We’re well into the thick of the competition in Sochi, Russia for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, but with a few notable examples, it’s been a rough beginning for Network Ten.
The network’s much-trumpeted coverage has not even come close to living up to the high expectations set for it leading up to the Opening Ceremony early on Saturday morning, though coverage of the build-up and the Opening Ceremony itself was well done.
Mel McLaughlin is a solid host, anchoring a strong team of expert commentators and the usual Ten faces – Mark Howard, for example – and the trio who called proceedings inside the impressive Fisht Olympic Stadium.
Gordon Bray, Alisa Camplin and Sandra Sully did a good job despite the fact that they were hamstrung by calling the event from a monitor back in Melbourne.
Things started to fall apart early on Day 1 of coverage (Saturday afternoon, Australian time).
In among an avalanche of highlights from the Opening Ceremony were constant replays of mogul and snowboard-slopestyle qualifying events that were staged the day before the Opening Ceremony.
I’ve watched a giant chunk of the twin offerings on Channel Ten and One (either live or on delay) and enough of the live streams on TenPlay to get the gist of what’s going wrong with the broadcast in its early stages, and am confounded by the strategy in three areas.
Replays of old events
It should be a television crime to do this when there is live action taking place.
Sure, most people might not be interested in the skiathalon event, but it’s Olympic action and it’s live. If Channel Ten are serious about delivering the best coverage of a Winter Olympics ever – as their promos suggest that they are – then why can’t we see live sport?
If the Opening Ceremony was that important, why wasn’t there a mid-afternoon replay on Saturday that wouldn’t clash with live sport?
Once again, it appears that the Australian network broadcasting the Olympics are more interested in showing our athletes compete.
While it’s a great thing to see our representatives, I do question how many times we need to see Torah Bright’s run down the slopestyle course. We need to strike a happy balance here, because right now we’re losing out on live events for something that most Australians have already seen or else don’t want to see.
The key thing here is that these aren’t the Winter Olympics of Nagano, Japan or Salt Lake City, USA. This is Sochi, Russia and it’s 2014.
A giant chunk of Australia’s population has a recorder of some sort – be it a TiVo, a Foxtel IQ, a regular DVD recorder or even, perhaps, an old-school VCR machine – and have likely managed to either record the events that were two days old by Saturday, or else had seen them one of the dozen times they’ve been shown on multiple channels.
The same goes for the Opening Ceremony – people either watched or recorded or saw the important bits on Ten’s Eyewitness News and did not need a primetime replay, particularly not while there were live events going on.
If there’s live sport coming out of Sochi, there should be no reason why a highlights package or Australian commentators previewing an event that’s hours away or Ten filling the air with pre-packaged features takes precedence.
A quick search of social media – particularly the comments left on the Sochi On Ten Facebook page – would suggest that I’m not alone with this complaint.
Advertisements
Honestly, it’s a wonder we’ve seen any of the action with the amount of advertisements that saturate the broadcast.
I understand that the aim of this game is to give Channel Ten valuable exposure for its blue-chip products airing ‘after the Olympics’, not to mention collect revenue from advertisers who want to see their products advertised early and often.
The problem is that you run the risk of alienating viewers who’ve already seen 612 advertisements for The Biggest Loser or The Project, and who aren’t looking forward to making that 613.
Viewers switching off due to ad saturation is counter-productive for Ten in two ways: advertisers won’t pay nearly as much for product placement if the ratings figures are shown to be taking a dip, and Ten won’t get their much-hoped-for eyeballs on their big shows once the Olympics are over.
People are getting burnt out after one or two days, so imagine what it’ll be like come the closing ceremony?
Ten needs to work on this – I know it’s paid a large fortune for these rights, but you won’t recoup money if people are turning off in frustration.
The most frustrating aspect, however, is how the ads cut into live sport.
I watched USA versus Finland and Canada versus Switzerland in the ice hockey on Saturday night/Sunday morning and when there was a stoppage for icing or a puck out of play, Ten/One would immediately go to a long ad.
These ads would be better suited for between periods or during those amazing things known as television time-outs – 45 seconds or a minute later, the vision comes back on and, voila, we’ve missed live play.
Commentary is re-joined sometimes with the announcer mid-sentence. Sooner or later, we’re going to miss a goal – watch social media reaction then.
