C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal?

[BillyHills]

TV Audience figures for the Derby were the worst on record;

SATURDAY'S Derby was watched by the smallest television audience this century, it has emerged, as just 1.5 million tuned in for Australia's victory. Since the race moved to Channel 4 from the BBC in 2013 the audience has more than halved. In 2012, the final year the Derby was broadcast by the BBC, a peak audience of 3.3 million tuned in. The figures are a fresh blow for Channel 4 Racing and those within racing who led the TV rights negotiations that ended in Channel 4 becoming the sole terrestrial broadcaster of racing. Although the TV audience for the Grand National has held up well, sharp falls in audience has been a common theme for the major Flat meetings such as Royal Ascot and the Derby. Saturday's Classic was watched by an average audience of 770,000 an audience share of 8.3 per cent, compared to 834,000 and 10.7 per cent the previous year. Oaks day was watched by a peak audience of 558,000, down almost 30 per cent on the 2013 peak audience of 788,000. An average audience of 320,000 was only marginally down on the 356,000 12 months ago.

How did you watch the Derby? If you did. I must admit i was flicking between C4 and Racing UK and recording Racing UK so i could skip back and watch any interviews or races i may have missed at the other meetings. I don't find C4 very interesting, although Claire Balding and Nick Luck may be excellent at their jobs i don't think the three stooges that sit in that mobile caravan really do much for the show. Jim McGrath and Graham Cunningham seem very scripted to me and are quite boring. Nick Luck is a superb anchor man but was so much better on Racing UK where he had more scope to do what he wanted. Emma Spencer may be good to look at but is poor as is Tanya compared to BigMac, not natural presenters at all. At the end of the day all i want is to watch the racing, see the horses at the start/paddock, get a full picture of the betting moves and a good coverage of the race with added information from those that know what they are talking about (trainers etc..) Too many distractions and little cameo films on C4 for my liking (and adverts!) . BBC made a good decision to pull out of racing when they did as that was going the same way.

[Trotter]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? I always watch racing on RUK or ATR to support the dedicated racing channels If channel 4 were there every day showing Yarmouth on a wet Wednesday and Wolverhampton on a cold Friday night I might watch C4 but if not I'll stick the channels which cover the sport day in day out Similar to the cycling.....sometimes the same event (same pictures) is on ITV4 and Eurosport........I always watch eurosport because they're there every day showing the racing live and not just cherry picking the Tour de France.

[Aidymac]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? I find Channel 4 boring and you won't learn too much from watching it. Racing UK is so much better in my opinion. Clare Balding knows her stuff but she is an arrogant ignorant yoke for me. Can't stand Tanya, any fool can belt out a few prices and market movers. Graham Cunningham knows his stuff but he doesn't have a tv head, but I do like Nick Luck, I think he is excellent. Emma Spencer has to be the worst commentator ever to grace a television too. Channel 4 took a backward step when they got rid of McCririck and co, the fun has gone out of the programme.

[robertob]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? I watched Channel 4 on Derby day because I thought they give this big race a more "glamorous" presentation than RUK does usually. I have to admit, while I usually tend to rather think the C4 coverage on a Saturday is decent, this time it was so boring that I literally faded away on the couch shortly before the Coronation Cup and just woke up again when the race was over. I made sure this didn't happen for the Derby, but still it tells a story. Not sure if anyone watched the coverage from the Belmont Stakes and RUK later the evening, where they used the official NBC feed. As dull as US racing is in most parts - but boy to they know how to present a race and make it a big occasion! Compare the NBC coverage of the Belmont Stakes with C4's for the Derby... the difference couldn't be any bigger. I really felt excited and emotional watching the Belmont an California Crome's bid for immortality on NBC, while the Derby on C4 did little for me emotion wise. It is supposed the be the most important race in the world, yet it doesn't come across like that on TV. So I think it's no surprise that C4's viewing figures are fading away. Their presentation is simply lame. Even RTE is doing a better job over here in Ireland with probably much less resources... and they employ the most boring race commentator you can imagine!

