91Èȱ¬

I'm interested how you're planning to use the data you get from this blog post. As you've pretty much already explained, the people who comment here are already in your top few percent of technical ability by the fact that they follow a 91Èȱ¬ blog.

It seems like the opinions you really need are people who
a) Aren't especially tech-savvy, and aren't used to navigating the 91Èȱ¬ websites, and
b) appreciate the amount of data coming in, and the need to segment it in a useful way.

Now I don't know how many people are Venn diagram fans, but I can't see a lot of overlap in those two sets. Comments here, as well-natured as they may be, are probably just going to be self-reinforcing for the ideas you already have?

"For the first Games of the post-analogue era, almost everyone will have more choice than ever before;"

Well, aside from those in Northern Ireland and Newcastle-upon-Tyne of course.

I'm sure they'll be plenty of information on your website etc, which will be great for people like me who will use it a lot.

However it's vital to remember as well the older generation or the one's who are less technical, who will just use their TV magazines. My mum and dad for example will get the vast majority of their info form the Radio Times or from a newspaper. So don't forget to provide a lot of information to these publications, as well as all the modern ways of doing things.

What would be useful would be a Radio Times pullout, also downloadable from the website, giving a daily sport by sport listing, with the relevant 91Èȱ¬ channel coverage underneath each, rather than a channel by channel guide. For example, if you want to watch an England hockey qualifier, you can look up the hockey listing and go straight to the correct channel to view. If you can also show coverage by other non 91Èȱ¬ channels where 91Èȱ¬ may not be covering, that would also be useful.

Will you be providing extra coverage on local radio/tv of those sports held locally? For example, the Ricoh Arena in Coventry is hosting some of the football matches. Will 91Èȱ¬ Coventry and Warwickshire be providing commentary on all these matches, and not just the ones deemed to be of wider interest?

Oh dear no mention of 91Èȱ¬ World Service. Does this mean the excellent Olympic Sportsworld is no more ? I listen here in the US to Sportsworld every weekend and have listened to the Olympic programme they do from Sydney, Athens and Beijing. Really the 91Èȱ¬ at its best - I think they won an award for their coverage in 2008. London won't be the same without this programme. Is it a victim of the 91Èȱ¬ cuts ?

As someone who will be getting information from the website rather than the Radio Times, I agree with the suggestion for a daily listing for each sport. A channel listing can also be useful, for example, for knowing if it is possible to record something while at work, etc.

Is there any plan to make feeds that can be viewed via the red button content recordable by Sky+?

Maybe an obvious comment, but keep all listings as up to date as possible. With hockey for example, while the fixture lists for the pool matches are known well in advance, ensure that descriptions of the knockout matches inform us which teams are playing once this information is known. It's a bit annoying to be informed that a semi-final is going to be between Winner Pool 1 and Runner-up Pool 2, and have to go elsewhere to find out who the teams are.

@ReadingDave: Surely you mean GB rather than England?!

"If you want to watch table tennis live all day, you'll be able to."

Great News - It's good to know that I'll be able to watch all the table tennis. It's usually ignored by the 91Èȱ¬, so I'll be making the most of this opportunity (except when I'm at the Excel to watch it live of course).

Just to second ReadingDave's comment (#5). I think a lot of people will be starting from the base of knowing what they want to see, and wanting to know where to find it, rather than having to trawl through the channel lists circling what they want to see. I'm sure your IT bods can come up with some mega-interactive online planner!

Just to add my voice to what has already been sggested. I think a dedicated printed TV guide for your coverage throughout all platforms would be great, distributed through the national and local newspapers. Despite the likes of Sky TV guides and online guides, I still prefer to see what's on and plan what I watch through reading my tv guide I get with my paper.

My question regards the iplayer.

With so many events on at the same time, and with some viewers actually attending events while other events are on, iPlayer could become a heavily used tool. How much of the content you show - be it 91Èȱ¬1, 2, 3 or interactive, will actually end up on the iPlayer?

Please spare a thought for the older generations who may be housebound in front of their TVs, and maybe aren't internet-savy, or have a computer, and can't follow twitter, but still love the Olympics (I have a large number of elderly friends in mind, who fit this category). They grew up with the Radio Times, and would be very happy thumbing through a paper listing, which can live on their armrest, or in the zimmer pocket, and which they can pick up and read with a magnifying glass. Please, please, in this push for technology, dont' ignore the generations who gave birth to our athletes' parents...

I'm intrigued with the comment about "the athletics from 2 days ago." Does this mean we will also have a very large contingent of sports available on iPlayer too? Or only repeats of the highlights/summary shows on the flagship channels?

If the content can be found in a lot of places *and* a lot of times, you need more than a listing. How about an online query system that you can ask for a sport, and it gives you options? Or you specify a broadcast, and it tells you alternatives. Accessed via text, email, or twitter perhaps.

I'll hopefully be volunteering - so I'll be wanting to know what's going on around me as well as at other venues. Perhaps you can pre-register somes times & sports, and be sent updates as to what can be seen online; perhaps even getting updates when written stories are posted - a kind of multi-media RSS.

