Yesterday, I put the live internet stream on my TV via an HDMI cable and realised how good it looked. Isn’t it about time the BBC or another broadcaster caught on? It’s got everything sport on TV needs – even my non-mountain biking girlfriend thought so!

no no no no no and NO!!!

Keep it off the BBC or mainstream TV, current coverage is far better
We don’t need Clare Balding and Chris Boardman getting involved

besides with my Smart TV and the Red Bull app I can watch it on the telly in HD anyway 😉

Nope, it still doesn’t make a good spectator sport imo. Racing against the clock rarely does look good, yesterday was good when the top 15 or so started coming down, Ft Bill didn’t look special at any point and this years World Champs aren’t going to be the most spectacular either.

NO! that way lies corporate sponsorship by car companies and banks, riders becoming over paid hypersensitive fashionistas and before you know it, SKY have bought it.

Better now when no-one else gives a ****.

Sorry have to agree a full 3 hrs of DH finals would inevitably be compressed into 20 minutes of easy on the brain viewing for the vaguely interested, with some cue card reading bobber introduced to the sport ten minutes before going on air.

Nah keep the inter web streaming and Warner being allowed to get away with the odd swear / offensive / inappropriate remark…

The beeb did cover the world champs when it was held at fort bill a few years ago and channel 4 sometimes stick aan edited highlights show from a WC round on at odd hours to fill their schedule. But TBH keep MTBing coverage out of the mainstream, for most licence payers if it ain’t football, rugby or cricket they won’t GAF, so it’s a waste of time/money paying for the rights.

If they weren’t hypersensitive fashionistas, they would still be wearing bodysuits in DH ccompetitions 😉

…Warner being allowed to get away with the odd swear / offensive / inappropriate remark…

…tighter than a nipple clamp…
…let a chocolate hostage out…

It wouldn’t be the same with him!

I think, if done properly, it can look great – both DH and XC, but it shouldn’t be the mainstream channels: Eurosport would probably do a decent job.

I do think the current coverage is pretty good, but the lack of cameras in all parts of the track/course really gets on my nerves.

I also disagree that “against the clock” sports are dull: Look at track cycling, downhill skiing, motor racing qualifying (more interesting than the race itself) etc.

Eurosport would probably do a decent job

No they really don’t when its on Eurosport its unwatchable
The commentator guy was next to useless and always about 20 seconds behind the action

No they really don’t when its on Eurosport its unwatchable
The commentator guy was next to useless and always about 20 seconds behind the action

But that was half-arsed highlights. If they got the contract to do the official coverage, I bet they’d be a lot better.

What we really need is for Redbull to get their own tv channel.

world champs were on Eurosport or something a year or so back. highlights only. somehow they managed to make the entire programme a total of about 4 riders… ie the ladies gold medal and the mens gold/silver/bronze. And even then it was highlights of what are already cut down runs (cameras don’t cover the entire course).

Wonder what the coverage of the commonwealth games will be like..

The new bt sports tv package says ‘selected Redbull programming’, so maybe they’ll be showing some?

Watched val do sole with two non cycling friends on Sunday. They were gripped: “when is the next race?”

What we really need is for Redbull to get their own tv channel

they have one http://www.redbull.tv
I can watch on iphone, ipad and smart TV, just the same as iplayer and all the catch up TV, it costs less (free) than Sky Sports or Eurosport

No, you would not get Warner exclaiming “That would have opened up his a**e hole like a vintage golf bag” after a near crash by Danny Hart.

perfect as it is.

Nope, it still doesn’t make a good spectator sport imo.

I watched it then re watched the top 10’s with the missus, great to see, shame there was a few less cameras that Ft Bill but thats the down side of tracks in the woods.

leave it as is, coverage has been excellent for the first two races, I also play it through the tv and watched the top 10 a second time.

Still laughing at “chocolate hostage”

I thought Sunday’s coverage was excellent, I was glued. Dunno if it has mainstream appeal.

