Club Arnage

Well for once there was a bit of a race going on. And it was promising to be a great one - Schumacher chasing Alonso, Alonso with better acceleration and equal speed, Michael with better braking. And some back markers possibly in the mix too.

Then 3 laps from the end some asshole at ITV said Cut to Ads, returning during the last lap. >:(

Shame that the one time in recent years F1 managed to produce an exciting finish, ITV couldn't be arsed to show it.

I understand that they re-ran the last three laps after I'd left the room. Implicit admission of guilt, but the moment had passed...

I hope a head or two rolls.

Its the same on Eurosport with the Moto GP, you get Rossi giving it some then at the crucial moment it cuts to sodding ''ride the winds of change, Suzuki something or other''

Its b*ll*cks.

Jem

Very irritating indeed, that's only one of a number of reasons (hello James Allen!) why I hate ITV (hello Trevor McDonald) I plan to send an email to them later. :-X

Still impressive race eh?? Webber shocked me, I wonder if e can cope with life at the sharp end of the grid?? :-\

Just wish we could have seen how quick Kimi could have gone...

It happened here in France to, lap 4 and a cut to the adverts!!! What do some of the TV directors think there doing.

Well done Alonso,
I think Button could have put up a better fight with Shumy.

And then to think I wanted to get a satellite dish and a subscribtion from Sky to get ITV here in Holland :-\

It was indeed not a very bad race. I even stopped the ironing every now and then to have a proper look :o
(missus is gone for the weekend, so a man has to do what she had to do sometimes :-[ )

Weird anyway. As far as I understood Bernie turned it into some 'law' to not allow any advertisements during the race anymore. Now I understand it's still happening in both France and in the UK ???

Its exactly the same with football.  The second someone takes a shot, they cut to the adverts

I gotta disagree with Truck, when have you watched a football match and you have adverts during the 1st or 2nd half.
Every bloody 15mins - 20mins adverts on F1, It wouldnt be so bad if a decent product being marketed from a nice bit of totty insteasd of a crappy phone by LG etc.
thats my whinge. Another coffee!!

Amazing, who in there right mind goes to a ad break 4 laps from the finish of a race with the lead in dispute.

The amount of negative reaction during ad breaks to the products is pretty high away, but it must have gone thru the roof now after that.

On another note, BAR seem to have been discovered using a 'secret' fuel tank.
http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_news_item.php?fes_art_id=24233

Exactly.  They wouldn't dream of doing it to football, and they slow down the change overs in cricket to give time for the ads.

And I'll never buy an LG phone now

I didn't watch the race myself as I was busy on the golf course with Messrs Chris and Steve Zarse. We'd sent ourselves purple in the face and incandescent with anger, frustrated at the total inequity of the game of golf. After the front 9 I was positively shaking with fury, clearly there's something very wrong with my golfing equipment. Chris seems to think it's all down to a design or manufacturing fault and our inability to hit a ball straight is clearly a result of "broken clubs", it's that  or we're inadvertantly using dodgy counterweighted balls that instantly spin off into the rough. GRRRRRR!  >:(  >:(  :(

Golf's just so unfair. A bit like F1 TV directors really.

Firstly - Andy - please change your avatar, my colleagues keep accusing me of looking at gay porn.

Secondly, I'm delighted that there's potentially a bit of a cheating scandal in F1 again, to liven things up a bit.
A 'secret fuel tank' is much more scullduggerous than imperceptable software enhancements that alter traction/launch control etc. My understanding is that cheating is very common in all forms of motor racing - none more so than NASCAR. I admire the ingenuity and creative enterprise in disguising a nitrous oxide injection kit to look like a fire suppression system, as was the case with Bobby Alison a few years ago. Ah yes, there will always be the rogues who can't make the cut through advances in technological thinking, prefering the age-old alternative - the 'devious and conniving bastards' route. I think it's f**k*ng great!

I too was a victim recently of what I can only assume is the appalling standard of quality control that these golfing equipment manufacturers fob us off with. I couldn't even tell one end from the other of some of the 'irons'.
This was at a place called La Manga, a dry cultural dustbowl of a resort if you ask me, it was one of the worst 'recreational weekends' I've ever spent.
I can only think that my suggestion of hiring a couple of irons for the weekend was grossly misunderstood.