My view is that people will want the information in two ways:
1) I want to watch this sport/event, when is it on
2) What is on at this time
Online of course this information is easy to supply but there should be a printed guide which has the information in both formats. This could be distributed with the Radio Times and hopefully national newspapers would allow you to distribute with them as well (preferably without charging you for the privilege). Local radio/tv could help with the distribution as they'll be at events like the torch relay in the few weeks leading up to the games. This should be available in other formats such as large print.

The other important thing to communicate is any changes once the guide has gone to print. If there is no sailing due to lack of wind or a whole day of archery is cancelled due to heavy snow (we are talking about the UK in August) people will want to know when the rescheduled events are on. Again the media that will be most effective are the website and the national newspapers.
Can you talk to other broadcasters (e.g. Sky) about changing users recording settings and recording the rescheduleded programmes as well?

You mention HD and put a link to 91Èȱ¬ hd. Most content will be on 91Èȱ¬ One HD, and 91Èȱ¬ HD is planned to be a simulcast channel of 91Èȱ¬ Two in the DQF plans.

Can you now tell us if the simulcast will be postponed until after the Olympics and that 91Èȱ¬ HD will be used for Olympics and for the limited 3D coverage.

Navigation under these circumstances is very tricky. I recommend that you keep things in the same place. for example the different channels are always in the same place on screen, showing whatever they are showing; sports are always in the same place with a po-up window showing what they are showing. Key event (100m final) are also in the same place, but you need to ensure that very busy days are catered for by ensuring space for multiple events. It is very tough for you, but I have every confidence you will produce an outstanding web experience. Oh, by the way, don't forget that it all needs to look good (for instance, live scoring on golf is usually really bad on the 91Èȱ¬ site).

i hope put as much enthusiam in the tennis and football(i love both) as they do with the swimming(i hate swimming,it takes way to long to complete all the stupid classes eg butterfly,why not the frog.)

the olympics for me is the mens 100 metre final,nothing else realy matters,especially the womens 100 metre.people wants to know the fastest human not the 5000th(probably more than the fastest women)

I guess there are probably already plans to have "here's what's on now over on 91Èȱ¬ Three and the red button" from time to time between events, a little like when they go around the courts at Wimbledon.

I think it'd be useful to have a run down of what's happening that day and when/where to find it during the Olympic Breakfast programme, perhaps a "six to watch" or something similar, with a mix of popular and offbeat-but-interesting events.

Roger you talk about in your Blog on how to find Olympic Content on the 91Èȱ¬ and how various 91Èȱ¬ Outlets will be devoting large amount of airtime to the Olympics, however after the Olympics how is the 91Èȱ¬ going keep the profile up of Minority Events on its Outlets, is the 91Èȱ¬ going to pledge more support for such events, even a Major Sport like Football is being hit hard in terms of 91Èȱ¬ Coverage, this is shown by the 91Èȱ¬ not bidding for FA Cup and England matches, as well as 5live announcing that from next season they are going to drop the 2 Commentators set up, instead only using 1 Commentator for every game, how do Minority Sports stand any chance after the Olympics, when a major Sport like Football is being hit hard?

This article is quite relevant to my above Questions:

91Èȱ¬ should do more for minority sports, says rival

The 91Èȱ¬ has been urged to create a permanent legacy to the 2012 Olympics with a long-term commitment to minority sports.

The corporation has announced plans for a so-called "pop-up" digital radio station, 91Èȱ¬ 5 Live Olympics Extra, to broadcast for about 20 days during the London games next year.

But UTV Media, owner of 91Èȱ¬ 5 Live rival TalkSport, said it was relatively straightforward for the 91Èȱ¬ to showcase less popular sports during the biggest multidiscipline event ever staged in the UK.

UTV called on the corporation to "grasp its longer-term responsibilities to support a permanent legacy for the Olympics".

The rival broadcaster also called on the 91Èȱ¬ to share its exclusive rights to sporting events such as the Olympics.

A number of sports organisations backed UTV's call, including Badminton England, the England Hockey Board, the Angling Trust and the Rugby Football Union for Women. The groups signed a separate letter to the 91Èȱ¬ Trust asking it to "codify 91Èȱ¬ radio's responsibility to sport in all its guises, not just popular sports such as Premier League football".



Even Sport groups are attacking the 91Èȱ¬, for there lack of interest in Minority Events, do you agree with the sentiments by UTV?

I would hope that the 91Èȱ¬ wouldnt be going on too muchj about the BIGGER events on all day, a really annoying thing about Beijing was the Presenters obessed with the main events rather than the one they were showing.
Good to have a main event schedule on the 91Èȱ¬ Website, Magazines and such plus what about the various Interactive options? Prehaps a small graphic at the bottom when 'in the Studio'.
I agree with Chrisramsbottom's post, we should get the Local 91Èȱ¬ Sports Teams involved in the local area in their events such as my local station being the same (91Èȱ¬ Cov & Warks) plus would help the Stations provide coverage to the national 91Èȱ¬ Radio networks with match reports and such to make sure the Olympic Football isnt missed out.

