Remote control fever
As a twenty something who has only just got hold of Sky Sports, the decline of sport on terrestrial TV has been dispiriting, with cricket, big football and rugby matches, and a host of other events becoming effectively unavailable. As a sports nut, I would have got Sky Sports far earlier but due to the vagaries of renting flats in London this was not possible. Now that my new flat is up and running with the full set of Sky Sports, Eurosport and ESPN it is unlikely I will be seen again in public this summer.
This article is not about the rights and wrongs of the new F1 deal, but rather the long term risk for any sport of turning its back on terrestrial television. Of all the comment of the past few days, one of the lesser made but most potent points is that satellite television, and newer digital channels, attract a comparatively tiny proportion of views in proportion to the principle five analogue channels.
I was sad child, an anorak at 6 six who preferred to answer to Nigel in deference to my hero. In 1990 I went to my first GP and new the name of every driver – why? Because I had seen them on Grandstand. But that wasn’t all I had seen on Grandstand, much as I liked/loved F1, I also had a passion for Formula 3 having watched the footage on Grandstand whenever I got the chance. Attending the Friday free practice for the British GP in 1990, I marched my Dad around the support race paddocks not content until I had met my F3 heroes – especially Mika Hakkinen, Derek Higgins and Paul Stewart. These drivers were household names, at least to me, as I had watched them on Grandstand and Sport on Friday.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s F3 and BTCC racing had an explosion in popularity due to its coverage across the BBC channels. This was nothing like the coverage we get today for either series (not every race was filmed for a start), but was still super. Tight editing from the BHP team could make even the dullest race into a thriller, and Murray Walker’s commentary was the icing on the cake. Rob Gravett, Frank Sytner and Andy Rouse are all names my Mum unwittingly came into contact with from an avid race following son. The videos of these series (much to my wife’s disappointment) are still on fairly regular rotation at home. If nothing else they prove that highlights aren’t necessarily a bad thing.
By the time I reached my teens sport was beginning to head to satellite television, but the Evans household wasn’t. Armed with my TV guide I would set the video in the small hours for ITV’s Best of British Motorsport coverage (top UK club racing) and the International Motorsport show (F3000 and FIA GTs). Again this was great viewing and I used to love listening to Paul Musselle’s commentaries. Once more I am ashamed to say that my F3000 DVD’s still make a fairly regular appearance, alongside my F3 on 4 tapes from 1999 onwards (again some great viewing). If anyone has any copies of the Best of British motorsport programmes, please get in touch J
The point is without being able to watch this action it unlikely that my interest in motorsport would have survived my teens – probably to the delight of racegoers across the country.
Satellite television has done sport a great service, for many sports it has dramatically improved coverage and broadcasting standards and I have no doubt that the F1 shows on Sky next year will be stunning. If you are in doubt dig out some of the British Superbikes coverage from a couple of years ago. But for a sport, or series to really thrive it needs to be available on all platforms. As I said above highlights are no bad thing, they can be more appealing to the casual viewer (ITV4’s Tour de France coverage is a case in point) and can sit well alongside the anorak sating coverage available on the specialist sports channels.
