BBC loses Grand National, Ascot and the Derby

[taxman]

Channel 4 have beaten the BBC to the contract to show the most prestigious horse races.

 

The BBC has claimed that they put in as competitive bid as possible given the current economic climate.

[HeadingNorth]

The BBC is hamstrung by not being interested in racing for the other 48 weeks of the year; the only want to show Cheltenham and these three meetings.

 

It would not surprise me if C4's bid was, again, an offer of no money and a veiled threat that if they didn't secure all three meetings they'd stop showing racing every Saturday...

[quisquose]

The BBC is hamstrung by not being interested in racing for the other 48 weeks of the year; the only want to show Cheltenham and these three meetings.

 

It would not surprise me if C4's bid was, again, an offer of no money and a veiled threat that if they didn't secure all three meetings they'd stop showing racing every Saturday...

 

It wouldn't surprise me either, but a reporter on the Today programme this morning claimed that C4's bid was double that of the BBC's.

 

Still, it is right that the channel really interested in the betting game sport gets to cover the main events.

[alchresearch]

The BBC has to fund things like this somehow:

 

BBC's £15,000 travel bill for Gary Lineker's chauffeur ride from Salford to London (on top of the £2million salary)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2116217/Match-Day-BBCs-15-000-travel-Gary-Linekers-chauffeur-ride-Salford-London.html

 

and:

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2113300/BBC-spends-thousands-giving-staff-lucrative-pay-offs--hires-range-salaries-perks-pensions.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

 

(The DM is on a mission against the Beeb it seems!)

[CorkerSWFC]

Have to say I'm glad, channel 4's coverage of the Cheltenham festival was spot on.