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After the much-maligned coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Channel 7 continues to annoy sports fans by delaying its Australian Open night session’s coverage into key states. It’s just another example of how the Free to Air (FTA) networks continually miss the fundamentals of getting sports coverage right.
Queensland, WA and SA viewers have had to endure delayed coverage for night sessions, time zone delays as they are called, for the simple reason that Channel 7 wants to keep its news programming at the same time. In other words it wants the exclusive rights to night sessions and yet doesn’t want its normal schedule to be interrupted.
Channel 7, you want your cake and to eat it too don’t you?
The network says the time zone delay also allows, “Our viewers want to watch the entire match. That’s the reason why we do it like that, that’s what the feedback tells us.”
Yet a poll on a popular Adelaide news site shows approximately 80 percent of people would rather see the match live.
Quite a difference and you have to wonder where Channel 7 is getting their feedback based on that poll result.
Plus by cutting to its news, Channel 7 has cut coverage of matches, notably the Tsonga v Verdasco match robbing fans of seeing its conclusion, so much for the “our viewers want to watch the entire match” line.
Channel 7 could delay its news coverage to work around the tennis but that could drive viewers to rival networks for their news fix.
They can’t have that. Remember ratings rules.
Networks need to grasp the importance of live coverage, but they aren’t.
They don’t seem to understand that if you don’t give your viewers live coverage they can simply turn to the Internet either through live updates on numerous sites, online blogs and even online simulcast of matches.
By delaying the coverage you are putting the viewers at the mercy of the dreaded text message from a friend blurting out the result and forcing them to watch the coverage with locked doors, the phone off the hook and the Internet disconnected.
That isn’t a reality in an age when folks live on the net.
In this information age, results and news are only a click away.
It really is amazing that our Australian Open, arguably the biggest annual sporting tournament on our shores with the biggest television audience around the country, is delayed to so many of our households.
There is no excuse for that.
Not only do we have to endure the delays but also the incessant cross promotions for Channel 7’s other programming.
I really feel for the hardcore Australian tennis fans whose showpiece event is hijacked by the network to launch its new shows.
After the Nadal V Verdasco classic, Seven’s coverage went down a few gears with a segment on what to watch after the tennis, in effect an advertisement for some crime show WITHIN the tennis coverage.
After what many are describing as one of the best tennis matches of all time, was there nothing else Seven could discuss?
The Olympic coverage was poor and yet Seven seem to have learnt nothing from the criticism levelled at them. With a lack of options available to viewers, it seems we are expected to just cop whatever is served up to us.
With the sporting coverage landscape about to be revolutionised by the launch of Ten’s One HD sports channel, Free to Air networks will have fewer excuses for abysmal coverage.
But I’m sure they’ll find a way to screw it up.