In lieu of any kind of update or expansion / explanation from the BBC about genuinely answering the concerns of punters regarding their exclusive deal with DORNA for the rights to MotoGP coverage in the UK, the outlook for any decent kind of coverage remains decidedly bleak and grim.
Some time ago now (July 1oth in fact) Crash.net published an article entitled “The BBC Responds To You” which was theoretically supposed to answer all the obvious questions that had been raised from the BBC’s acquisition of broadcast rights (at the expense of the much loved Eurosport coverage).
The reaction to this piece - or rather to the BBC’s official comments (via Belinda Rogerson) - was utterly underwhelming and in some cases angry. This was not at all surprising to be honest, given that the Beeb had simply blurbed out a bunch of pretty inconsequential, banal and issue-avoiding soundbites. It was stuff worthy of a politician in fact. Not a good start in reassuring viewers that their beloved sport was in safe or deserving hands.
I’ve not heard anything concrete since, and want to revisit the subject as I’m getting hellish nervous and concerned about what I’m going to be able to watch next season.
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The main criticisms and concerns about the BBC’s ‘exclusive rights’ to MotoGP centred (and sadly still continue to centre) on three particular areas.
1 - The commentary team.
2 - The lack of guarantees over decent (and live) 250cc and 125cc coverage.
3 - The amount of this content going “behind the red button” where it is nigh-on impossible to sort out timer recordings.
Let’s take a quick look at these...
Question 1 really doesn’t need me - or indeed anybody - to explore it in any kind of depth. There is only one sensible answer and that is to employ Toby Moody, Julian Ryder and Randy Mamola without hesitation.
End of story. Job done.
At the present time this question remains wide open and you simply have to have faith that somebody with some money, common sense and dangly bits cuts to the quick and calls this decision.
Question 3 is also hard to explore deeply. Mainly for the simple reason that it’s going to be an inherently problematic aspect of the BBC’s coverage and one that has been blindingly apparent from the outset. Eurosport spread the coverage out across two dedicated sports channels (Eurosport and Eurosport 2) and they never hid it behind interactive buttons. The fact that it remained absolutely upfront in the broadcast stream meant that it was always available and predictable for home recording purposes. The BBC, although they have plenty of money to bid for - and fling at - rights to sports like MotoGP, are simply *not* a dedicated sports broadcaster with any kind of appropriate channel allocation to support this kind of coverage.
Oh, and by the way - the iPlayer is *not* something to brag about as part of the solution here. I want my motorsport on a bloody great telly, not on a laptop or other teensy device. Don’t get me wrong; I’m not a technophobe - I love my Macs, my iPhone and my iPod; but I know how and where I want to watch my MotoGP, and it’s live, on a big big screen with the volume up every time.
Question 2 - that of the levels of coverage of the ‘lower classes’ - 125cc and 250cc - is actually one of enormous interest to many people. Not only do many enjoy watching these classes for their excitement and action anyway, may also actively follow and support riders in 125 and 250 - something that should be very clear following the number of British entrants in 125 this year and of course the performances of Scott Redding and Bradley Smith in particular.
As an Alvaro Bautista fan, clearly my primary interest lies in another area, but I am an avid viewer of all classes and I’m going to thoroughly resent the BBC if they’ve barged in and gained exclusive rights to something that Eurosport covered really well, only to go and wreck that volume and commitment and give us something reduced, inferior and with little / poor focus on the supporting classes.
Why will the Beeb not give any genuinely useful answer on what kind of level of coverage they intend for 125cc and 250cc over a race weekend? Surely they had a pretty decent idea what they would do with the rights when they bid for them?
To me, it is this question - the question of the BBC’s level of commitment to the ‘series’ / sport as a whole; and not only the top class - which is the most important.
It was the extensive and upfront access to the coverage of all classes that was key to Eurosport’s product. Yes, they’ve got brilliant commentators in Toby, Julian and Randy - but they’ve got to have something to commentate on after all...
Before you can do anything half-decent with the presentation of the product you have to have a decent product itself first, and so far the pretty sparse and uninformative references that the BBC have made to 125 and 250 suggest something that’s going to fall somewhere between ‘lame’ and ‘piss-poor’.
Prove me wrong Beeb. Please.
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Crash.net also followed up the BBC's original comments (and lack of clarity) with an article on July 13th. And on this occasion the BBC's Belinda Rogerson said on the subject of scheduling and coverage levels, "it's only halfway through the current season and we haven't got into detailed planning for 2009 yet."
Now, whilst I can understand that genuinely huge detail would not be possible, I absolutely refuse to believe that they have no communicable concept of what a race weekend is going to look like.
The BBC have shelled out a large amount of money for this coverage, and also there must have been some kind of formal bidding / negotiation process surrounding DORNA's review and allocation of rights. Are we expected to believe that the BBC went to DORNA, unable to give the slightest concept of a race weekend plan to support their bid?
If I was handing out the rights, I would want to know a lot of detail about what the bidders intended to do... it's not just about money... (or maybe it IS - it's DORNA we're talking about I guess...)
But surely it defies belief that the Beeb would bid for (and win) exclusive coverage rights to a sport without a decent plan of outline scheduling/planning???
As far as I'm concerned their lack of will to tell us what to expect is a very very bad signal indeed. I really want to know that there *is* some kind of a plan here, and am writing to the Beeb to try and get some reassurance; I will be posting any reply of course.
Whilst Crash.net's Mike Nicks concluded the July 13th article with the reasonable opinion that the Beeb would not pay to acquire exclusive rights to the sport only to neglect it, I’m afraid I have to disagree - or at least take issue.
And for these reasons...
Once they have the exclusive rights they can do as much or as little as they like - viewers have no choice over voting with their remote controls. If there's bugger-all coverage of 250 and 125 classes, what can we do about it? They have the rights. They paid DORNA good money for them. What they get is an exclusive (captive) audience that will watch all they can of the sport; it by no means guarantees that the coverage will match that of Eurosport... after all, what's the incentive? Are DORNA going to take it off them after a year if the coverage doesn't match what Eurosport did? Or are they going to take the money and not give a damn about the fans? I know what I'd put my money on...
There is a big and ugly question that lies at the heart of this ongoing debate - and will surely do so until the day that the Beeb agrees to present coverage that equals or betters what Eurosport have been doing.
And that question is; Why did the BBC bid for exclusive rights to broadcast something, knowing that their output would be a lesser and impoverished product, which would result in worse coverage of the sport for an audience who were no longer to be given any choice in where to watch it...?
Oh, and why did DORNA give them those rights if that is the case?
Let’s have some answers and some clarity please.
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