[Trotter]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? I didn't watch much of the Belmont coverage but did watch quite a chunk when it was the Preakness to be honest I'd rather just watch Angus and Willow in the UK studio.........I'd be flicking around the channels when they went to the US team.......I guess I'm a bit of a fuddy-daddy and I don't like all that brashness and excitability.......:rollin

[robertob]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? Haha maybe Trotter! :D I find Angus and Willow quite dull in the sense of that they wouldn't get me into the right mood for a big race to be honest. I like them when they do their Planet Turf stuff though. But to get excited about a big race? No absolutely not. For that I really prefer the NBC coverage. I just love the way they celebrate these big races, with the heroic music, the flashy short video clips of the horses and so on. It creates an atmosphere of excitement.

[BillyHills]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? I'm not into all the razzamatazz but i can see what you mean Florien, the Belmont was a big occasion and they certainly did it justice. You could almost hear the disappointment when California Chrome was obviously not going to get the Triple Crown as they came round the last bend. It very much reminded me of Doncaster when Camelot failed to win the St Leger. I was there that day and felt embarrassed for Encke and the Godolphin team when he won as it was obvious nobody wanted him to win and was treated like a stranger at a party when he came into the winners enclosure. Like Trotter i enjoy Angus and Willoughby, maybe i like guys who are prepared to stick their necks out and say what they think, not afraid to say if a bad ride has taken place unlike C4 who dare not say anything negative or they may not get an interview next time. You won't hear Fitzy say anything bad about any rider, ever! Racing UK often upset people and i don't think McCoy is a willing partner to any interviews still after they criticised him one day. I like Bob Cooper on ATR too, he often asks questions we want to ask rather than the obvious.

[Aidymac]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? Get Chappers on Channel 4, THEN you will get plenty of viewers. Love him or hate him, everyone seems to tune in to watch him to see what madness he is up to. :loon I must say I have a soft spot for the guy, I love his enthusiasm and arrogance but he also comes across as one of the lads.

[MPLouis]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? From a non-horse racing fan I didn't even know it was on :eek

[mowgli77]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? Ch4 racing is going the same way as the BBC racing. They have signed up Gok Wan for the Royal Ascot meeting and while I know fashion is a huge part of the meeting I have to ask how many racing fans actually give a flying fcuk what or who someone is wearing? I'd rather see how a horse looks in the parade ring than see some creosoted slapper in the latest Vivienne Westwood outfit. You could say they are trying to appeal to the general public rather than die hard racing fans but then why did they get rid of McCririck if that's the case? I don't like the guy but he was a recognisable character that appealed to the masses. As BH says some of the features are dull and the over analysis in the truck with Cunningham and McGrath is boring or comes across as really patronising. As Aidy says you won't learn much from watching the channel but are they trying to educate at all? They don't seem to know where to aim their broadcasting. They are not a specialist channel like RUK or ATR but it is a racing programme so you'd expect a focus on racing. Some of the interviews are pointless, as has been said too afraid to upset anyone, too much brown nosing. When a trainer says "we're hopeful of a good run, he's working well at home" it means nothing. I don't mind Nick Luck but he needs some better back up such as Mellish or Hislop but they are more likely to ask proper questions and upset people. Still a case of jobs for the boys (and girls) sadly rather than employing someone with an opinion. I've also never understood why non racing folk are used for TV coverage such as features with Matt Dawson (Rugby Union) and BBC coverage that used John Parrot (Snooker). You wouldn't tune into the World Cup this week and have Tony McCoy doing the analysis or have Willie Mullins doing the commentary so why do we employ other sportspeople within racing coverage? Ch4 coverage could do with a huge makeover and probably keep Clare Balding, frustrating at times when she's brown nosing but knowledgable at times but get rid of Mick Fitz (he's a loverly harse). Those latest figures should have alarm bells ringing.

