[TV] Monza F1 race not shown on Wales ITV.... + its going to happen again!

[Austinspace75]

To all fellow inhabitants of Wales hugely irritated by ITV1 Wales' decision not to bother showing the GP live at all today on either ITV1 Wales, ITV2, ITV3 or even ITV4.. and instead to cover the SAME rugby game on TWO of those channels instead, here is the address to which you can send a complaint:

ITV1 Central
Gas Street
Birmingham
B1 2JT

According to the very helpful lady I spoke with when I called ITV today, we should forward as many complaints as possible because they're going to do the same thing AGAIN in upcoming GP in the next few weeks.... unless we all start getting @rsy!

You can also register a complaint by going to their web site and emailing, or by calling them on the number listed there.

Please do make your views known to them, unless of course you want to watch the rugby again. Twice.

Cheers,
Tom.

[luke]

I think we should all help out those who have this problem, I'll do my best to send a few coments in, it will all help.

[Dutton]

I wonder if they are in breach of contract? I recall that it used to state that all GPs had to be shown somewhere live.

This is clearly not so here, but, I guess, the contract details may be different now.

[Austinspace75]

Thanks guys, all input is gratefully appreciated!

Those with Sky could tune into ITV1 London but anyone only with Freeview/Terrestrial was stuffed. No idea about their contractual requirement, but its a very good point. Its worth an email to the FIA but, somehow, I don't think they'll be concentrating on this particular issue THIS week.

[Rob29]

Glad I don't live in Wales.One sugestion for our welsh fans.If you have satellite TV can you get the national ITV that way?
Time motorsport fans were treated better,Soccer fans do not get ad breaks during play,don't watch rugby- don't recall it being on ITV before-so do they get the same service?
Even Sky managed to keep most of the breaks to the safetycar periods during Indycar race last night.

[Aysedasi]

It wasn't shown on my tv either!!!!!



(But I forgot to turn mine on...... )

[welshgal_2006]

I understand the frustration here. However... if you were a rugby fan would this discussion not be happening elsewhere? unfortunately ITV have obviously had to make a decision and that was to put the rugby on over the F1.. probaby due to contractual reasons.
I must admit that I do have Sky Plus so I was lucky enough to be able to watch both... but I would be annoyed if I had not been able to watch the GP and had to of waited until the highlights in the evening.

[Austinspace75]

Yes, you're probably right that this discussion would be happening elsewhere if they'd decided to screen the F1 on ITV1 Wales and the rugby only on ITV4. But this is irrelevant in my view.
When I spoke with them yesterday, they explained that they put the same game on ITV4 so that those who had the F1 on their 'non-Wales' ITV1 could watch the rugby instead if they wanted. Ok, no problem. But, the real point here is that they could have put the F1 on ITV2 or ITV3, thus satisfying everyone. Its not like the F1 was an 'obscure' sporting event.... it was probably the most watched sporting event of the weekend in the whole world!... except of course in Wales.

Considering the age we live in, it seems incredible to me that they ran out of channels and/or bandwidth to show such a key sporting event in the year - especially when also considering the amount of interest in the current F1 season!

[luke]

And especially when it's just repeats of old stuff on itv2, 3 & 4 at that time.

[duke_toaster]

If a god existed, I would be thanking it that I don't live in wales. But as seen as one doesn't, I'll just have to feel sorry for those that do.

I can't help thinking that people in England want to watch a Wales match, or at least more of them than want to watch F1. Then again, I can't see why anyone in England wants to watch any other non-england match other than the final.

F1 is not an obscure event. In terms of most measurable statistics, IIRC F1 is the world's largest sports league that runs every year (if you count motorsport championships as sports leagues, if you don't it would be the NFL).

ITV2 and 3 are just repeats. Neither of them are on timeshares (unlike BBC 3 and BBC 4, which timeshare with the Jacko victim channels). Also, they have ITV2+1 (I think they never brought ITV Play back), which is more of a waste of bandwidth than others.

[ScotsBrutesFan]

Originally Posted by Austinspace75

According to the very helpful lady I spoke with when I called ITV today, we should forward as many complaints as possible because they're going to do the same thing AGAIN in upcoming GP in the next few weeks.... unless we all start getting @rsy!

I'm sure the helpful person meant well but, looking at the RWC shedules the only other Sunday lunchtime clash is this weekend at Spa. That being a game from the Welsh group granted but not actually featuring Wales.

Unless she perhaps means that France's final group match against Georgia, and one of the RWC quarter finals regardless of which team is in it, will be shown live instead of the lunchtime re-runs of the 2 GPs taking place in the Far East.

[Knowlesy]

Are there TV's in Wales?

Seriously, that is appalling. Why should the early and meaningless stages of the World Cup of egg chasing take priority?

[Dutton]

Originally Posted by Austinspace75

No idea about their contractual requirement, but its a very good point. Its worth an email to the FIA but, somehow, I don't think they'll be concentrating on this particular issue THIS week.

The FIA have nothing to do with such things anyway.

It would be FOM you'd want to contact.

[Knowlesy]

No, they're probably too busy trawling youtube like the putrid killjoys they are.

[Dutton]

Well, Bernie is a rich mofo for a reason. Being a leading light of philanthropy in the business world certainly isn't it.

You'd think FOM could survive with youtube, but obviously not.

FOM does have ridiculously over-priced season reviews to churn out, after all.

[chunder]

Lol @ Dutton, .

Mated I used to work for FOM and I can tell you exactly how much that trash costs to churn out!!
To give you an example the voice over bloke was etting paid somehting like 50 quid an hour and the bloke writing the scripts he was reading was paid more like 18 grand a year.

Typical F1 and typical Bernie

Suffice to say I didnt stay long, the only decent thing about teh place was the collection of Brabhams in the hangar!!

[Dutton]

The F1 reviews really are terrible, for the most part. They don't give you most of the essential info, whilst they will show/prattle-on-about irrelevences quite a bit.

I previously only had 1997 and 2003, which I got on the respective Christmasses, thus I did not pay for either. Whilst at the Mosport 2007 ALMS event, I spotted a discount bin. All the videos in it were going for CDN$5. Some of the ones I got were F1 season reviews: it was very satisifying seeing labels for CDN$75/65, and such, but only paying CDN$5. Such insane deals is the only situation whereby I will ever be willing to buy them.

An added bonus was being served by Scott Maxwell, .