Now that the two world championship races are over, does anyone have any insight into the NBC broadcast, I’m assuming there will be two, one for the men, and one for the women?? Anyone who is in the know, it would really be appreciated.
Thanks
There’s no way there will be two broadcasts.
I’m hoping the NBC broadcast never returns.
It’s garbage, and always has been.
I’ve watched exactly zero of the last 5 years entirely. It was a rehash of the same ol’ same ol’ stuff. It was awesome back in the days of Mark Allen racing with Sam Posey & ABC, the Wolfgang Dietrich days, those were fun. Then it got a little over dramatic and celeb story laiden & sorta wasn’t fun anymore. I watched on the Live Stream this past weekend maybe a total of 45 min. But it was good from what I saw of it–just had stuff to do…
NBC TV has little interest in doing more than a highlight show on any sport that doesn’t attract ads for internet gambling.
They abandoned their two sports channels and now fit sports events in between entertainment show reruns or financial shows.
I’m hoping the NBC broadcast never returns.
It’s garbage, and always has been.
They did, however, lay in two great music beds; both during the bike shots, I believe
First, they used Alan Parson’s “Sirius” long before it became the Chicago Bulls “theme song”
Later, they picked up a slice of Jeff Beck’s “Space for the Papa”
So, that was good, at least
I said this last year, and as much as we maligned Trautwig in the past , he was really just reading off the script he was given; whether it was written by someone at NBC, or it was provided by Ironman, or Al himself, or a collaboration of all
Sometimes it did feel like they were using the previous year’s transcript to start with, then change the names where appropriate. Kinda like MadLibs, where you fill in the blanks with, say, “3rd Place Finisher”
We could’ve had a pool for when in the broadcast he said “This pass … this feels permanent”
Therefore, any improvements or decline in the narration quality would fall to the writers, more than to the narrator
But those cheesy words and his voice kept a sense of humility in all of us, perhaps? We might pause a moment while listening to the show and think “oh fuck? Do we really talk like that?”
That being said … I think that maybe I might probably just kinda sorta miss him just a little bit, now, in hindsight
I’m hoping the NBC broadcast never returns.
It’s garbage, and always has been.
You don’t like watching 30 second bursts of race coverage interspersed with 20 minute human interest stories and 3 minute ad breaks? You must not be a true fan of the sport.
It’s like the NBC feed v. the world feed for the TdF. One has racing commercial free with knowledgeable ex-pros talking about tactics, courses, teams, strategies, etc. The other puts in bits of races with Phil and CVV repeating that ‘these guys are so tough’ and ‘this is the hardest sporting event in the world’ before cutting away to an 10 minute prerecorded piece about some random American rider’s family.
Maybe I’m the outlier but I like watching sports for the sport, not for the history of the people behind it. If you’re going to do a human interest story make it about training or at least something related to the sport, not about how a tall skinny attractive girl was bullied in high school and it was just sooo hard for her.
I’m hoping the NBC broadcast never returns.
It’s garbage, and always has been.
Got me to want to be an Ironman at a very young age.
Maybe I’m the outlier but I like watching sports for the sport, not for the history of the people behind it. If you’re going to do a human interest story make it about training or at least something related to the sport, not about how a tall skinny attractive girl was bullied in high school and it was just sooo hard for her.
x1000
The NBC broadcast never treated triathlon like a real sport, but an ego driven sufferfest and victim stories.
I believe it has a lot to do with the state of triathlon today.
Maybe I’m the outlier but I like watching sports for the sport, not for the history of the people behind it.
I like both. I also like the scenery in France.
Once it airs, we already know who won, it’s not like the broadcast is live. I had the women’s race running last Saturday. Not that exciting for hours and hours, except for seeing the Big Island.
Maybe I’m the outlier but I like watching sports for the sport, not for the history of the people behind it.
I like both. I also like the scenery in France.
Once it airs, we already know who won, it’s not like the broadcast is live. I had the women’s race running last Saturday. Not that exciting for hours and hours, except for seeing the Big Island.
They could pretty easily fill a 1h broadcast with 90% race footage. After and lead ins it’s like 40min.
5 min prerace reviewing the favorites and notables
5 min on the swim looking at the groups forming, comparing techniques, thinking about tactics, course specific challenges, swimsuit tech
3min transition, especially if something goes awry for one of the favorites.
10min bike, gaps opening, closing, groups forming, talking about new tech, course peculiarities, relative run strengths of the leaders bolstered with talk of their previous performances
3min transition again, same as before
10min run, pretty similar to the big but this time with the added bonus of some of the favorites inevitably exploding.