[Jimmy2shoes]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? I don't know what contribution Jim McGrath has in racing / Ch 4 - but whatever it is could someone tell me or this thread, cant say i've ever been a fan of Mick Fitz either, he wasn't a particularly good jockey ''IMO'' and he seems to explain situations on Ch-4 Racing as if we are kids. Emma Spencer aint for me, she was doing a spell with Ladbrokes but all i recall coming from the speakers was her tipping just about every hot Fav, if Ladbrokes were paying her for that position then its a classic case of - Who ya know. Tanya is ok and possibly could be better if she was only given the chance, that won't happen because of the front men, the show has went down hill and so has the morning line, its a shame they cant get in a few people who really know they're onions, solid good info stuff not the useless pointless week in week out pish talk. I did like Clare Balding but she's now got more jobs that Richard Hammond ''and that's a LOT of jobs'' and too much of anything makes ya sick.

[ExpectTheUnexpected]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? Interesting you mention that about Emma Spencer. I'd watched the morning line, where Jim McGrath preached to the world about True Story. I then walk into William Hill, and find myself bombarded by repeat adverts of him tipping up Australia and Kingston Hill. So which one is it? I'd forgive a 'the value is with 'X' but I think 'Y' will win', but he nailed his colours to the mast in the morning. Whether being fed the script or changing his mind, both harm his credibility as a pundit in my eyes.

[Darran]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal?

I don't know what contribution Jim McGrath has in racing / Ch 4 - but whatever it is could someone tell me or this thread, cant say i've ever been a fan of Mick Fitz either, he wasn't a particularly good jockey ''IMO'' and he seems to explain situations on Ch-4 Racing as if we are kids. Emma Spencer aint for me, she was doing a spell with Ladbrokes but all i recall coming from the speakers was her tipping just about every hot Fav, if Ladbrokes were paying her for that position then its a classic case of - Who ya know. Tanya is ok and possibly could be better if she was only given the chance, that won't happen because of the front men, the show has went down hill and so has the morning line, its a shame they cant get in a few people who really know they're onions, solid good info stuff not the useless pointless week in week out pish talk. I did like Clare Balding but she's now got more jobs that Richard Hammond ''and that's a LOT of jobs'' and too much of anything makes ya sick.

Given my position at Ladbrokes I have insider info on the Emma Spencer deal. If I told you how much she was getting you would be shocked. She was given a contract by someone who had little clue what he was doing and it was no surprise that as soon as the contract was up she wasn't kept on. We all knew how bad she was but little could be done whilst she was in the contract.

[Darran]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? I think the Derby has lost its appeal and it was obvious that viewers were going to be lost when everything moved from BBC to C4. Only the National is a strong enough race now to grab the attention of the general public. I am a big racing fan, but Derby Day doesn't excite me anymore it has to be said. As for C4 racing they have got plenty wrong. The pundits are too dull, the interviewers are crap at their job and it needs brand new fresh people. I would keep Luck and Balding and possibly McGrath if you give him someone interesting to work with, but as for the rest I would get rid of them. Chapman was mentioned and I know for a fact he was expecting to get a job and was pretty annoyed when he was over looked. I can't stand him myself and he knows sod all, but can see why he might appeal to some.

[Snoopdog]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? Racing is losing its appeal simply because there is so much else to bet on, eg football, cricket, tennis, golf, American Football, politics. There is also so much to understand in racing, and the average 20 year old isn't that interested. How many people truly understand how to read the racecards in the morning paper. A few years ago I e-mailed Tanya at Channel4 suggesting a 10 minute sports betting segment at the end of Morning Line. She replied saying she would put it to the producer - but apparantly no interest. I recall from years ago Derek McGovern having a sports betting show on Channel4 after Morning Line. It didn't last long.

[Binchy]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? I like Luck, McGrath and Cunningham as a team but don't care much for the rest. I must admit I only watch it for two reasons. The first is that I haven't got Racing UK and the second is that they show the races in HD.

[Toast]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? We once had, Mcgath for the form book, Mccririck for the ring, and Francome for his knowledge of horses, plus, 10 mins pre race analysis, and it worked. Now it's gone all too pc and boring, and tbh, I didn't watch the race live, wasn't really interested. On the plus side, Gok Wan doing Royal Ascot, whoopdefuggindoo.. Want even bother watching that either. Still, at least they'll show the queen and the rest of the dysfunctional bunch coming down the straight, musing over here cerise outfit or whatever this seasons colour is. Talk about killing a sport, it's car crash tv.

