OT: ITV1 HD

[Invisible Man]

..and to sell advertising space they have to show things people want to watch or at least will not turn off.

[Invisible Man]

The fronting was rubbish. Personalities rather than substance. The advertising breaks in silly places messed up the viewing although I only recall them being forced to apologise once. It was so refreshing seeing it in foreign bars where the worst you would get is the picture size being slightly reduced when they fitted adverts round the edges.

[Frank Erskine]

No. _You_ should blame _your_ supplier (ITV), who in turn should blame _his_ supplier (BBC).

[Bruce]

Some of the same personalities are to be found in the BBC's coverage.

The problem is that the F1 rights are incredibly expensive to buy and only the most intensive advertising could pay for them. ITV paid the minimum because that is all it could afford, and even that needed the very maximum amount of advertising that ITV's broadcasting licence allowed.

In other countries, there is much more extensive coverage over three days. ITV couldn't afford to pay for that.

The BBC has a huge budget thanks to all of us who pay for TV licences. Even so, the BBC could not afford to pay for the additional coverage, just like ITV.

[tony sayer]

In article , Grimly Curmudgeon scribeth thus

I reckon most blokes would lurve to have a Rugby mad missus like mine you should just hear the shouting screaming and total change of demeanour when theres a load of beef whizzing around sur le telly;!...

[tony sayer]

In article , Frank Erskine scribeth thus

Wonder if Red Bee media had anything to do with this?...

[Bruce]

Well, that's true. But my point is that the team behind ITV's figureheads was exactly the same BBC team as before.

Sky Sports football coverage is contracted to the BBC in exactly the same way.

[Dave Liquorice]

Unless there is a technical failure with the coverage everything else lies at door of ITV. Ad breaks are done by "presentation" not the OB, though there is liason of course with the production (not technical) team but there is also the core business pressure of having x mins of ads every hour...

The programmes on ITV are there to get as many bums on seats as possible so they can charge the advertisers more. This, IMHO, means the programmes are mass market appeal only and not what I would call "quality television", it's dross for the couch potatoes. BBC1 programming isn't far from being dross for the masses, just as well we have BBC3 and 4.

[Invisible Man]

Agreed but at least even the anchor gives the impression he is well rehearsed or actually knows something about F1

---snip---

[geoff]

In message , Weatherlawyer writes

I have a virgin HD box - normal installation costs £30 or something , thats all

I, of course got mine free as compensation for a total balls up they made

[Bill Taylor]

The facilities were supplied by BBC Outside Broadcasts, now owned by SIS. For all except the UK grand prix they just take the host feed but provide a small number of studio and hand held cameras. The technical quality of the main coverage is outside their control.

Making a mess of coverage and going to ads at the wrong time are production issues, not technical ones.

[Bill Taylor]

The production team wasn't the same, and they are responsible for the content and presentation of the programme. The (ex) BBC team were merely providing some technical facilities.

Sky football is produced in house, with technical facilities provided by independent suppliers. There is no BBC involvement with Sky football at all.

[The Natural Philosopher]

And that is political, because they told the BBC not to be elitists, and to represent minority interests more.

Which is why it has only one or two white heterosexual more or less Christian/Agnostic males left in it. And almost no brains at all.

Bring back Elitism!

[The Natural Philosopher]

Allez Les Bleu!!

[Dave Liquorice]

True.

Except where Match of The Day have the primary rights and supply the production team, Sky Sports come along as secondary rights holders.

The BBC has no television outside broadcast technical facilities any more. So MOTD hire facilties from the independant facilties companies. Admitedly normally SiS Live but only because SiS brought BBC Resouces (Outside Broadcasts) and a lot of contracts for coverage came with that purchase.

[Bruce]

Well that's true.

Almost anyone would have been an improvement on Jim Rosenthal, who I feel sure would have been far better suited to selling double glazing, used cars, life insurance, or no-win-no-fee injury lawyers.

His successor Steve Rider was worse. Both were princes of smarm.

[Bruce]

I admit I don't know what the situation is now, but for years up to several years ago (2006-07 season?) all the outside broadcast equipment and personnel were supplied by BBC under contract to BSkyB.

I had assumed that the arrangement continued after a relative left the BBC (for CNN) in 2007.

[Bruce]

Thanks. My contact left the BBC for CNN in early 2007. I understand that the sale to SIS took place in late 2008. So I apologise for not being entirely up to date.

Yes, of course.

[Bruce]

I'll assume that was a typo and that you meant "SE England" to make some point about prosperity. It might interest you to know that the take-up of subscription TV has always been higher in lower income areas of the UK and particularly high in those areas with a higher proportion of people dependent on benefits.

You can get ITV1 HD on BSkyB, Virgin Media, Freeview HD and Freesat HD. Availability should be almost nationwide for all - except Virgin Media which I believe is only available in areas that have been cabled, and Freeview HD which I think is currently available only from the Crystal Palace and Winter Hill transmitters (my information dates from April 2010).

Once you have bought the set top box and aerial/dish, Freeview HD and Freesat HD are free to air. As in *FREE*.

[Dave Liquorice]

In which case it might be worth keeping quiet.

Certainly not all. I worked for 021 and Arena in late 2005 providing facilties for Sky Sports for their Football First Premier Legaue coverage. 021 lost that (3 year?) contract at the end of the 06/07 season. NEP Visions picked it up from 07/08 to 09/10 and have retained it for the next three seasons. Visions have also done most of the live PL coverage for Sky for the last three seasons, not sure who provided the facilties for the live matches before the 07/08 season.

Other facilties companies also supply Sky for football coverage, most notable recently is probably Telegenic and their 3D trucks.