ED CHAMBERLIN: The Ryder Cup and Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe were pure sporting theatre and delivered a lesson in how to hold an audience
- Ace Impact was a spectacular winner of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe
- The first tee of the Ryder Cup was part pantomime, part pure sporting theatre
- Mail Sport’s new WhatsApp Channel: Get the breaking news and exclusives here
Time waits for no man — it’s so true in modern sport. Time, and how it is used, is a huge challenge in broadcasting now we live in a world where there is such impatience.
Whether it is racing or football, cricket, golf or rugby, when you are in front of the camera it’s always on your mind that the armchair viewer has a remote control or an electronic device on hand if there is a moment when you lose their attention.
At ITV, we move at speed. If we hold the ball for longer than a minute on something, I become impatient. Only in rare circumstances can you get away with five-minute features or interviews because social media as a magnet can draw your audience away.
Last weekend, we saw how things should be done at the Ryder Cup and Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. We were blessed to watch captivating sport and brilliant theatre, all delivered in a package you couldn’t take your eyes off.
The first tee of the Ryder Cup was mesmerising — part pantomime, with the whooping and the hollering, part pure sporting theatre. I wasn’t surprised in the slightest to read that the viewing numbers were big and a younger audience was engaged.
Ace Impact was a spectacular winner of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe last week
Sunday was breathless, shot after absorbing shot meant you couldn’t take your eyes off Europe hauling themselves over the line.
In many respects, the same sentiments applied to Longchamp, where Ace Impact was a spectacular winner of the great race.
Longchamp can be like a ghost town for much of the year but, on the first weekend of October, it comes to life. It’s in full bloom by the time the Arc is run, and the build-up to it is a lesson in how things should be done.
The field is led into the paddock by a ring master in racecard order. They complete three laps around a paddock, once without a jockey, then two with their rider on board. It’s an intense atmosphere and horses can play up but the drama is compelling.
When the horses arrived down at the start, a group came out to whip the crowd into a frenzy as We Will Rock You was belted out. As the gates opened for the field to go on their way, there was a roar as big as any you would associate with Cheltenham.
The use of music, a free race sheet with all cards and colours for spectators on arrival; the pomp and ceremony. They are simple things, perhaps, but it kept everyone engaged, whether they were on track or at home — nine races, with so many brilliant displays, passed in the blink of an eye.
Competition for people’s time is intense and cricket has adapted best, with the success of Twenty20 and The Hundred. Hockey used to be unwatchable — stop-start — but is now fast and captivating. The Rugby World Cup, by contrast, is drawn out. One weekend Ireland beat South Africa in a thriller to give tournament momentum but there are too many one-sided games. England win and get people excited, then don’t play for two weeks.
The first tee of the Ryder Cup was part pantomime, part pure sporting theatre
The tournament will reach an incredible crescendo but will people still be engaged at that point? How we keeping people engaged in racing is a question I continually ask myself. Channel 4 supremo Andrew Franklin always pushed for shorter time between races and he’s right, but it’s difficult to implement when you are dealing with animals, presentations and demands on jockeys.
QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot gets criticised within racing yet does a great job engaging a wider and younger audience. To get them engaged, they have organised school visits with jockeys in advance, plus have areas on the day for all ages of young people.
Groove Armada headlining after racing gives an added pull.
If these are the moves we need to make to ensure a new generation gets involved in the sport, let’s go for it. To stay relevant, you must move with the times.
ED CHAMBERLIN is a Sky Bet Ambassador
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