Give it a rest channel 9!

Where do you start with this mob? I will start today with sport. Their benchmark sporting events are being overrun. When the matches are being shown on delayed telecast I reckon, about every 8 minutes, there are paid advertisements in their coverage, generally, with them running ads for 2.5-3 minutes, sometimes longer. For live sport, after every score and at most breaks in play, they break for one or two advertisements. We expect that, we should, they are a commercial network and need the revenue to bring us such events and matches.

Within many of these ad breaks, there are also advertisements for their upcoming scheduled programmes. Why on earth do we then need to hear Ray Warren or Mark Taylor spruiking the shows within the coverage? They are there to commentate on the action, provide relevant and insightful commentary to the viewer to enhance the experience. I could not give a toss when the Block is ‘coming back’ or hearing Tony Greig flogging on about ‘Mike and Molly’. Channel 7 do it too, mostly in their tennis coverage, but never mid match in an AFL telecast. Come on Nine, wake up, you are losing your viewers in record numbers, surely you must have worked out that people are pissed at you for stunts like this.

I am also jack shit of Rabs telling me whose odds have shortened at half time or how much someone paid for first try scorer. Gambling is not my favourite hobby, that is no secret, but I also feel some responsibility needs to fall upon this network to minimise gambling advertisements, in much the same way as law changed for tobacco and alcohol sponsorships. Most who love a punt, will have their computer open or their phone on, and be able to access the odds as they fluctuate. Keep it off our tv, people are sick of it.

And while they are going, they can make a note that Ray Warren and Phil Gould cannot be sat in the same commentary box any longer, their banter is akin to that of an old married couple and incredibly irritating. Gould is awful in general commentary, and could be better used taking a backward step over there.  His pre-origin monologue is generally good, his 1 on 1 player interviews are good, (when they are about football and not off field issues) and he can stay on the Roast, but get him away from Rabbits. We might get a few more years out of Rabs yet, provided he keeps away from the sports gambling segways and away from Gould and gets back to commentating on the action in front of him. Heaven help us for what they have in store for the upcoming Rugby World Cup.

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Ganny