Racing on Ceefax
| 09:16 UK time, Friday, 25 January 2008
I'm never at my most comfortable when I'm on the subject of horse racing. Not because I'm not a fan of the sport - but because with a name like mine I realise it can look faintly ridiculous.
But just for the record, Gallop is not some pseudonym I've adopted for the benefit of this blog - unfortunately it's the real deal.
The reason I'm here to discuss the sport of kings, is that in the coming week we are changing our horse racing service on Ceefax.
, this will not mean an end to our coverage of the sport on our analogue teletext platform. What it will mean though is a different content mix and less emphasis on bookmakers’ data.
For more than a decade now, the 91Èȱ¬'s Ceefax racing output has been provided by an external supplier, . The focus has been on live betting prices, plus results and reports from tracks across the UK and Ireland.
This comprehensive betting-focused operation will go and in its place we will offer a results service (provided by ) and a scaled-back editorial output brought by our own 91Èȱ¬ journalists.
We will continue to cover the biggest races and meetings, as well as offering a distinctive 91Èȱ¬ angle on the major news stories in the sport - but there will no longer be race reports and live odds as a matter of course. In essence, the Ceefax racing output will become similar in scope and scale to that which we already provide on .
So why are we doing this? The background context, as with so many of the changes that have taken place in the 91Èȱ¬ in recent years (think of the 'retirement' of iconic shows like Top Of The Pops and our own ), is all about the revolution that is taking place in the media industry.
Technological advances and changing audience habits have created a new broadcasting landscape. This, . Basically, that means we can't do everything the way we always have done - we need to decide what is most important and focus our energies on that.
So for us in 91Èȱ¬ Sport this has led to some tough choices. The changes to Ceefax racing are in some ways inevitable. The move towards a digital Britain means that analogue teletext is in the process of being switched off - first in the Border region later this year, then across the country, with the digital roll-out finishing in 2012.
And while Ceefax is being phased out, so new technology is obviously taking its place.
This is a particularly acute situation for horse racing. The internet has transformed the gambling industry and has provided a direct link between punter and bookmaker - no longer is there such a need for a broadcaster like the 91Èȱ¬ to provide the latest odds on the 3.20 from Haydock, when the bookies' websites can do that for you, as well as offering you the chance to have a bet too.
We feel our role in this new sporting environment should be to focus on results and reportage – which is why our other major change next week will be to improve the , by introducing a quicker, more user-friendly service.
So with the below inflation rise in income and a need to focus on the best, most distinctive services that 91Èȱ¬ Sport can offer, we will be scaling back our Ceefax racing output from next Monday. I realise not everyone will welcome this change and for many who have followed the latest odds in that old-fashioned font over the years, I know this will be a blow.
But I hope you find that 91Èȱ¬ Sport continues to offer our expert coverage of the best stories and events in racing's vibrant calendar.