In response to what Roger has written - Minority Sports havent had the best coverage on the 91Èȱ¬ since 'you know what' was taken off the TV?
Minority Sports are usually crammed onto the red button under 'Sports Multiscreen' with no attempt to advertise the Sports available on there or highlights crammed into the midnight hour on 91Èȱ¬2.
Minority Sports used to flourish on the 91Èȱ¬ in the past but theres no banner, no major Sports show like you know what when it was available.
It seems the 91Èȱ¬ does want the Major events - 6 Nations, PL Football, Open Golf, Wimbledon, F1 (or half of it) but why at a price for Minority Sports?

Roger, even with the 91Èȱ¬ prioritising Major Sports against other events in terms of airtime and resources, the 91Èȱ¬ is still losing out, take 5live for example last Sunday the massive Manchester Derby was covered live on talkSPORT, with 5live relegated to Studio updates, the recent Rugby World Cup was also covered by talkSPORT, on TV,ITV has annouced that it has clinched the Rights to French Open tennis, also it is expected that the 91Èȱ¬ will lose out on the England/FA Cup Games, and they never even bid ( yes i know that speculation could be wrong, but i will eat humble pie on this Blog, if the 91Èȱ¬ win the Rights), so with all that i forsee the 91Èȱ¬ losing more events in the near future, which begs the Question seeing as the 91Èȱ¬ are not winning the rights to Major events, you might as well in the future try to get some of the rights to the smaller Sports, something is better tha nothing, right?

If the 91Èȱ¬, who is non-commercial with its Public Purposes, will not broadcast a program like Grandstand (oops I said it), then who will. I thought that was what a public broadcaster was about. It is absurd to spend 50 million one tournament that only lasts a fortnight when millions of people play minority sports.

And yes Roger, I remember who "killed" Grandstand. But my remark above is not an attack on you.

Piet Millions may play Minority Sports, but will Millions watch them i somehow doubt it, yet a World Cup which attracts Tens of millions in Viewing figures, is also played by Millions.

As Roger said, you cannot justify money and resources to Events which attract low viewing figures.

Similar to the recent World Championships, I'd appreciate a daily digest, with timings of interesting events and where I could find them. Due to the dynamic nature of the Olympics (IE we won't know who is contesting medal events until quite close to the time for a lot of sports), this would probably need to be hosted online and posted each morning.

I'm hoping that everything will be available on the iPlayer so I can grab as much of the highlights as I can....

Hi Roger, not exactly in relation to your current blog but can I ask this question please about the broadcasting team?

You have said that the plan is for all the coverage of all the sports to be available via sport online and red button. How will these be covered, will we see large amounts of the coverage without commentary or will there be any sort of world feed commentary similiar to that used at the last commonwealth games?

Also when will the presentation, reporting and commentary team details be announced? Thanks.

Roger i throughly enjoy reading your Blogs, but may i ask a Question that is slightly of-topic, you are always the Man in the know, and are highly respected, with that in mind could you tell us, is there a massive difference in Cost in sending 2 Commentators 2 a Match instead of 1, i am of course talking about 5live and there recent news, i was always under the impression that the 2nd Commentator would do the post match interviews, and attend the press confrences, as Mike Ingham does when he is paired with Alan Green.

Could you shed some light on this?

Are you in favour of the move?

Can I suggest a red-button service similar to the "Red Zone" offered by Sky Sports during NFL games?

This would be a great way for TV viewers to see anything important happening either live or soon after. This could be used in tandem with the Sports multiscreen, allowing the audience to switch to a direct single-sport stream if preferred.

I know that 91Èȱ¬1 coverage will take all the major events live, but this service could cater for the many events happening simultaneously. The previous red button streams tended to take just one sport at a time, this option would allow many different sports' key moments the platform they deserve.

A competent team of directors and and analysts/commentators should be able to produce a compelling day-long programme that both informs and entertains.

Is this a possibility, or do I need to find Rover another Oak?

Well this isn't going to be easy given the amount of coverage. I suppose you should release full details to the Radio Times and similar outlets and ask them to do a pull out as suggested above. Conceivably you could pay for an insert, but I assume that would be expensive to do. A full and up to date listing on the Sport website is a must, since this is the first place many people will look. Details currently provided by Red Button text are usually unreliable-goodness knows who updates it-but if a special effort could be made to keep this updated say as to what's on in the next 24 hours, this could be used as well.

"but I'm not going into my old territory..."

Worth a try, only reason i asked was because trying to get an answer from the 5live guys, is like banging your head against a wall.

/blogs/5live/2011/10/the-salford-move-and-the-lates.shtml

Thanks for the reply Roger, looking forward to the announcements.

Sounds like the coverage is going to include something for everybody which is great for me notso much for my Mrs who will become an olympic widow.
As everybody will have there favourite sports and competetitors I would like to be able to enter the key factors on to the website and then receive a txt when certain events or athletes are taking place and which channel I can watch it on.
For example I would add in what media I have available to me, which athletes or sports I want to watch submit that info then receive a txt reminding me when and what channel it is available to view on. That way I can make sure I get to watch all the medals and personal bests of British athletes and key finals of sports I am interested in.