Moto GP & BBC

Warning: Rant!

BBC sank to new lows with their Moto GP coverage today. The way they treat this sport is disgusting. For those who don't know todays race was brilliant, but due to rain they stopped the race 6 laps from the end and they had the six remaining laps start with a french grid when all the bikes had been switched over to wets. This though meant the race went over the 55 minutes the BBC allocates it and into the eastenders repeat. So what did the BBC do, did they delay the Eastenders repeat? No of course they didn't, they left the race and showed Eastenders!!! A total utter joke!! If they can't show all the race in full then they shouldn't have the rights. Thank goodness for British Eurosport!

People actually try to argue that the BBC should get Formula 1 back, saying they'd do a better job that ITV. I've always remembered the rank job the BBC did before with F1 and the way they've treated Moto GP since they nabbed the rights from five proves they still provide the most shoddy sports coverage at times. Eurosport delayed going to the LIVE French Open final to cover the end of the race, the BBC couldn't delay Eastenders!

We've another potentially messy conflict next weekend with the Canadian Grand Prix finishing not long before England play France. Now i'd expect ITV to switch over to the Football if the F1 ran long (It'd have to be a very long delay to) Actually i'd want them to switch over to the football Don't think ITV want riots in pubs up and down the land on their conscience!

It was a slightly more complicated situation today because the D-Day timetable in Normandy was stretched, and the coverage of that was, quite rightly, far more of a priority. Therefore they were forced to edit the EastEnders omnibus to fit in with the D-Day coverage, and show the last bit on BBC TWO. I'd imagine that after this decision was made the Moto GP unfortunately got extended and something had to give.



Well you've kind of answered your own question there. If you are of the opinion that football is better than Moto GP and therefore should be aired in favour of it, then you have to respect the fact that the majority of the population would prefer EastEnders to a relatively obscure sport. If EastEnders has to be given up for D-Day, then it has to be put somewhere - and Moto GP was the casualty.

Theres a slight difference between an Eastenders REPEAT and Live England vs France football. IMO the live sport should come before some repeat of Eastenders (a show that's already been repeated on BBC 3) Of course D-Day should come first but Moto GP should come before an eastenders repeat. In total the show ran 20 minutes late so they could easily have shown all of Eastenders and cut down on the highlights of the French Open and Horse racing.

Eastenders repeats are fillers for the BBC on sundays. They shouldn't be taking preference over the live sport. Even ITV delayed Coronation Street on a Sunday evening for F1 once (more that once actually!!!)

Oh and LOL Moto GP isn't an obscure sport

I sympathise wholeheartedly with your frustration about the MotoGP coverage. I was in Mugello as part of the BBC team, and we were every bit as angry as you, about the scheduling decisions being made back in London.

Yes, we should have shown the last six laps live.
Yes, the live sport should really have taken priority over Eastenders.

Unfortunately, however, this is an opinion shared by you, a MotoGP fan, and me, a MotoGP Producer, and not by the millions of Eastenders viewers. One can only conclude that the more popular programme was the victor in this scheduling duel purely because of its popularity.

Shame.

However, you also commented about the BBC coverage since the rights were acquired. Care to illuminate me about your grievances? It would be good to hear a viewer's opinion...

It's very good to know the producers are as angry too. You're probably even more angry because what happened on Sunday was entertainment of the highest quality, even casual sports fans would have been glued to that race, it was brilliant. I had friends who aren't big bike fans watching and they're pretty much hooked now. Admittedly i'm more of a four-wheel fan but i watch the races, from now on i will make sure i never miss the races! The event was a great advert for the sport, sadly missed by many.

My grievances towards the BBCs coverage are mainly lack of time and importance given to the broadcast. Thankfully Eurosport show the other races - and do a really good job - but it'd be nice to see them on the BBC. Also it's quite common to miss the podium and theres really never a post race analysis. It reminds me of F1 coverage on the BBC, no adverts but it was the race only and came across as being done on the cheap - although MotoGP appears to have some budget since Suzi, the commentators and obviously your team are all there at the circuit broadcasting live, rather than on the end of a phone with the commentary team in television centre.

My opinion is what ITV are doing THIS season is the way to go with motor sports. You've got Suzi to be nosey around the paddock and she does a great job on the grid before the race but a little bit of reaction, perhaps a roaming Studio like ITV have this season for F1, which i think is a fantastic idea, would be good for before and after the races.

It's quite interesting that BBC 2 picks a mainstream programme repeat - which it only had to delay - over a sport they're committed to until the turn of the decade. Thank goodness Bernie Ecclestone doesn't run MotoGP! Also picked it over the French Open final too, i'm sure that pleased Tennis fans... begs the question, do the bbc broadcast the sport of Tennis or just the sport of Wimbledon

Thanks for your reply, it really is nice to know the people who make the shows look for the fans opinions and you're actually motorsport fans and not just television producers.

Not a Motorsport fan myself, but from what I know MotoGP got much better coverage on five than on the BBC. They simply have too many motorsports to cram into Sunday Grandstand.

The main problem BBC Sport has compared to it's rivals is it can never focus on the event it's covering. Even with an event such as the FA Cup Final the talk turned to England and Euro 2004 within minutes of the final whistle.