Eurosport commentary

[Singer01]

I get why they get ex pros rather than experts, I don't agree but I understand. McEnroe and Michael johnson are both excellent. But they should have to stay within their own field of expertise.

 

[RedheadDane]

Doesn't ex-pros have a tendency of being experts? I mean, who'd be a better expert at something than someone who's actually done the thing in question?

 

[London Hibs]

Just to inform you that ITV4 are covering the Tour of Yorkshire live and all stages in full each day.

 

[argyllflyer]

Re:

A triple jumper replacing Ashley and Juan Antonio? What a bunch of nonsense... I doubt many of the non-British riders even know who he is. That's the pre- and post-race coverage down the drain, I definitely won't be watching.

WIll Edwards even be on location though? House, Messeguer and FLecha still will be.

 

[Nirvana]

Re: Re:

Very, but very, poor coverage for Yorkshire.
Today they'll go live only at 17:30 but the finish is scheduled between 16:47 and 17:12, so it's probably not a "live" as indicated on the TV guide but some highlights or deferred coverage for 45 mins.
Tomorrow nothing on the TV guide (45 mins at 5:00 sunday morning...).
Sunday they'll go live at 17:00 with the finish scheduled between 17:02 and 17:29.

Why they bought the rights if they can't have a proper nor a decent coverage?

Too many live events for the channels they have. Here in UK they're also showing Romandie live and snooker as well.

Also for Romandie it's not a great coverage, circa an hour per day, last year were three hours on Bike Channel.

They could cut a couple of hours of snooker, it's exaggerated the cover they have, on Eurosport 1 are nine hours per day, it's the home of snooker not cycling.

 

[Brullnux]

It is the world championships in fairness. I am not a fan but I imagine there are many who are and Eurosport offers almost exclusive coverage, which is quite a large selling point (do the beeb also show it?). It is more important than Romandie or the Tour of Yorkshire.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

Re: Re:

A triple jumper replacing Ashley and Juan Antonio? What a bunch of nonsense... I doubt many of the non-British riders even know who he is. That's the pre- and post-race coverage down the drain, I definitely won't be watching.

WIll Edwards even be on location though? House, Messeguer and FLecha still will be.

Do Eurosport ever have a camera other than on location? Never seen them with a studio anchor. I know commentators are often in a broom cupboard in Twickenham, but no remote studio for camera shots normally.

 

[LaFlorecita]

Re: Re:

A triple jumper replacing Ashley and Juan Antonio? What a bunch of nonsense... I doubt many of the non-British riders even know who he is. That's the pre- and post-race coverage down the drain, I definitely won't be watching.

WIll Edwards even be on location though? House, Messeguer and FLecha still will be.

Ashley House posted on twitter that he and Juan Antonio won't be in Eurosport's coverage anymore.

 

[Armchair cyclist]

I note that Eurosport UK, having shown (short) live coverage of the first two stages of the Tour of Yorkshire, are now reducing it to delayed coverage at 8:30 pm. Conceding defeat to ITV4?

 

[RedheadDane]

Eurosport Denmark/Scandinavia/Nordic Countries* is doing the same because of some football stuff in Germany. Dunno what Eurosport UK's excuse is.










*I honestly don't know what the group of countries is supposed to be. Pretty sure it isn't just Denmark though, and since I've occasionally seen ads in Finnish - and I even seem to recall that they once, accidentally, put Finnish on something - it can't just be Scandinavia either.

 

[Brullnux]

Snooker world championships

 

[Alberto Fishwick]

ES are approaching the point where they need another channel to do justice to the rights they are hoovering up. I can't see the point of them even trying to show the Tour de Yorkshire in the UK when ITV have blanket coverage.

They go overboard with the snooker which is also on Beeb (albeit some only online or via red button), as they do with the grand slam tennis comps they have.

My TV planner suggests they aren't covering 4 Jours de Dunkerque at all, which is a big disappointment as it is one of my favourite short stage races (and is now actually 6 days!). I suspect this is because it clashes with the Giro, which is getting longer TV time this year, but it's still poor if true. Another channel would give them more options.

 

[argyllflyer]

They do use their online space - watching Frankfurt just now and they had the pics form TdY on yesterday from well before they went live - not sure if whole stage but certainly with 120km to go.

Would also say 4 Days.. doesn't start til the 9th - what planner are you looking at? I can't find schedules any more than a week in advance? It won't show on the Sky planner for example until the afternoon of the 2nd - if they're showing it.

