[TV] TV graphics/sponsorship

[nicanary]

Something has been bugging me for a while, and it's just been reinforced by watching the BTCC on ITV4. It's the same on other commercial channels, such as Eurosport or MotorsTV.

When the graphics come on screen to advise the viewers of the cars/drivers they are currently watching, or a listing is shown of the current leading positions, they hardly ever include the make of car involved. We all know that the days of rich amateurs are long gone in most forms of the sport, and that sponsorship is essential and should be encouraged, but are we pandering to the patrons to too great a degree? I'm assuming here that the TV companies are providing viewer-info in this form in order to placate the money-boys.

According to ITV, 3rd place in the last race was taken by a Dynojet. When the Le Mans Series is on, sometimes just the names of the drivers are shown. I don't follow any one particular formula or series, and they are now so numerous that it's probably difficult for anyone to do so.It stands to reason, in my mind, that viewers need as much info as possible.

Am I alone here? Digital technology would make the provision of more details on screen a formality. I can't imagine that the BBC would be happy to show just the teams/sponsors' names - gratuitous advertising is anathema to them.

I can barely recognise the makes in the BTCC anyway because of the artwork, and decals. Does anyone agree with me, or am I being my usual pedantic self?

[chunder]

Money makes the worlds go round fella

it matters not a jot what the car is as long as you can see who the sponsors are!

Remember the Petronas engine, the Dupont Chevrolet etc.

We are the 52nd state, and no mroe so than now!

[nicanary]

Ain't that the truth.

Still can't see why the graphic can't run to including the make of car. What's the point of a championship if the public don't know what car to go out and buy? (win on Sunday, sell on Monday).

[Dave Brand]

Originally Posted by nicanary

Still can't see why the graphic can't run to including the make of car. What's the point of a championship if the public don't know what car to go out and buy? (win on Sunday, sell on Monday).

Pointless really when the cars you see racing on TV bear no relationship to the cas the dealers are selling. A rear-wheel-drive Aldi?

[nicanary]

So it's not a Touring Car championship then, just a sort of silhouette formula?. Then what's the point?

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by nicanary

Still can't see why the graphic can't run to including the make of car. What's the point of a championship if the public don't know what car to go out and buy? (win on Sunday, sell on Monday).

I can understand your point for a manufacturer driven championship, but that's not what the BTCC is these days. Aside from Honda and MG there's no factory backed teams.

What you saw was the team name - Dynojet is the name of the team that ran the third place car. Why should Toyota get the PR benefit when they contribute little more than good will to the programme?

[NaBUru38]

Argentine announcers keep naming manufacturers. First because there are lots of Ford, Chevy, etc families / fans, same as in football. Second, manufacturers spend a lot of money in sponsorship, especially in Argentine TC2000. Third, people love manufacturers and drivers, nobody cares about teams.

However, with so many drivers (>45 in Turismo Carretera, under 25 in the other two because of new cars), it's impossible to list manufacturers. They take too much screen space.

- o -

On another subject, I used to follow F1 races well. I could tell the top 6 or 8 easily. Buy now I keep forgetting. I thaink that it's not just me getting more stupid, bu because the new flat graphics don't suit me. I loved the 3- or 4-row lists, I looked at them and remembered the positions for several minutes. The tiny horizontal graphics are impossible for me to remember. I don't like American crawling graphics either.

Also, I often forget the time gaps. Except for IndyCar ovals, I'd prefer gaps to be presented in tenths, not miliseconds. If I look +5.8 and three laps later +3.6, I see that the following car is getting closer. But from +5.861 to +3.629... I can't catch anything.

[morningview66]

I really believe in the FIA GT world championship, the organisers (SRO) have gone down the route of only allowing 1 team per manufacturer so they can refer to each team as the manufacturer.

So the audi team WRT are referred to as Audi, Hexis are referred to as Mclaren, AF Corse Ferrari and so on.

Maybe in this way the manufacturers will be encouraged to add more support to the series to make sure their cars are at the front.

[nicanary]

Originally Posted by redshoes

I can understand your point for a manufacturer driven championship, but that's not what the BTCC is these days. Aside from Honda and MG there's no factory backed teams.

What you saw was the team name - Dynojet is the name of the team that ran the third place car. Why should Toyota get the PR benefit when they contribute little more than good will to the programme?

That's the point though - I really don't care who the team are. Surely TV is put on for the benefit of the viewers, not the people who sponsor or prepare the cars. Otherwise the TV company is simply pandering to the mores of the hype/PR brigade. It represents the dumbness of the public if they accept this.

The viewers surely don't care a hoot who is sponsoring a car - they want to know who the driver is, and what sort of car he/she is driving. Please don't let us go the way of the US, where advertising is everything. Might as well have a control formula, with a standard issue car.

