ITV drop live qualifying again

With just three crucial qualifying sessions and three vital races left in 2006, British viewers won’t get to see at least one of them, thanks to ITV.
Even though the qualifying session at Shanghai in China will be taking place very early in the morning in British time, ITV are not showing it live.
The company runs the terrestrial ITV1 and digital ITV2 and ITV3 channels (ITV4 not being on air during the qualifying), but apparently cannot find room in their schedules for this vital part of the championship.
Yet again, ITV are treating British F1 fans with total contempt.

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ITV will not be showing the qualifying session for this weekend’s Malaysian Grand Prix live on terrestrial television, despite the action taking place early in the morning in Britain. The qualifying session will be screened from 5.30am-7.15am, but only on the digital channel ITV3. ITV1 will carry a tape-delayed replay of qualifying at 1.10pm, and the live race at 6am on Sunday.
On Saturday morning ITV1 will instead show “ITV Early Morning News” and children’s TV programmes, “Boobah”, “Pocoyo”, “Fun Song Factory”, “Jo Jo’s Circus” and “Dora the Explorer.” Bernie Ecclestone was not available for comment on whether he approves of his multi-billion dollar sport being pre-empted for toddler television.



What the deuce?

What next, the rest of the motorsports coverage being replaced by Teletubbies??

yay i get live qualifying and race at a decent time

No more midnight races.

Dont you dare take Dora the Explorer away from me !?

Quote from thisnameistaken :

Meh... Tape delay, I don't care so long as I see quali before the race.

And I have to admit I really like Pocoyo! That duck (Pato?) is fricking awesome.

Just for the immature kev http://www.pocoyo.com/

Quote from thisnameistaken :

Thanks, but I actually visited that last night.

Hey I was looking for a new desktop!

Choose your pick

http://images.google.co.uk/ima ... tures&sa=N&tab=wi

This one is my fav one http://www.boomspeed.com/incompleted/pocoyo.bmp

GO go pocoyo

http://video.google.co.uk/vide ... 929577567094&q=pocoyo

Quote from rc10racer :

GO go pocoyo

http://video.google.co.uk/vide ... 929577567094&q=pocoyo

haha thats awesome! i wish they showed that here

Quote from thisnameistaken :

Meh... Tape delay, I don't care so long as I see quali before the race.

And I have to admit I really like Pocoyo! That duck (Pato?) is fricking awesome.

That program is addictive. My little'un has to put up with his dad watching it...

Quote from thisnameistaken :

Edit: Incidentally, I ended up with this one!

Get Eric on the case. What do you think its BL1 time would be?

In my view ALL children's TV should be banned. That would sort that crap out. Actually, only have NFL network (a US Cable channel) and Motors TV (with F1 rights). Oh yes, and a childrens TV free BBC1 and BBC3. Just for Spooks, Hustle and I'm with stupid tho'.

Quote from duke_toaster :

Actually, only have NFL network (a US Cable channel) and Motors TV (with F1 rights).

Ahhh motorstv, the so near and yet so far channel.

In a few ways it's the perfect channel, but in other ways I just can't stand watching it. The production levels are terrible, the picture quality is well sub-par, it's repeat central, there's too much random stuff about trains to make it the first channel you turn to when there's nothing else on, the commentators are generally awful and there's just no class to it. Obviously it's done on the cheap, but I wish Eurosport would take it over or something, so they can do justice to some of the licenses MotorsTV have and broadcast a good picture whilst they do it.

Back to the topic though. It's fairly typical of ITV. They have a "we have the license so we can do what we like and they'll just keep watching" attitude.

well frankly i aint really fussed, I havent watched a single qualifying session this year. Mainly due to the strange qualy format they decided on now and the fact that i cant be arsed to watch it on itv when every 15 minutes you get adverts thrown in. I have watched few races this year but the number of times itv disrubt the broadcast with adverts puts me off. I just cant be arsed with ITV. When will BBC get the license back!

It doesnt really surprise me that they have scrapped live qualifying for the next 3 races as they are all held in the early hours of the morning and hardly anyone will watch them live so they would rather fill up the hour and a half show with some other crap that runs through the night like "The Mint", "Mums on Strike" and "Date My daughter" some examples of tonights line up on ITV...illepall

I couldn't give a toss that I can't watch qualifying live on terrestrial. I'm not going to bother to wake up to watch it anyway so the fact I'd have to watch it downstairs on the freeview boxs makes no difference. Frankly I'd rather they used that space to show some decent racing, even if it's only club racing that they can obtain for next to nothing.

Of course id much rather be entertained by the mint, or some other ring in and win quiz program

ITV are getting worse, first they screw up the cover, now they dont cover. What next, no F1?

Please ITV, let the BBC cover it, then there will be no breaks.

No Japanese qualifying on ITV either

ITV have delivered another blow to Formula One fans hoping to watch the thrilling denouement of this year’s championship live.The broadcaster will not show the qualifying session for the Japanese Grand Prix live.
They are also refusing to show the same session for the Chinese Grand Prix live.
As ever the only recourse for F1 fans is to complain directly to ITV. They do at least appear to be acknowledging such complaints, so it is definitely worth contacting them via dutyoffice@itv.com to register your disapproval. You never know, they might just find a way to squeeze it onto some digital channel or something, if nothing else.

Quote from sil3ntwar :

haha thats awesome! i wish they showed that here

wow i just found out they do show it here and its on in 10 minutes

Yea, that sucks, as I only really watch ITV coverage.