Channel 4 for boxing?

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 31 Mar 2006, 07:00

I've got a contact at Channel 4 who is going to put me in touch with someone who controlls their sports programming. Apprently they are looking around for sports coverage as they have lost the cricket to Sky, so I'm going to try and petition them and see if they think buying in some international boxing coverage might be of interest them.

If anyone is interested in pitching in with some support when I get the person's details let me know.

I'm probably pissing in the wind, but it's worth a go.

TerribleTerry · Post by **TerribleTerry** » 31 Mar 2006, 07:02

C4 flirted with Thai boxing many years ago but its always struck me as far too right-on/PC to even touch boxing with a 5hitty stick - certainly not as a main programming line.

Still, I could be well wrong.

Old bones Ian · Post by **Old bones Ian** » 31 Mar 2006, 07:12

I'd be interested in the details, I've not got SKY so any boxing on terrestial TV is good for me

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 31 Mar 2006, 07:17

TerribleTerry wrote:C4 flirted with Thai boxing many years ago but its always struck me as far too right-on/PC to even touch boxing with a 5hitty stick - certainly not as a main programming line.

Still, I could be well wrong.

You are probably right, as this is what has occured to me, but apparently at the moment they are desperate for sports coverage, and if you don't ask, you don't get.

They have a late night boxing show isn't it KOTV?

TerribleTerry · Post by **TerribleTerry** » 31 Mar 2006, 07:22

KOTV can be decent at times - wont show whole fights but does give the highlights of interesting matches we wouldnt normally see.

Still, that is tucked away in the wee small hours.

If you have an email for C4 I will send em one, its got to be worth asking the question..

Ezzard · Post by **Ezzard** » 31 Mar 2006, 07:38

TerribleTerry wrote:C4 flirted with Thai boxing many years ago but its always struck me as far too right-on/PC to even touch boxing with a 5hitty stick - certainly not as a main programming line.

Still, I could be well wrong.

I hope you're wrong. Even so there is always a way of selling these things. Boxing has always been the sport that has attracted the cream of literary talent and the imagination of a lot of artists. It's all about how you pitch the idea to them.

James what are your ideas for a show? I've been thinking about this for a long time. A straight old fashioned boxing show that we grew all up loving might well be a turn off for these middle class media luvvies, but the right format, pitched to them in the right way could be a winner.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 31 Mar 2006, 08:04

TerribleTerry wrote:KOTV can be decent at times - wont show whole fights but does give the highlights of interesting matches we wouldnt normally see.

Still, that is tucked away in the wee small hours.

If you have an email for C4 I will send em one, its got to be worth asking the question..

Don't have it yet.

REAL_DEAL · Post by **REAL_DEAL** » 31 Mar 2006, 08:19

as long as bravo dont get a hold of it.

Wales · Post by **Wales** » 31 Mar 2006, 08:31

HA HA ... was it a robin Reid show they purchased a while back... possibly the worst presentation of a boxing show ever... thinking about it they purchased 2 or 3 shows didnt they.

Chambers2 · Post by **Chambers2** » 31 Mar 2006, 08:44

I'll fire off an e-mail to him when you get his details

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 31 Mar 2006, 08:47

Wales wrote:HA HA ... was it a robin Reid show they purchased a while back... possibly the worst presentation of a boxing show ever... thinking about it they purchased 2 or 3 shows didnt they.

Sounded like they were going to, but never did.

Whilst the presentation poor - in some ways ITV could learn, at least they showed the major undercard fights in full.

JC · Post by JC » 31 Mar 2006, 08:49

The difference with channel 4 is, they are a “publishing house” in that they do not have an in-house production unit they commission all of their programming from external independent producers. Channel 4 cannot simply commission coverage by sending their sports department to cover it, they need a production company to do it for them. Off the top of my head I believe TV Corp did the cricket coverage

Channel 4 would either need to buy and show HBO's, ESPN's or whoever's coverage. Or would need to buy the rights and give it to an independent production company to take the coverage and build a show around it as they used to with Football Italia in the 90s.

What I'm really trying to say is while you can suggest a show to the BBC or ITV it's all becomes a little more complicated with channel 4. It becomes all the more complicated with boxing as you can't just buy the Premiership, Coca cola leagues or champions league you have to deal in individual fighters/event.

Having said that if the right company took on the job it could be excellent, a football Italia style mix of a magazine show and live or delayed coverage of big fights could be just what the doctor ordered.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 31 Mar 2006, 08:53

Yes, that's what my friend was explaining the me. There's nothing to stop them buying in HBO or Showtime fights though is there? They could show them on delay.

I wish I was a trained broadcaster

JC · Post by JC » 31 Mar 2006, 09:11

I don't see why not, Channel Five show ESPN's coverage of the NFL.

Or it might be ABC's, anyway which ever one John Madden is on.

the konformist · Post by **the konformist** » 31 Mar 2006, 09:46

J-C wrote:I don't see why not, Channel Five show ESPN's coverage of the NFL.