[beaker1]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? taken from sporting life: Channel 4 Racing has announced that Frankie Dettori will join its presenting team for Royal Ascot and the rest of the Flat season. Dettori, three times a champion jockey and one of the most recognisable faces in the game, is retained rider for Sheikh Joaan Al Thani, one of the new driving forces in racehorse ownership. The Italian famously rode all seven winners on the card at Ascot in September, 1996. "I'm thrilled to be joining the Channel 4 Racing presentation team for the Flat season and look forward to starting work next week at Royal Ascot - the racecourse that catapulted my career back in September 1996 when I won all seven races," said Dettori. "I've been talking to Channel 4 about this opportunity for a while as I have always enjoyed its racing coverage and I am delighted to be able to give viewers an insight into the great thrill of our sport." Dettori joined Clare Balding for a short stint at Epsom on Derby day and the channel's lead presenter said: "Frankie is a great communicator and personality and would be an asset to anyone's coverage. He'll bring energy, insight and enjoyment." Ed Havard, Channel 4's head of live events and special programmes, said: "Frankie Dettori is known to millions both inside and outside the sport of racing and his record as a jockey speaks for itself. We're delighted that he's joining Clare and the Channel 4 Racing team, not just for Royal Ascot, but also across the rest of the Flat season. "Royal Ascot is one of the highlights of our year and we are continuing to invest in this incredible event across the channel and across the business to showcase the spectacle of Ascot for our audiences." Channel 4 saw its peak audience figures for the Investec Derby dip last weekend, but Ascot chief executive Charles Barnett saluted its "unprecedented investment" in this year's showpiece. He said: "Channel 4's investment in this year's Royal meeting is unprecedented, with the usual high standards of racing and event production to be enhanced by a bespoke fashion element fronted by the acclaimed Gok Wan. "We really are in a very privileged and sometimes overlooked position in the UK, in that our major meetings and Saturdays are covered so extensively on terrestrial television by Channel 4. To have all the races on terrestrial television at any meeting is almost unheard of - perhaps just Royal Ascot and the Melbourne Cup Carnival in Australia. "We are the envy of the world in terrestrial television terms, including in Australia where they don't get close to the 90 days Channel 4 cover, and this is in no small part down to our broadcast partners who clear the decks to put racing first - the addition of Future Champions Day to this year's calendar of live events being a perfect example."

[danj2202]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal?

taken from sporting life: Channel 4 Racing has announced that Frankie Dettori will join its presenting team for Royal Ascot and the rest of the Flat season. Dettori, three times a champion jockey and one of the most recognisable faces in the game, is retained rider for Sheikh Joaan Al Thani, one of the new driving forces in racehorse ownership. The Italian famously rode all seven winners on the card at Ascot in September, 1996. "I'm thrilled to be joining the Channel 4 Racing presentation team for the Flat season and look forward to starting work next week at Royal Ascot - the racecourse that catapulted my career back in September 1996 when I won all seven races," said Dettori. "I've been talking to Channel 4 about this opportunity for a while as I have always enjoyed its racing coverage and I am delighted to be able to give viewers an insight into the great thrill of our sport." Dettori joined Clare Balding for a short stint at Epsom on Derby day and the channel's lead presenter said: "Frankie is a great communicator and personality and would be an asset to anyone's coverage. He'll bring energy, insight and enjoyment." Ed Havard, Channel 4's head of live events and special programmes, said: "Frankie Dettori is known to millions both inside and outside the sport of racing and his record as a jockey speaks for itself. We're delighted that he's joining Clare and the Channel 4 Racing team, not just for Royal Ascot, but also across the rest of the Flat season. "Royal Ascot is one of the highlights of our year and we are continuing to invest in this incredible event across the channel and across the business to showcase the spectacle of Ascot for our audiences." Channel 4 saw its peak audience figures for the Investec Derby dip last weekend, but Ascot chief executive Charles Barnett saluted its "unprecedented investment" in this year's showpiece. He said: "Channel 4's investment in this year's Royal meeting is unprecedented, with the usual high standards of racing and event production to be enhanced by a bespoke fashion element fronted by the acclaimed Gok Wan. "We really are in a very privileged and sometimes overlooked position in the UK, in that our major meetings and Saturdays are covered so extensively on terrestrial television by Channel 4. To have all the races on terrestrial television at any meeting is almost unheard of - perhaps just Royal Ascot and the Melbourne Cup Carnival in Australia. "We are the envy of the world in terrestrial television terms, including in Australia where they don't get close to the 90 days Channel 4 cover, and this is in no small part down to our broadcast partners who clear the decks to put racing first - the addition of Future Champions Day to this year's calendar of live events being a perfect example."

