Man down. TV ratings up. The cobbles proved controversial, especially with Frank Schleck going out of the race. But for me at least, their inclusion in the race is fine. It’s all about the quantity of pavé. Past visits have included a lot of more stretches of cobbles, for me under 14km is fine, especially … Read more
Having watched the Dauphiné on French TV it was nice to be able to watch the race on a proper TV screen rather than a pirate feed over the internet. But it wasn’t perfect thanks to the commentary on France Télévisions. The pair of sports generalist Thierry Adam and ex-rider Laurent Jalabert doesn’t work. Thierry … Read more
American cycling fans were denied TV images from the Tour of California yesterday because of the rain. But the Giro d’Italia has seen rain on almost every day but manages to broadcast extensive coverage. How come? Air powerThe Tour of California is relying on helicopters for overhead shots but the same helicopters also “relay” the … Read more
Saturday’s Giro stage was epic and already a highlight of the 2010 season. But what makes for stunning television is not necessarily sport. Penelope Pitsop defending the Maglia Rosa from the Equipo Formicaio To reduce the argument to the absurd, imagine a race organiser spraying oil on hairpin bends and digging large potholes to trap … Read more
Those images of cols packed with spectators for the Tour de France doesn’t necessarily mean the entire French nation is interested in cycling. Paris-Roubaix got some decent audience figures but today the Amstel Gold is on but you can’t watch it on French TV, unless you have the specialist satellite/cable channel Eurosport. 18 channels, nothing … Read more
This weekend’s rugby match between France and England will be broadcast in 3D, for more on this click here. In short, there will be extra 3D cameras present at the game and people will be able to visit a cinema in France or Britain to watch the broadcasts. Well it’s also coming to cycling. France … Read more
A tale of two audiencesYou’re probably male and aged between 25 and 45. No, this blog doesn’t have some high-tech way to monitor readership, it’s more that men in this age group are the biggest followers of cycling in the US, UK and Australia and other English speaking countries. But this isn’t the case in … Read more