Same goes for the speed skating. Saturday night’s presentation of men’s long track 5000m heats featured advertisement breaks following the conclusion of one heat, but the breaks were so long that the next glimpse of speed-skating we saw was 30 seconds into the next race, with no real indication of who was who.
Either Channel Ten has someone directing advertisements who doesn’t understand the sports being broadcast or someone who doesn’t care. Either way, it’s not a good look.
Commentary
Between the continuous packages on the athlete’s village and other human interest-type stories, I’m frustrated by the choice of commentators for sports where there obviously aren’t enough Australian experts to go around.
There’s also a problem with many events being called from monitors in Melbourne, which takes away a commentator’s ability to describe what’s going on around them – perhaps in the crowd, the marshalling area, wherever.
There’s just no substitute for being there.
My major complaint is with the early coverage of (ice) hockey, which seems to have been given short shrift by Channel Ten despite featuring the sport in a heap of Sochi 2014 previews.
Thanks to Twitter, anyone in love with the game has probably two dozen different ways to discover that the voice of hockey in America, Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, and the brilliant NHL on NBC Sports crew were broadcasting the Team USA women in their Olympic opener – a 3-1 victory over Finland.
Yet Ten decided to let us hear the not-so-dulcet tones of a lone English commentator who was forever a step behind the play. Worse, he had no analyst to break down the plays.
There were awkward moments of silence and I shudder to think what might happen when the men take the ice, for their brand of play is obviously a little faster.
It’s hard to learn the players and the IIHF rule nuances from a guy who’s clearly struggling to keep up with the game. I’m of the opinion that you need at least a two-man commentary team for hockey, and there are no better broadcasters in the world than those working the NHL.
If not NBC, who I know have a programming connection to the Seven Network in Australia, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation have sent their NHL crew to Sochi.
The CBC team feature the lead voices of the venerable Hockey Night in Canada – think the Maple Leaf version of Friday Night Football in Australia, but with decades more tradition – Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson.
It would be great to hear their veteran, knowledgeable voices instead of a lone guy who isn’t going to elevate the big games into the stratosphere that Emrick or Hughson has the ability to do.
Another common complaint surrounds the multiple TenPlay online streams, to which viewers are having limited and mixed success connecting to, but that’s another story for another day.
Thankfully, we’re only early in the Olympics, so there’s room for improvement in the broadcast.
Twitter: @akitchener
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
I'm sure Ten would have used the CBC feed for hockey and other sports had they been willing to spend at least a little money.
Mike
Guest
Though I already know the outcome of the Men's Hockey Bronze Medal match... Started to watch it this (Sunday) morning- part way through the first period Channel Ten decides to switch to Men's Slalom.... On both channels (1 and 12)- so instead of covering two sports at once which is why having two channels is beneficial; Channel Ten decides to be lazy and have same coverage- I would watch it on the pathetic app they have- only problem is audio doesn't work. WORST OLYMPIC COVERAGE EVER! Snowboarding coverage average (over all events) Skiing coverage average Hockey coverage initially SUCKED- then they brought in Aaron Murphy and I breathed a sigh of relief- and for some reason in the Bronze Medal game the other guy Chris (or whatever his name is) who clearly knows very little about hockey was leading the commentary... Perhaps Channel Ten should look to CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp) as an example of how to cover the Olympics.
Alice
Guest
Hi Guys Glad to join the discussion here. I am also sorely disappointed in the coverage. It's great that some Australian athletes are able to gain exposure but we aren't able to see the athletes at the peak of their sports which is so exciting to watch. And is what the Olympics is all about! My specific complaints: 1. The tenplay app is an absolute piece of... My boyfriend downloaded it because he doesnt have a TV and we were able to watch one speed skating race before it faultered and it literally hasnt been able to open since. 2. The poor coverage of figure skating. They put the short programme onto the web - something that is a precursor to the more exciting even of the free skate. And the free skate isn't up there. It's the finals...do they just not bother to record it? Or did they pay for SOME rights ie just to record the events with aussies in them...seriously. 3. And then theres an athlete who pisses me off - "Australia's" Brooklee Han. Figure skater...apparently Australian. Has lived in the US her entire life. Trains with a US coach. Obviously not good enough to compete with the top US skaters so decides to compete for Australia because her dad is Aussie. I truly believe this should be banned. How can she say she's an Australian athlete if she does no training nor competing in the country?!?!?!?!?!?!?