dear god no

[santos_]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? I don't think it's lost it's appeal the problem appears to be channel 4. Even though BBC racing had become quite stale I think many people who maybe aren't heavily into racing still watched BBC coverage no ad breaks etc and and old school hosting team in many ways. The bigger racing fans are probably also watching RUK compared to CH4 so there's a share of the audience gone as well. I wouldn't be too worried it's just CH4 having all the racing on terestrial tv doesn't seem to be working that well.

[robertob]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? Found the following article in the Guardian. Sums up things quite well in my mind: http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2014/jun/15/channel-4-viewing-figures-royal-ascot

Can Channel 4 halt alarming fall in viewers at Royal Ascot this week? More bad numbers this week may convince horse racing’s rulers what fantastic exposure the sport enjoyed with the BBC More than a quarter of a million people will head to Berkshire this week to submerge themselves in the unique spectacle and experience that is Royal Ascot, but how many more will join them from a safe distance via the blanket coverage on Channel 4? If the year-on-year trend in the viewing figures for the Derby is repeated, the answer will be: painfully few. Twenty per cent of the peak audience of 1.95m viewers who turned on and tuned in for the Epsom Classic in 2013 dropped out 12 months later. Since the figures for Channel 4’s first Royal Ascot last year were in turn well down on what the BBC had managed in 2012, – a peak of 900,000 on Friday, for instance, versus 1.7m on the same day the previous year – merely stopping the slide would be a start, never mind any significant advance on 2013. Several theories have been proposed to explain the dramatic fall in the Derby’s television audience, with possible solutions to match. Criticism of Channel 4’s presentation team and production values has included claims that it is too po-faced and serious and that it is too obsessed with celebrity froth. Others have pointed to the range of sports competing for attention of viewers on a Saturday afternoon, with some even suggesting that the decision to move the Derby from Wednesday to Saturday – a switch which is now nearly 20 years old – was when the rot started to set in. The obvious answer, though, is probably the right one. The Derby managed to lose 400,000 viewers in 12 months, or the majority of them anyway, because they did not know it was happening. Strange though it might seem to anyone within the racing bubble, the rest of the world has other things to worry about. They may well appreciate the Derby’s place in the rich tapestry of British sport, but do not necessarily wake up on the first Saturday in June in the certain knowledge that it must be Derby day. What they need is a nudge. And when the sport’s grandest events were on the BBC, that is what they got. It might have been via an item on The One Show, a plug after EastEnders or a reality show, or a mention in the sports slot on the morning news, because even in the multi-channel age, millions of Britons switch on the BBC – on either television or radio – when they wake up, and leave it there all day. Channel 4 is a minority channel, and always will be. The viewing figures are not falling so much as finding their natural level. No matter how hard it tries, Channel 4 cannot hope to nudge anything like as many viewers as the BBC and so, year by year, the Derby will drift ever further off the general public’s radar. The BBC was often criticised in the past for showing no interest in racing beyond the “crown jewels”: the Derby, Grand National and Royal Ascot. What is now starting to become apparent is the sport’s extraordinary arrogance in thinking that we were doing them a favour when, in the long term, the benefit to racing was immense. Unfortunately a small group of people who knew a lot about the immediate price of things and understood nothing at all about their long-term value decided to hand Channel 4 a four-year monopoly on terrestrial racing in return for £20m. It is much too late to undo the deal, or repair the damage, and the consequences of its short-sighted stupidity will still be felt long after those responsible have moved on to “pursue new challenges” elsewhere or perhaps just spend more time with their money. Criticism of Channel 4’s coverage misses the point that, when it comes to major events which attract viewers from outside the sport’s core audience, people are not switching on and then switching off again in disgust. They are not switching on in the first place. Channel 4 has put a lot of time and effort into its coverage and, though it will never please everyone, its senior executives may well conclude, when the time comes to renegotiate, that it has given racing its best shot without getting the value it hoped for from its £20m. They could put on old movies on Saturday afternoon and get better ratings. And with the BBC now out of the game, what might the rights be worth next time if no one else is bidding? All concerned will hope earnestly for some good news from this week’s viewing figures but they may be wishing for an audience that was sold for a fast buck when the monopoly deal was done, and sold for good.

