Grim look at the future of skating on US TV (Article)
- Thread starter R.D.
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Well, it isn't true. Katarina Witt photos had a great success.
Witt, Kwan, Navka, Slutskaya, Baiul, Nikodinov, Sokolova and others are women, they don't look as little girls.
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- Jul 11, 2003
If there is limited interest in Srs and no interest in Jrs figure skating then why should they be sponsored? Again this is the fault of the fans who only like certain disciplines and levels - NOT figure skating.
If Golden Skate is a good sample of fans, then it's not difficult to see that many fans will jump in for Ladies. Much less for Pairs but a good number for Dance.
What I'm saying is that the number of fans who enjoy ALL of figure skating is far less than those who enjoy Ladies only. Maybe Dance is popular too. I think the Media people are aware of this.
Also the age groups which are a factor for interest in figure skating will determine the extent that sponsors will take to bring figure skating to prime time (and now even in cable)
And in America, not much interest by the media if there is no American competitor in the mix. Probably nationality is a factor in other countries too.
Joe
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- Joined
- Mar 19, 2006
I agree with that, and did not mean to imply more advertising was necessary. More talk on the street if anything. And hype something other than what is being hyped.
IMO, phone-in is a horrible idea. Makes it sound like a reality / gimmick TV gig.
I do see the point of how can you vote if you don't know when it is, I don't recall how that worked - I guess I didn't care - and how long before the tally, etc.. Although it is great to see some skating televised, this is not a good approach IMO.
...and not to mention some awesome HQ pics on the picture forums (wish I could post them here)...
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- Jul 11, 2003
for some fans, phone-ins are ok - not because they give a correct winner but because many fans don't care about competition. They just want to watch the 'artistry' on ice. No problem but I wish Marchalls would organize a genuine international competition with good incentives to ensure that the mix of skaters would be well represented. The scoring of such events should not be influenced by the sponsor or the organizers. Maybe one discipline per Sunday?
This coming Mashalls will definitely have Sasha, Kimmie, Emilie and who else? i would love to see Rachel in that lineup as well as Miki, Mao, YuNa and Sara.
For the men, it will definitely be Johnny and Evan, and who else? I would love to see Tommy Steenberg and Stephen Carriere in that lineup as well as Brian, Alban, Nobunari, Daisuke and Jeffrey.
It'll be a dream competition but it won't happen.
Joe
This coming Mashalls will definitely have Sasha, Kimmie, Emilie and who else? i would love to see Rachel in that lineup as well as Miki, Mao, YuNa and Sara.
For the men, it will definitely be Johnny and Evan, and who else? I would love to see Tommy Steenberg and Stephen Carriere in that lineup as well as Brian, Alban, Nobunari, Daisuke and Jeffrey.
It'll be a dream competition but it won't happen.
Joe
Kimmie's going to be at Marshall's too? I thought it would only be Cohen and Hughes.
This isn't really a "competition". Just like AI in the final month...it's not really a SINGING contest, it's a POPULARITY contest. Any genius could figure that out whenever you let the mass public vote.
This isn't really a "competition". Just like AI in the final month...it's not really a SINGING contest, it's a POPULARITY contest. Any genius could figure that out whenever you let the mass public vote.
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- Jun 21, 2003
I disagree. This will be a great competition!
In round 1 (East Coast) we have Emily Hughes, Johnny Weir, Belbin and Agosto and Kimmie Meissner, all skating against each other. (Johnny may be able to outpoint Emily without a quad, but I'm not so sure about Kimmie.) The winning two move on to the finals.
In round 2 (West Coast) it's Sasha, Lysacek, Katy Taylor and Inoue & Baldwin. I am going to vote for Lysacek -- um, assuming he skates the best, of course.
http://www.usfsa.org/event_story.asp?id=36940
In round 1 (East Coast) we have Emily Hughes, Johnny Weir, Belbin and Agosto and Kimmie Meissner, all skating against each other. (Johnny may be able to outpoint Emily without a quad, but I'm not so sure about Kimmie.) The winning two move on to the finals.
