Let me get the swearing out of the way

[lovingboth]

.. before I email the BBC.

One of the joys of digital TV is the BBC's extra 'red button' channels. For the past week these have been in use to show, live, both tables at the world snooker championship.

This morning, there is what the commentators are describing as 'one of the classic matches', between 'the greatest ever player of the game' and Ian favourite Stephen Hendry and wannabe-and-couldbe best Ding Junhui. It's at a critical stage, with both players going for it.

So what's happened to the coverage of this on Freeview?

It's been taken off for Formula 1.

Not an actual Grand Prix, mind, but a fucking practice session!

(For those not familiar with these, they're a couple of hours of teams wondering if now is the best time to send their drivers out to make a couple of fast laps before deciding that, no, it probably isn't, with the odd team losing their nerve and letting them actually drive. For a bit. Most of the time, there are only one or two cars out on the track.)

Now, I acknowledge that there are people who want to watch F1 practice sessions, but what fucking idiot thinks that it is more important for them to see it live, rather than to show an actual match at the world championships?

For people interested, F1 practice sessions are the perfect 'highlights programme' material, yet amazingly the BBC doesn't think it worth showing this one later with all the boring bits - and there are a lot of boring bits - cut out. They'll show tomorrow's final session, but not this one.

They've also chosen to take off Ding vs Hendry rather than the opening session of Bond vs Day, a session that will not be decisive, featuring two players whose talents are not equal to Ding, never mind Hendry.

And how did the fuckers do it? By cutting from a particularly interesting frame to a static picture to say that the F1 practice session will be coming in over five minutes time.

Argh.

Comments

[lovingboth]

'If there's been a better session at these world championships, I haven't seen it' said one of the commentators just now.

Yeah, you and me both.

[barakta]

The BBC will have some bullshit excuse I'm sure, - do let usknow what it is!

[thekumquat.livejournal.com]

Suspect the answer will involve the fact that 3x as many people watch F1 and more watch the practices.

I don't know how far in advance they have to decide which snooker matches to show - I know they prepare for certain items running over but I doubt snooker's one of them.

Personally I'd go for the snooker too, and I'm quite the F1 fan!

[lovingboth]

It would be interesting to see the figures, but I suspect the audience for F1 second practice is quite low.

This evening, some rugby match (Munster v Scarlet - wtf are Scarlet?) is considered more important than the conclusion of Ding v Hendry for Freeview viewers, even though he's setting new records.

One of the commentators has just noted that it's been ten years since Hendry has won a tournament on the BBC. He has won more, but you can see why it wasn't on the BBC!

[badriya.livejournal.com]

Bluerose is a player and fan so it's on here when it's available. The dogs and cats like it too!

[badriya.livejournal.com]

Oh, he says if you had digital and used the red button you could continue to watch the snooker.

[lovingboth]

Only with satellite, I suspect. With Freeview, there are only two 'extra' channels, and they chose to have one snooker and one F1.

The following morning, they missed the start of the Ronnie O'Sullivan match because of having a static caption on display for too long. The TV schedule said it'd start at five past on that channel, so it did, even though the previous program was over.