[ScotsBrutesFan]

The simple fact for the BTCC are that the drivers drive for teams not manufacturers.

Therefore the drivers championship has the drivers names and the teams they drive for.
The TV then goes on to Show Teams championship and manufacturers championship..of which there are only 2 entries.

[ECW Dan Selby]

Originally Posted by NaBUru38

On another subject, I used to follow F1 races well. I could tell the top 6 or 8 easily. Buy now I keep forgetting. I thaink that it's not just me getting more stupid, bu because the new flat graphics don't suit me. I loved the 3- or 4-row lists, I looked at them and remembered the positions for several minutes. The tiny horizontal graphics are impossible for me to remember. I don't like American crawling graphics either.

Also, I often forget the time gaps. Except for IndyCar ovals, I'd prefer gaps to be presented in tenths, not miliseconds. If I look +5.8 and three laps later +3.6, I see that the following car is getting closer. But from +5.861 to +3.629... I can't catch anything.

I agree with this, actually.

I'd never thought about it, but actually the old-school style of graphics did 'settle in' to my head alot easier!

Selby

[redshoes]

Originally Posted by nicanary

That's the point though - I really don't care who the team are. Surely TV is put on for the benefit of the viewers, not the people who sponsor or prepare the cars. Otherwise the TV company is simply pandering to the mores of the hype/PR brigade. It represents the dumbness of the public if they accept this.

The viewers surely don't care a hoot who is sponsoring a car - they want to know who the driver is, and what sort of car he/she is driving. Please don't let us go the way of the US, where advertising is everything. Might as well have a control formula, with a standard issue car.

I think you are doing the viewing public a disservice. This year we have two teams running Hondas for example and the difference between those two team is quite significant. I think viewers who follow the series can and do understand the importance of which team is running the cars.

[nicanary]

I know that I can be a cantankerous old git, but I'm quite happy to accept the rationale of the majority. Still can't see why ITV4 can't just run to a few extra letters on their graphic though - just because the car isn't a works entry doesn't mean that we don't want to know what it is.

The GT cars are covered in so much lurid paintwork and decals that I have trouble identifying them - I can tell a 458 from a Gaillardo on the street, but they look unrecognisable on the track, as if they are a camouflaged prototype on a test run. I need to be told what I'm looking at.

I have assumed that there is some sort of contractual obligation between the BTCC and ITV which stipulates that they have to give prominence to the sponsoring teams.(I come from a family of "Mr.Angrys" who abhor enforced hype - my dad always turned the TV to the BBC for 2/3 mins when adverts came on, he considered them suitable only for cretinaceous monkeys!).

By the way, Mr.Ryder - if it's "toooooring cars", then you should pronounce ITV4 as ITVFooooor.

Regards, Angry of Tunbridge Wells.

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by nicanary

Something has been bugging me for a while, and it's just been reinforced by watching the BTCC on ITV4. It's the same on other commercial channels, such as Eurosport or MotorsTV.

When the graphics come on screen to advise the viewers of the cars/drivers they are currently watching, or a listing is shown of the current leading positions, they hardly ever include the make of car involved. We all know that the days of rich amateurs are long gone in most forms of the sport, and that sponsorship is essential and should be encouraged, but are we pandering to the patrons to too great a degree? I'm assuming here that the TV companies are providing viewer-info in this form in order to placate the money-boys.

According to ITV, 3rd place in the last race was taken by a Dynojet. When the Le Mans Series is on, sometimes just the names of the drivers are shown. I don't follow any one particular formula or series, and they are now so numerous that it's probably difficult for anyone to do so.It stands to reason, in my mind, that viewers need as much info as possible.

Am I alone here? Digital technology would make the provision of more details on screen a formality. I can't imagine that the BBC would be happy to show just the teams/sponsors' names - gratuitous advertising is anathema to them.

I can barely recognise the makes in the BTCC anyway because of the artwork, and decals. Does anyone agree with me, or am I being my usual pedantic self?

The TV companies build their graphics with timing data from the timekeepers.
The timekeepers take the driver names and team names from the entry list. Basically whatever the person entering the championship writes on their form is what will appear on the TV, and on the results sheets, and in the programme, and any other official documentation.

...And you'll find that the BBC are far more likely to have gratuitous sponsor mentions on their sport coverage than any commercial channel, because they aren't covered by the Ofcom rules on undue prominence.

[nicanary]

Thanks Sceptic. That's the sort of info that will calm me down, and stave off the paramedics.

I've been meaning to mention the Indy-racing graphics - I agree with the earlier post that the "crawling " graphics are really difficult to read.The placings used by the Beeb for F1 at least stay in position for a few seconds for you to assimilate the info.