In round 2 (West Coast) it's Sasha, Lysacek, Katy Taylor and Inoue & Baldwin. I am going to vote for Lysacek -- um, assuming he skates the best, of course.
http://www.usfsa.org/event_story.asp?id=36940
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- Oct 2, 2006
I don't know "some" of us are a bit perturbed w/ him right now.:no: :scowl: I
I
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- Jul 26, 2003
I don't think that the article says that they want to change the demographic of FS to males. It just said that ESPN and ABC Sports has the most interest in the male demographic. With money being tight at the networks (due to all the cable competition), they are looking for more bang for their buck, too.
My problem with TV figure skating has been partially with the fluff like Country On Ice, Micheal Bolton Tribute, etc. The musical tribute shows are all about the singers - as a figure skating fan, I have little interest in watching these because there's only about 50% skating shown. Call-in shows like Marshall's make figure skating even less of a sport, IMO.
I generally enjoy the Kurt, Kristi and Brian shows, but consider how long they've been around. They still draw an audience because of name recognition, but there are a lot more props involved now, which equals 'skating is not a sport'. Between the 3 of them, they cannot prop up skating forever. If Michelle would move over to IMG, we would probably see more Michelle Kwan specials, which would promote some interest if done well, which might keep pro skating going long enough for the next big star to earn a name. BTW, watching Oksana's weird clown program would not inspire the casual viewer to watch.
Part of the reason it's not considered a sport is because most people can skate recreationally. Most guys do not consider figure skating a sport and, therefore, have no interest in watching it. The only thing that might make guys consider it a sport is if they got some major man-sport players to actually take skating lessons and say how tough it really is.
I don't see skating totally being off TV, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was limited to one pro competition, Nationals (free programs for top 6 ladies, limited SP's for ladies and top 3 each for all other disciplines.) and World's.
The Grand Prix series does little IMO to promote figure skating. You don't always have an even playing field at the event, which makes the competition aspect somewhat blah - how can you say it's a competition when one skater clearly outclasses the rest of the field? Also, the skaters generally appear rusty during the earlier competitions - not their fault, but it doesn't make it interesting for the casual viewer.
JMHO. Sorry, I don't have any fixes for it.
My problem with TV figure skating has been partially with the fluff like Country On Ice, Micheal Bolton Tribute, etc. The musical tribute shows are all about the singers - as a figure skating fan, I have little interest in watching these because there's only about 50% skating shown. Call-in shows like Marshall's make figure skating even less of a sport, IMO.
I generally enjoy the Kurt, Kristi and Brian shows, but consider how long they've been around. They still draw an audience because of name recognition, but there are a lot more props involved now, which equals 'skating is not a sport'. Between the 3 of them, they cannot prop up skating forever. If Michelle would move over to IMG, we would probably see more Michelle Kwan specials, which would promote some interest if done well, which might keep pro skating going long enough for the next big star to earn a name. BTW, watching Oksana's weird clown program would not inspire the casual viewer to watch.
Part of the reason it's not considered a sport is because most people can skate recreationally. Most guys do not consider figure skating a sport and, therefore, have no interest in watching it. The only thing that might make guys consider it a sport is if they got some major man-sport players to actually take skating lessons and say how tough it really is.
I don't see skating totally being off TV, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was limited to one pro competition, Nationals (free programs for top 6 ladies, limited SP's for ladies and top 3 each for all other disciplines.) and World's.
The Grand Prix series does little IMO to promote figure skating. You don't always have an even playing field at the event, which makes the competition aspect somewhat blah - how can you say it's a competition when one skater clearly outclasses the rest of the field? Also, the skaters generally appear rusty during the earlier competitions - not their fault, but it doesn't make it interesting for the casual viewer.
JMHO. Sorry, I don't have any fixes for it.
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- Mar 28, 2005
I dont agree entirely. As she said after one of her recent boxing duels-"you guys boo me, but I am the one laughing since you are paying my salary, you come out to see me, I entertain you and you pay money to see me." She may be universaly disliked but she does draw attention.
Maybe I should ask this question: can Tonya still skate? 
As for the GP events "promoting" skating...I think it's just like any team sport. It's not necessarily the sport that's promoting itself- it's the athletes and the good teams. Even a football or basketball game between bad teams or a good team vs. a bad team will not get many viewers. Why? Because it's not exciting!