Yes the beeb keep dropping sports maybe this could be one to adopt. Not sure Warner would meet with BBC criteria though…lol

The reason the beeb are dropping mainstream sports is because they don’t have any money to buy the rights, so they ain’t going to be picking up new ones anytime soon. Leave it as it is IMO.

Not sure Warner would meet with BBC criteria though

Was much more “professional” on X-Fighters, but that was as co-host with the snowboard dude off ski sunday (iirc).

edit: but yeah – he could prolly get away with C4 sport, which is at sill hours like 7am on a Sunday, but can’t see the beeb letting him past an audition in a hurry.

preferred his efforts on Freecaster personally. Drinking beers in the portacabin commentary box, and having to leave half way thru live on air to take a leak.

I must say that I’m very impressed with red bull. The coverage is better than it ever was, the quality is brilliant, Rob Warner is still there AND IT’S FREE!

Bravo, Red Bull.

not just coverage, but bandwidth too 🙂
no glitches, lag or plain overloading at all this year so far on redbull.

Redbull TV gets big thumbs up from me.

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

Agree that it’s great on Redbull. Quality isn’t bad, streaming doesn’t drop. I have no idea why you would want this on mainstream tv. Not least I’d have to pay a license, but they’d just ruin it and totally dumm it down.

Yeah Red Bull TV’s coverage has impressed me.

Media streaming for this sort of content is the way forward. Reaches a global audience without the need for broadcast arrangements in different jurisdictions and territories. It makes sense for niche sports to be shown in this way

I also disagree that “against the clock” sports are dull: Look at track cycling, downhill skiing, motor racing qualifying (more interesting than the race itself) etc.

Imagine track was just a straight line instead of laps……. one get to see ech rider once, not very good for spectators
Skiing is much, much faster and the wide pistes allow for better coverage
Motorsport qualifying is basically a jam session. Single lap qualifying, with one car on track at a time, is dull.

All IMO of course

its fine where it is

if anyone wants to push it towards the mainstream what about that “The Cycle Show” from ITV4 sorting out a highlights program?

The Adventure Show does an article from the FW round every year, and it’s generally pretty good- much more of a public view than a fan’s view though.

Watching the wee snips on the tv news before FW this year was almost embarassing, they kept interviewing the, er, less articulate riders and showing uninteresting riding from practice, it all seemed slow and kind of brain dead.

+1 on Red Bull TV being aceness (due in large part to Warner!)

It’s on my TV for nowt thanks to the interweb and magic, and I like it very much. I spent an hour or so on Father’s Day watching the WC on the big telly with my sons, they loved it 🙂

It works perfectly as it is – streamed directly onto the tv and available to watch afterwards at any time

I do wish we could see more of the earlier racers though, not just the last 30, also the way they time delay the womens means you have to stay away from social media to avoid shimano etc. telling you who won

imagine, Gary Lineker doing the commentary.

just let the full horror of that thought sink in.

anyway…

i’m much more interested in seeing the top 10 women race, than the slowest 30 men.

send the slowest qualifiers down first, then the 10 fastest women*, then the 10 fastest men*.

(*or vice versa, the womens’ racing is brutal!)

I don’t see the BBC sponsoring Formula 1, extreme events, biking, etc etc – hats off to Red Bull

i’m much more interested in seeing the top 10 women race, than the slowest 30 men.

send the slowest qualifiers down first, then the 10 fastest women*, then the 10 fastest men*.

Much as I’m a fan of Rachel A, going from 11th place man to 10th place woman would be a hell of a change of pace when you consider RA would have finished outside of the top 70 mens, and outside of the top 30 juniors. Wouldn’t make for riveting viewing. It should go women, juniors, elite men so that there’s a constant increase in pace.

[controversy]
Maybe the women should go down a different course, just like every Alpine Skiing discipline?
[/controversy]

[controversy]
Maybe the women should go down a different course, just like every Alpine Skiing discipline?
[/controversy]

There certainly is a case for that when you see all bar Ragot and Rach casing some of the bigger jumps.