Today's Times says the ITV switchboard was inundated with calls about the adverts. They defend it by saying they are contracted to show 5 sets of ads during a race, and had held off showing the last set because they thought Schumacher might overtake Alonso, but then had to make a decision to squeeze them in.

Neil Duncanson, Executive Producer, said "We are as disappointed as anyone, but it is a contract"

Well chaps. I can be smug as French channel 1, whilst being fairly stupid, isn't that daft.
I suggest that anyone who has a list of the advertisers involved in the said cock-up transmission publishes it here and anywhere else they can think of. We can then contact the said advertisers, telling them where we are likely to be placing their products as a result of their spoiling our enjoyment of the race.
Having said that, I already have 10 years supply of shampoo, shaving cream,  several razors, cars etc up my fundament as a result of French television's predeliction for timing the ads to coincide with crucial pitstops - they actually seem to be avoiding that habit now.

Although having said i watched the race here in France, i did in fact watch it on a satellite channel (RTL austria, because the reception is better sometimes than the terrestrial French channel TF1) It would seem that the upset seems to be quit widespread in this particular case, i wonder how this has all come about, cant be just a director cut on so many channels surely >:(

It wasnt that bad.I was unsure what to use on my garden until that very helpful Miracle Grow advert came on.
PM

Advertisers in the same slot can be different according to your ITV region. I receive two regions and tellys are in sync until the ads...

Not that ads usually bother me much, as with TiVo you can skip them in seconds...so I usually start watching a programme late, then skipping ads slowly brings me back into real time :)

Hi Matt Loved your post. May i add my plea for Andy to change his avatar. And it's on;ly cheating if you get caught :o ::)
Canada Phil

Here is my penn'orth:

1. Daft blimming time for adverts - and then to top it by replaying the missing laps after the champers has flowed and trophies waved about is just plain stoopid.

2. I dont play golf but i do know the expression about a workman blaming his tools.

3. I dont want Mr Zarse to change his pic - i have actually started to find Commerman slightly attractive - lovely strong thighs. (Are the Commer pedals a bit hard to cause that kind of muscular development?).

4.  Matt Harper - you might like to ask your colleagues how they know what gay porn looks like!   ;)

F

Widespread where, apart from UK ??

In 1995 I was in holiday in Cyprus and a local side was playing Glasgow Rangers in the European Cup.
This was being shown live on local TV with ad breaks about every 15 minutes. While the adverts took up most of the screen the match was still shown in a split screen in the top corner. The advertisers got their message accross and no-one missed any of the football.
Why the f**k ITV can't do this is a mystery they could make more money by running ads during a match. If it is matter of cost to do it in F1 then give James Allen a pay cut and only pay the twat what he is worth.
Still as long as nothing interfears with "the great god football" the programme controlers will be happy.

I watched a couple of GP's last year when I was out in Jo'burg.
They take the ITV feed but show it without ad breaks.
It's quite funny when ITV goes for a break, Brundle and co stop talking for about 30 seconds while the ITV ident is showing in the UK, then start again.
Two to three minures later they stop for thiry seconds and then give a roundup of what you've just seen..

James Allen stops talking :-X

Sorry Steve I can't believe that :o

Hope this is more in keeping with what your colleagues expect from you mate.

Looks like ITV have admitted they are wrong and but will only go so far as to sympathise with viewers  ;D

Full story here http://www.itv-f1.com/News_Article.aspx?PO_ID=32645

Widespread where, apart from UK ?

I live in France and it happened here, and the Austrian RTL station to

In the final analysis, motorsport (and none more so than F1) IS advertising. ITV are contracted - indirectly by one B Ecclestone to show these ad slots - key word being 'contracted'. Mark my words - it won't be long before the race is structured around the ad breaks (rather like the NFL is now). It's only a matter of time before the mandatory cautions are yellow-flagged for the commercials - you see if it isn't!

How long before they superimpose the adverts on the track?
Have you seen those bloody annoying illuminated hoardings they have at football matches. How about a few of those above the pits. Grrr >:( >:(

They already pull that bullshit (superimposing adverts on the track) on IRL telecast's.  Who's kidding who? F1 is all about lining the pockets of the wealthy few who control it.
As long as there are suckers out there who keep buying into it, they'll keep getting richer.  A fool and his money are easily parted, and all that jazz.
Fax