 

[tobydawq]

Re:

Doesn't ex-pros have a tendency of being experts? I mean, who'd be a better expert at something than someone who's actually done the thing in question?

Do you think René Wenzel is an excellent expert?

Just because a person has been working with the thing in question does not make him/her fit to be on TV programmes on the subject.

 

[RedheadDane]

Re: Re:

Doesn't ex-pros have a tendency of being experts? I mean, who'd be a better expert at something than someone who's actually done the thing in question?

Do you think René Wenzel is an excellent expert?

Just because a person has been working with the thing in question does not make him/her fit to be on TV programmes on the subject.

I honestly don't understand why you dislike Wenzel so much. He seems to be pretty knowledgeable, at least when it comes to the US scene.

 

[tobydawq]

Sure, and if that was all he commented on, it would be fine.

For me, he seems to be extremely un-knowledgeable on the European cycling scene which he spends the most time commenting (you know, for a guy who has it as his area of expertise), he has a very bad voice, he is not funny to listen to in any sense and is constantly misreading races and making horrendous and mind-bogglingly stupid predictions.

And you're the first person I have ever heard defending him, but I guess you don't really dislike anybody, so I guess that shouldn't be that big a surprise

 

[RedheadDane]

Well, it's not his fault if they're sometimes short on commentators for the European races, causing him to commentate those as well, and with more European races than US races it's pretty obvious that there would be a more frequent need for commentators in European races.
What's wrong with his voice? It just sounds... voicey... like the voice of a person.








(It's a damn shame Brian Holm got that "secondary job".)

 

[tobydawq]

Re:

Well, it's not his fault if they're sometimes short on commentators for the European races, causing him to commentate those as well, and with more European races than US races it's pretty obvious that there would be a more frequent need for commentators in European races.
What's wrong with his voice? It just sounds... voicey... like the voice of a person.








(It's a damn shame Brian Holm got that "secondary job".)

Touché. I'm not going to try to convince you that his voice does not sound voicey!

It's good to be put in one's place when one is unreasonably negative, I guess.

And luckily, it doesn't seem like he will be doing the Giro, so unless I find myself in an unusually dark place, I will try not to be putting too much anti-Wenzel-propaganda on here in the near future...

 

[RedheadDane]

I just hadn't noticed anything particular about his voice...

As for who'll commentate the Giro; I haven't really been watching the Giro on Eurosport these last years, but I think it's still - as back in 2011 - Thomas Bay and Leif Mortensen.
Wenzel will probably do California.

 

[tobydawq]

No, Leif Mortensen is not really used anymore. Bay will be the main commentator, and Dan Frost and Brian Holm will be commenting with him. I guess Holm will do it when he can and Frost fills in when Holm is on duty for his side job.

It has been Bay and Frost the last few years.

 

[RedheadDane]

Oh, didn't know that. Was wondering why it was a while since I'd heard Mortensen, but thought it was just... chance...

 

[tobydawq]

It's a long time since I heard him as well. I always found it funny that he was the guy who had to mention the riders of the day's break since he was comfortable speaking absolutely no other language than Danish. Even English was severely troubling for him. It was painful to listen to every time but other than that I didn't really have anything against him. He seemed very nice and humble.

 

[Valv.Piti]

Wenzel is horrible. Literally the worst commentator I've heard

I asked Danish ES who will comment Il Giro with Thomas Bay and it will be Dan Frost and Holm, 50/50. Frost is so-so, but Bay and Holm is the best duo on the scene. Their synergy is amazing, even better than Rolf and Ritter's IMO. Only annoying this is the commercials, but oh well.

 

[Alberto Fishwick]

Re:

They do use their online space - watching Frankfurt just now and they had the pics form TdY on yesterday from well before they went live - not sure if whole stage but certainly with 120km to go.

Would also say 4 Days.. doesn't start til the 9th - what planner are you looking at? I can't find schedules any more than a week in advance? It won't show on the Sky planner for example until the afternoon of the 2nd - if they're showing it.

Virgin planner goes out two weeks. It does change but I can't see a whole race being shunted in.

 

[argyllflyer]

Re: Re:

They do use their online space - watching Frankfurt just now and they had the pics form TdY on yesterday from well before they went live - not sure if whole stage but certainly with 120km to go.

Would also say 4 Days.. doesn't start til the 9th - what planner are you looking at? I can't find schedules any more than a week in advance? It won't show on the Sky planner for example until the afternoon of the 2nd - if they're showing it.

Virgin planner goes out two weeks. It does change but I can't see a whole race being shunted in.

cheers! Can also see it's not listed on ES site now.