F1 and ITV (beware, spoiler if you taped it)

[smokie]

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.

[Jem]

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

[chrisbeatty]

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.

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...

[garystout]

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.

[Paddy_NL]

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
(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

[Lorry]

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

[Andy]

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!!

[Nordic]

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

[Lorry]

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

[Andy Zarse]

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.

[Matt Harper]

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!

[BigH]

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.

[smokie]

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"

[Kpy]

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.

[garystout]

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