Or it might be ABC's, anyway which ever one John Madden is on.

It was both last season, though next year it will be NBC and ESPN. Sky do it all the time too, not just with the NFL but with things like IRL also. The problem with these though is that they all need to be complimented with a studio team, generally broadcasting in house from London. This is acceptable live and it works fine but when it's cut out of the highlight shows (on sky) it gives us pretty poor coverage of the events. Mightn't be as big a problem with boxing but it really hurts the NFL i find

lvlarc · Post by **lvlarc** » 31 Mar 2006, 11:07

J-C wrote:I don't see why not, Channel Five show ESPN's coverage of the NFL.

Or it might be ABC's, anyway which ever one John Madden is on.

Channel 5 also show ESPN's Friday Fight Night delayed every week at early hours of Saturday morning. They should be showing Eastman V Miranda tonight.

JC · Post by JC » 31 Mar 2006, 11:15

lvlarc_uk wrote:
J-C wrote:I don't see why not, Channel Five show ESPN's coverage of the NFL.

Or it might be ABC's, anyway which ever one John Madden is on.
Channel 5 also show ESPN's Friday Fight Night delayed every week at early hours of Saturday morning. They should be showing Eastman V Miranda tonight.

Good tip thanks

TerribleTerry · Post by **TerribleTerry** » 31 Mar 2006, 13:01

lvlarc_uk wrote:
J-C wrote:I don't see why not, Channel Five show ESPN's coverage of the NFL.

Or it might be ABC's, anyway which ever one John Madden is on.
Channel 5 also show ESPN's Friday Fight Night delayed every week at early hours of Saturday morning. They should be showing Eastman V Miranda tonight.

will C5 be allowed to now that sky have aquired it?

Manos de Oro · Post by **Manos de Oro** » 31 Mar 2006, 13:04

The more commentators the better.

lvlarc · Post by **lvlarc** » 31 Mar 2006, 13:07

TerribleTerry wrote:
lvlarc_uk wrote:
J-C wrote:I don't see why not, Channel Five show ESPN's coverage of the NFL.

Or it might be ABC's, anyway which ever one John Madden is on.
Channel 5 also show ESPN's Friday Fight Night delayed every week at early hours of Saturday morning. They should be showing Eastman V Miranda tonight.
will C5 be allowed to now that sky have aquired it?

Not sure will let you know, it's scheduled for 12:55 am.

hitman_hatton1 · Post by **hitman_hatton1** » 31 Mar 2006, 13:09

REAL_DEAL wrote:as long as bravo dont get a hold of it.

bravo's coverage ruled.

i haven't laughed so much since.

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 31 Mar 2006, 13:27

jamesmcdonnell wrote:If anyone is interested in pitching in with some support when I get the person's details let me know.

Let me know if I can help James.

I am sure anyone on this baord is interested in some more Boxing coverage on TV as long as it is of good quality.

Overseas action, classic bouts, documentary stuff etc etc

What is really annoying is the BBC & ITV must have loads of pre 90's British fights they could repeat in a 'Classic British Boxing' program, but I guess that is too much to ask even in this day of multiple channels.

deadpan · Post by **deadpan** » 02 Apr 2006, 14:30

A noble campaign, but I fear the only way we'll see a boxer amongst channel 4's programming dross is if Billy Schwer asks for help in flogging one of his houses.

glahn · Post by **glahn** » 02 Apr 2006, 15:06

I like this idea, and I think there's a chance of it working. C4 would probably put a better show together than most other channels, and the recent ITV ratings will no doubt have made them sit up and take notice. Boxing still has a good audience in this country, but it isn't being tapped into in anything like the way it should be. The only way to change that is to pressure the TV companies to cover the sport, and do it well.

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 02 Apr 2006, 15:28

glahn wrote:I like this idea, and I think there's a chance of it working. C4 would probably put a better show together than most other channels, and the recent ITV ratings will no doubt have made them sit up and take notice. Boxing still has a good audience in this country, but it isn't being tapped into in anything like the way it should be. The only way to change that is to pressure the TV companies to cover the sport, and do it well.

Problem is though is that live US boxing is not something that has been tested on terrestial TV for a long time.... and looking at some of my old tapes, I am not convinced of the ratings back in the day - many of the ITV regions (oh, those were the days - when ITV wasn't uniform tripe it is now) wouldn't opt to show the fight live, but only on delayed. HTV Wales was a bugger for this.... Was this down to poor ratings in Wales? I don't know.

So where else does that leave us.....

allegedly = ITV
Maloney = Sky
FA = Sky
Hennessey = Probably Sky
Matchroom = Sky.

Now, look at the boxrec schedules and if there is any other promoter who can put on a card good enough for terrestial TV then I haven't seen it.

With Warren's move to ITV, domestically we are probably in the best situation for TV coverage ever - the manopoly that Warren had on Sky has gone, and now Sky work with other promoters.

Channel 4 for boxing?

Channel 4 for boxing?

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