[mowgli77]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? How did people find the Royal Ascot coverage then on Ch4 and what did you think of Gok? I've been recording it each day but then fast forwarding on x30 to skip all the fashion rubbish out and stop the forwarding as they enter the stalls so I can't give an honest assessment of their coverage. I've seen a lot of praise for the RUK coverage on Twitter but not so much so for the Ch4 coverage apart from all the positive tweets Ch4 keep retweeting. I saw some stupid charades thing they were doing when trying to guess Starspangledbanner and just didn't see how that fit into a programme about Royal Ascot. Maybe it was just a fun segment but it felt cringeworthy and pointless. I recorded Morning Line and just deleted them all, couldn't be bothered watching them back. I don't mind Gok wan but maybe not on a racing programme, not sure how that worked out all week and what was Frankie Dettori like? Was he insightful or just towing the party line without an opinion?

[erhaab1965]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? As usual I disliked the C4 coverage of Royal Ascot just like in previous years when it was on the BBC. Get rid of the fashion. Make an effort to appeal to the proper racing fans. I want more featurettes,betting and industry news,interviews,maybe some overseas coverage and most importantly horses. I did however enjoy all the races on the card unlike in the past where I'd have to catch the final two races in the bookies , well done for that. Racing hasn't lost its appeal, it has always been a niche sport and will continue to be so. Nowadays who needs to be sat in the armchair when racing begins? Never before have i been able to watch live racing whilst sat in an office block toilet cubicle. It's fantastic. All those years of recording C4 racing and The Racing Channel and labelling and archiving them now seems such hard work. Anybody want for free thousands of copies of the Racing Post, Weekender, RFO and over a thousand VHS recordings of racing? What a long way we have come in such a short space of time,all that information can now be accessed by a device which fits in your back pocket.

[corky]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? tv figures may have slumped,but is it not the case that maybe more people are watching in so much more on other devices??in days gone by it was only on the one channel now we have 2,and all the other computers,fones ect are racecourses showing bigger crowds now??? my local runs a bus 4 times a year and they are booked out months in advance, would be more but we only run them on sundays,next one 2 weeks today at ayr,and there is a possibility that another bus will be added,and i personally attend more meeting than i did when i was much younger,its fair to say i have been at more meeting in last 5 years than the previous 20

[Darran]

Re: C4 Derby TV figures slump. Has Racing lost its appeal? I don't have RUK (way too expensive and any races I want to watch when I am not at work I will have had a bet on) and I don't know how they can claim to have done the most in-depth coverage ever given all the other meetings they had to show especially on Friday and Saturday. As for C4 it was decent enough, but they need to get rid of some of the team. Fitzgerald would be where I would start, he adds little to a jumps card let alone a Flat card that he hasn't a clue about. You can tell he does no research. The 3 interviewers are also useless and the Cunningham/McGrath team is too old fashioned and they need at least one younger person featuring. As for the fashion I thought Lee Mottershead summed it up nicely in the Post yesterday. Like it or not fashion is a part of Royal Ascot and it always will be. It is right that C4 and the BBC before it cover it and I thought the amount of time it was given was about right. I think Racing has become like Greyhound Racing in that people like going for a day/night out, but just aren't interested enough to watch it on TV or follow the sport closely enough. The decision to move everything to C4 has sped that up because less people find out about the coverage because it is not on the BBC. It was a fantastic meeting yet because of Ascot's decision to go with RUK it will have been watched by the fewest people ever.