Anna
Guest
Agree! And the mute button....really handy too. For the women's solo figure skating....the male commentator was speaking so negatively about the World #1 Korean figure skater's warm-up. But, you see....it's a warm up and she IS a champion. You gotta give her that. Maybe, just maybe, she CAN put on a show? On competition now. She skates magically...there are moments in the olympics that move you and this was surely one of them. What the commentator does? He tries to salvage his bad comments about her..... talk and talk and talk his way out of the hole he dug for himself. Mute. I love my mute button second to the fast-forward button. On the positive side, the female commentator, kudos to her, she knew her stuff....she didn't have to eat her words like the other guy.
Wess
Guest
The online streams started rough but got really good. I think it's far better than BBC's online coverage, as far as airing the events goes. Six streams. The bitrate is ok not great, but it's consistent, and better than the streams I get from CBC (Canada). I looked around trying to figure out who the announcers are, but I can't find the info anywhere. I'm watching the women's bronze medal curling match right now, and the one older-sounding guy is ok, Ed something, knowledgeable but talks too much and could get more excited, while the other, smoother-sounding guy with him, he's not as knowledgeable, but I've kept watching other matches when he was commentating simply because he sounded like he was having fun. I see lots of complaints for the TV and Ten and One coverage, but Ten's online streams are good stuff. I wish they'd use some of the downtime on those streams to air repeats of events, especially when something like curling can have four live matches going on at the same time, but oh well.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
They probably read the article and the comments and realised that we were onto something!
Geoff
Guest
Is it just me or has the coverage improved a bit in the second week? As much as I like watching the Aussie athletes compete, the media overkill ruins it. The coverage seems better balanced when we are not subjected to repeated background puff pieces, overhyped chumpy-thon promotions, interviews with everyone who has ever known Chumpy/Torah/Lydia and endless replays of their events. It would be better if the ads were coordinated with events (two alpine runs followed by 5 ads seems excessive) or at least a recap on what we missed during the break and the "encore" presentation actually showed events in full rather than being a straight repeat of the previous day. Surely TEN could pay an editor? As for the BBC ice hockey commentator, bring back Don Cherry! Roy and HG were funny in 2000 but are now just embarrassing. The Russian dunny and NZ jokes are wearing a bit thin. On the plus side, Mel McLaughlin is a 1000% improvement on Eddie McGuire.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
Guys, letting any hockey fans know that I'll be live blogging the Men's Hockey Gold Medal Game on Sunday night. Face off is at about 11.30pm. Come join me!
Gori
Guest
Where are these games being held ? I've heard at least 43 variations on the pronunciation of Sochi ( one commentator even managed Scotchi and Scootshi in the one sentence ) . But the dreadful " footy " style commentary is almost heavenly compared to the abysmal telecast. I'd never heard of someone called " Chumpy " until a few days ago . Then I was swamped with vision of Chumpy facts and Chumpy stories I was assured that a gold medal for Chumpy is a "dead cert " and it may well be Aussies for the silver and the bronze . Someone forgot to tell the Channel 10 team that er…. you have to make it to the final to have a chance of a medal . That didn't stop Channel 10 though and for 2 days it was Chumpy this and Chumpy that and even the Final ( a final that was minus Chumpy and the other 2 Aussies ) took second seat to the endless endless snowboarding replays of " Chumpy and other the unlucky Aussies ". I'm afraid to turn my TV back on because the last time I looked I saw Chumpy go down yet again and I'm worried about my tv getting screen burn from the constant footage. I'm trying to watch the Sochi Olympics and all I've got so far is " Torah and Chumpy and next it'll be Jana Where is the Biathlon or any of the Cross Country skiing or … or …or events . Sorry , Channel 10 can't cover those sports because their crew needs to be on standby in case Jana Pittman breaks a fingernail ( and that could affect her chances of finishing higher than 15th in the bobsled ) It's torture !
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
The problem is using network talent to call events that they don't call on a regular basis. That's why, for hockey, the CBC and NBC broadcasts have been polished and professional. I've seen a few of their calls of the same games that Ten broadcast the bad BBC commentary, and the difference is day and night. You'd swear listening to the BBC that USA vs. Russia was boring as hell. On NBC, Mike Emrick made it sound like the second coming of the Miracle on Ice. His call of Oshie's winner was tremendous.