5 min finish celebrations, interviews
That’s a dense and interesting 40min of content. If I knew anything about video editing I’d make one from the live footage as a passion project.
[roadcast never treated triathlon like a real sport, but an ego driven sufferfest and victim stories.
I believe it has a lot to do with the state of triathlon today.
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve wished for a segment where they follow a seasoned athlete with anger issues, and maybe throw in a segment where he’s talking about CdA for a few minutes at the finish. You know … the real athletes. Dick and Ricky Hoyt? VICTIMS.
The sooner you accept that the broadcast isn’t designed for you, the more enjoyable it might be. It’s like sitting a film studies major in front of a Pixar movie: once you get to understand what it’s purpose is, and that it’s very, very good at what it does, and you just give yourself over to it, the better. Accept it as a series of human stories and images that coincidentally occurs in a beautiful place and oh there are some genetic freaks also doing it, and it’s all hakuna matada. There are lots of reasons why it has won Emmys, but few of them are for sports broadcasting.
I have as long a history in being outraged with parts of the broadcast as anyone, but I would be hard pressed to name any one thing. that has had a greater impact on triathlon.
[roadcast never treated triathlon like a real sport, but an ego driven sufferfest and victim stories.
I believe it has a lot to do with the state of triathlon today.
I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve wished for a segment where they follow a seasoned athlete with anger issues, and maybe throw in a segment where he’s talking about CdA for a few minutes at the finish. You know … the real athletes. Dick and Ricky Hoyt? VICTIMS.
The sooner you accept that the broadcast isn’t designed for you, the more enjoyable it might be. It’s like sitting a film studies major in front of a Pixar movie: once you get to understand what it’s purpose is, and that it’s very, very good at what it does, and you just give yourself over to it, the better. Accept it as a series of human stories and images that coincidentally occurs in a beautiful place and oh there are some genetic freaks also doing it, and it’s all hakuna matada. There are lots of reasons why it has won Emmys, but few of them are for sports broadcasting.
I have as long a history in being outraged with parts of the broadcast as anyone, but I would be hard pressed to name any one thing. that has had a greater impact on triathlon.
I don’t find it enjoyable and never will.
I’m interested in sporting achievements, not the human interest fluff.
As for the Hoyts, nice story, but not interested in the least.
Triathlon is not a serious sport until regular people think of competition and not the NBC broadcast.
In the past, the NBC Sports channel and Olympic channel would often cover a complete event (like an 8 hour weekend bobsled competition or an endless curling meet). But the main NBC channel was and still is more centered on human interest. Even a horse race is more about the jockeys, trainers and owners than about the race.
NBC TV owns the rights to many sports that they never intend to air.
Even with major sports, the move much of the coverage to the internet. But minors sports never get to the net.
Even a horse race is more about the jockeys, trainers and owners than about the race.
And now, they broadcast the entire undercard, with the same level of “detail” thanks to FanDuel & Co.
I’m hoping the NBC broadcast never returns.
It’s garbage, and always has been.
Geez, most television is garbage!
Television is about selling ad space AND reaching an audience! Since NBC continues to win Emmy’s for their coverage, they must be doing it correctly for their audience. Not for me or you.
But I will watch! I hope they give equal time to both mens and women’s races.
Even a horse race is more about the jockeys, trainers and owners than about the race.
And now, they broadcast the entire undercard, with the same level of “detail” thanks to FanDuel & Co.
And it’s one of the best days of the year. Especially when your horse wins the Derby.
Since NBC continues to win Emmy’s for their coverage, they must be doing it correctly for their audience.
The supposed premier broadcast of triathlon is geared towards impressing members of the Television Academy and not actual sports fans.
That’s perfect.
Since NBC continues to win Emmy’s for their coverage, they must be doing it correctly for their audience.
The supposed premier broadcast of triathlon is geared towards impressing members of the Television Academy and not actual sports fans.
That’s perfect.
There is live race day coverage for those interested in that level of detail. Watch that and ignore the NBC coverage if it bothers you so much.
Since NBC continues to win Emmy’s for their coverage, they must be doing it correctly for their audience.
The supposed premier broadcast of triathlon is geared towards impressing members of the Television Academy and not actual sports fans.
That’s perfect.
There is live race day coverage for those interested in that level of detail. Watch that and ignore the NBC coverage if it bothers you so much.
I do, but this is a discussion forum. It’s ok that I write that the NBC broadcast is terrible and the reasons why.