Tennis on the red button
It's that time of year again when the lesser-spotted fan comes out of hibernation, does a quick scan to check that all the nasty supporters have migrated, ignores the rain then plumps up its feathers and bursts into song. Which in effect means my mailbox starts filling up with queries and grumbles of a tennis nature.
Our earlier interactive tennis offerings of the year have been limited to live plus a couple of sojourns, but with the French Open in progress the 91Èȱ¬'s summer portfolio is in full flow.
Our friends still stuck in the analogue world, bless them, may be forgiven for thinking that our Roland Garros coverage is limited to the final weekend, but we have of course been offering live matches to digital viewers via the red button since the opening day on 27 May.
So what has been the early response?
Well, probably the most frequent query we've received is to ask why we can't offer a choice of matches, as we do for Wimbledon (our five-court offering from SW19 is presumably raising expectations). As is often the case, though, it all comes down to cost. A choice of matches from Paris would incur live satellite charges for each court - these do not come cheap and take up a fair chunk of our budget.
If we were to maintain production standards, we would also need to take out two commentators plus a producer for each court, which raises the total cost to prohibitive levels. Fortunately for our Wimbledon service, the 91Èȱ¬ is host broadcaster and already offers a daily feast on both 91Èȱ¬ ONE and TWO, so we are able to piggy-back off our network colleagues and keep costs down.
We've also had a few emails unhappy that our French Open coverage has been biased towards . We've had an equal number saying we show too much of , too, so I like to think that suggests we've got the balance just about right.
I can already tell you that the subject of match-choice will remain the number one grouse during Wimbledon. I did have one viewer a couple of years ago who would dutifully mail me everyday, offering her preferred daily viewing schedule.
What next, then? The French Open finishes on Sunday ( of the men's final will be available via interactive from 1400 BST, with highlights on 91Èȱ¬ TWO from 1600 BST).
After that we're straight off to Queen's Club for the start of , one of my favourites (free bar in the Press tent), for live coverage every day. We're limited to two days from the women’s tournament at Eastbourne (21-22 June) for the quarter-finals and semi-finals, with 91Èȱ¬ One showing the final.
And then it's all hands to the pump for Wimbledon fortnight. We'll be employing a new-look service this year, so let me know what you think…but try to be nice.
All the best,
Matt
