utterly obnoxious person, and I refuse to have anything to do with his channels on principle.

[dr-baker]

Channel 5 is now owned by Richard Desmond, pornographer and publisher of the extremely bigoted Daily Express. He's an utterly obnoxious person, and I refuse to have anything to do with his channels on principle.

So if we have it on both Channel 5 and Sky, you won't watch F1 any more?