Andy
Guest
Thanks Andrew. Yeah, Steve Lee's insight was good. Lachie Reid was commentary was suffering from not knowing much about downhill. Seems like a common theme. From the sounds of it I should be thankful at least one of the commentators knew what he was talking about!
rodney hutchison
Guest
The coverage and commentary on the Ice Hockey, I think we can all agree, is second rate. it seems the only sports that attract comprehensive coverage are those where Channel Ten has sent an 'expert' (and I use the term very loosely). I am pretty confident that a representative from the Australian Ice Hockey Federation would have been only too pleased to provide commentary on the hockey (and probably for free). Given Australia hasn't delivered on the confident blatherings of the Ten anchor team at the beginning of the Olympics where three gold were guaranteed and possibly thirteen medals were in the bag, we seem to have fallen (at least in Ten's hyperbole) very short indeed. The reason I suspect is that Channel Ten 'experts', and the presentation generally, has promoted the fortunes of Aussie sportspeople to the detriment of other competitors and even clarity around the sport. In other words they have promoted Aussie performance at the expense of reality. The result is indignant disappointment - how dare these competitors from countries where these sports are almost a religion, beat our little Aussie battlers? The answer is Ten has engaged in a degree of self deception bordering on fantasy (you can see it in the breathy and flushed nonsense from the commentary team on 'Torah', 'Belle' and 'Chumpy' to name a few). The outcome has been a woefully inadequate coverage of poor performances of our little Aussie battlers to the detriment of sports where our little Aussie battlers aren't performing. Oh well, another four years and maybe next time we'll get a decent coverage. Until then it's record and fast forward.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
BBC commentators are shocking. It's a disservice to a sport when the Olympic feed features commentators who don't seem to know or understand the sport they're broadcasting.
Jay L
Guest
I agree the commentary is absolutely dreadful! Sure, Aussies should be commenting on the Aussie athletes when Australians are in contention, but know your stuff at least! Nevermind the Aussies commentating in sports they know next to nothing about, but why solve that issue with even worse Englishmen commentating all the ice hockey games?!? Get a bloody Canadian to commentate the hockey or pick up the feed from a North American broadcast not the BBC! Also, the worst timed commercial breaks of any broadcast I have ever witnessed. I have watched every hockey game and seen 20 percent of all goals due to the crazy ad breaks. Commercials are for stoppages in plays you morons! The game itself allows for "tv timeouts". The coverage is truly embarrassing.
kim reid
Guest
Personally I am totally disgusted with the coverage. How many times do we have to see torah, great though it was, I counted six repeats in one broadcast. Only saw 2 pairs in the figure skating in 10 hours of recording. Hours of curling WTF. Totally ruined the games for me and I have always been an avid watcher of all things olympic. Commentators are good, at least we are saved from Bruce's neverending roll call of stats. Channel 10/1 lift your game.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
It's not hard to burn through 6 hours of coverage on Foxtel IQ with the fast-forward button. Takes a half-hour tops.
Anna
Guest
I signed up for Foxtel sports only to find out I can only watch it in Channel Ten, so, there. I didn't expect much but really..... in 119 minutes, I only got to watch three runs of snowboarding and a run of the alpine skiing. Four runs. Each run would only take about 2.5 minutes, tops. The rest of the time? Commercials, reruns, commentaries, repeats of the runs, interviews of athletes, repeats of the same interviews of the athletes, more commercials, more commentaries. Then there's Roy and HG. I need not add on to the negative comments about them. Does Ten really think the public has such poor taste that we'll sit around listening to their condescending and pathetic comments? What I'm thankful for? The fast forward button in my recorder. I love the winter olympics, but feeding us with repeats, commentaries and stuff we really don't want to watch is a waste of anyone's time.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
Me, too. I was so excited for the Games, and now, aside from hockey, it's more like, "Meh, I'll watch them if there's nothing else on."
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
Think you'll find it was former alpine skier Steve Lee (who I really like) and Lachie Reid.
Andy
Guest
Who commentators for the Men's downhill. It's been bugging me for days. They had a guy who was an Australian downhill skier and provided some meaningful commentary. But who was the other guy who was spinning out footy clichés like "there are some tired boys out on the snow". I was looking forward to the downhill but ended up getting annoyed by the inane commentary. Svindal was the favourite going in, but barely got a mention except when the footy commentator read out his bio script when he raced.