Younger eyes I suppose have less of a problem. Anyone used to computer games or smartphones will have become accustomed to fast-moving images and colourful graphics. Time for me to leave following it on TV - back to the steam radio.

[Paradise City]

Whoever does the DTM graphics should be arrested forthwith. The manufacturer emblems are there but the three little letters for the drivers bug me.

[nicanary]

Just been watching the MotorsTV coverage of Castle Combe - The graphics showed the driver and car only. OK it's just a glorified club meeting, but as I said before, the tV coverage is for the benefit of the viewer, not the sponsor or advertiser. Any exposure they get is a by-product.The huge crowds at BTCC meets and the large number of TV viewers they get should get them the exposure they want without forcing it on the public watching at home.

When Lewis or Jenson win, they are not shown as driving a Vodafone, and let's face it, F1 is the most commercial-sponsorship orientated of all motor sports. yet Sky and the Beeb don't feel the need to include the team sponsors on the graphics.If the high cost of participating today is such a problem, why not revert to near-standard cars for the BTCC, thereby reducing the need to attract sponsors? It'll bring bigger and more varied fields ,too.

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by nicanary

When Lewis or Jenson win, they are not shown as driving a Vodafone, and let's face it, F1 is the most commercial-sponsorship orientated of all motor sports.

Yes they are. The team is called Vodafone McLaren Mercedes on the TV graphics.

[nicanary]

Originally Posted by sceptic

Yes they are. The team is called Vodafone McLaren Mercedes on the TV graphics.

Wow. That shows how much attention I pay. All GP races are recorded on Sky+ in my house, so I can watch only what I want to see.

I thereby manage to skip all those fawning interviews with hangers-on etc. and the dumb "podium" malarkey. Obviously I have also managed to miss any enforced promotion from the prawn sandwich munchers.

Oh for the days of the rich amateur - what would Jenks think of it all?

[Ian Sowman]

Originally Posted by sceptic

The TV companies build their graphics with timing data from the timekeepers.
The timekeepers take the driver names and team names from the entry list. Basically whatever the person entering the championship writes on their form is what will appear on the TV, and on the results sheets, and in the programme, and any other official documentation.

But that doesn't really answer the original question, as the data from TSL includes the car details...

[nicanary]

Originally Posted by Ian Sowman

But that doesn't really answer the original question, as the data from TSL includes the car details...

Good point. As a life-long conspiracy theorist, I think that this is because that's the way the sponsors want it. If you don't play ball, they threaten to withdraw.

Sorry, but I pay the TV licence and the satellite subscription -I don't give a fig who the team is sponsored by.

[redshoes]

As we are talking about a BTCC meeting then I suspect the choice of graphics may be driven by the make up of the meeting. All the support events are single make championships - little point in telling you that the winner in the Clio Cup was driving a Renault Clio, or that all three drivers on the Carrera Cup podium were driving Porsches - so for those events showing the team name makes more sense. Rather than set up two different extracts from the timing data - one for driver/team and one for driver/car - it's obviously easier to use the same set-up for the BTCC races as well.

For the MotorsTV Castle Combe raceday, showing car details make more sense than showing team details since in most cases the entrant will simply be 'driver'.

nicanary, I don't get why you are so anti-sponsors. Earlier you mentioned you missed the 'win on Sunday, sell on Monday' ethos. Isn't that just another form of getting the sponsors message across. Does it matter if we are talking about a car manufacturer, an energy drink or maker of widgets, they are all looking at sponsorship as a way to get that Monday sale.

[nicanary]

I agree that I'm a bit over the top. The "win on Sunday,sell on Monday" philosophy works if people know what sort of car won the race. At present, with the BTCC, this isn't clearly evident.

I just hate advertising/sponsorship being forced down my throat. I can see what it says on the car without it being repeated ad nauseam.Oh for the days of one TV channel, with Raymond Baxter providing all the info we needed. Bet he wouldn't have licked up to them.

Pool petrol, food rationing, clothes coupons.....wonderful days.

[DAVID PATERSON]

I watched the BTCC the other day and I have to agree with the OP. Aside from the MG & Honda, I had no idea what type of cars were listed on the results graphic. I also agree that the sameness of the cars and the cartoonish bodykits make many of the cars look rather similar.

[chunder]

Lol, thats hilarious coming from someone who lives where you do and the foremost championship for saloon cars is basically a sponsors war!

And their tv coverage refers to nearly everything as the **** start, the **** pole, the **** **** moment of the race!

It doesnt bother me, I really dont giove a damn, as long as you the viewer knows whats going on who cares.

And besides, I certainly will admit to buying a few products from sponsors simply because they sponsor motorsport. Not many but I do.

No other sport would have that affect on me, but yes I will drink Monster, buy Boost bars and try the odd new thing that sponsors a team or event.