Also, playoff and championship games will always generally pull in higher ratings than regular season games. I tend to think of the GP series as skating's "regular season" (therefore less interest and only enthusiasts will follow) and Nats/Europeans/Worlds as the "playoffs and championship" (which more people will watch). You *MIGHT* be able to pull in high ratings for a regular season game if you have a hot match (between top two teams, etc).
US Skating needs another MK. It seems as if RATINGS and GENERAL FAN INTEREST are built around individual athletes rather than sporting interest. In all sports you will have those who will watch because of love of the sport (core audience) and then those who will tune in to watch a particular athlete or team (the casual viewer, who makes up the majority of the TV audience and therefore is critical for good Ratings).
So I think in order for skating to catch back on in the US, we do need another dominant World skater like MK (to promote and who captures peoples' hearts). Of course that's not all (I think most of the other suggestions people made in this thread would work too) but I don't think skating can rebound without another MK.
As for the GP events "promoting" skating...I think it's just like any team sport. It's not necessarily the sport that's promoting itself- it's the athletes and the good teams. Even a football or basketball game between bad teams or a good team vs. a bad team will not get many viewers. Why? Because it's not exciting!
Also, playoff and championship games will always generally pull in higher ratings than regular season games. I tend to think of the GP series as skating's "regular season" (therefore less interest and only enthusiasts will follow) and Nats/Europeans/Worlds as the "playoffs and championship" (which more people will watch). You *MIGHT* be able to pull in high ratings for a regular season game if you have a hot match (between top two teams, etc).
US Skating needs another MK. It seems as if RATINGS and GENERAL FAN INTEREST are built around individual athletes rather than sporting interest. In all sports you will have those who will watch because of love of the sport (core audience) and then those who will tune in to watch a particular athlete or team (the casual viewer, who makes up the majority of the TV audience and therefore is critical for good Ratings).
So I think in order for skating to catch back on in the US, we do need another dominant World skater like MK (to promote and who captures peoples' hearts). Of course that's not all (I think most of the other suggestions people made in this thread would work too) but I don't think skating can rebound without another MK.
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Also- I think the mid-90s were an unusual high-point for skating because of the added drama. I wasn't around (or old enough) before then, so I don't know how skating was covered or how popular it was pre-1990. I doubt skating will EVER reach that high point again, but a huge difference between now and then is the choices that people have. There is Internet, expanded cable, satellite, Tivo, you name it, things that weren't around or popular before 1990. I think that makes a huge difference.
Ratings even for popular sports are declining on broadcast TV, with the exception of the NFL's Super Bowl (and maybe some of the playoff games). For example, the NBA used to be on NBC during Michael Jordan's prime, and as soon as he left (the first time) ratings started falling. In 2003 ABC/ESPN picked it up and ratings for the NBA on ABC are lower than ever now. I wouldn't be shocked if the NBA also disappears from broadcast TV (save the NBA Finals, which I think will stay on OTA TV along with the World Series and Super Bowl). The World Series is also experiencing a ratings low- I think the numbers for the 2006 series were among the lowest in WS *history*. It's about the choices, and it's not just figure skating. It's sports on broadcast TV in general. I wouldn't be surprised if in the near future we only got college games and professional league championship games on broadcast TV, with everything else on cable or PPV.
Ratings even for popular sports are declining on broadcast TV, with the exception of the NFL's Super Bowl (and maybe some of the playoff games). For example, the NBA used to be on NBC during Michael Jordan's prime, and as soon as he left (the first time) ratings started falling. In 2003 ABC/ESPN picked it up and ratings for the NBA on ABC are lower than ever now. I wouldn't be shocked if the NBA also disappears from broadcast TV (save the NBA Finals, which I think will stay on OTA TV along with the World Series and Super Bowl). The World Series is also experiencing a ratings low- I think the numbers for the 2006 series were among the lowest in WS *history*. It's about the choices, and it's not just figure skating. It's sports on broadcast TV in general. I wouldn't be surprised if in the near future we only got college games and professional league championship games on broadcast TV, with everything else on cable or PPV.
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To increase the male viewers they can always offer free ticket to the superbowl by require them to watch the compitition and then text in some information regarding the event
that'll get people watching for sure...you evil skating freak, you 
It's About Charisma and Competition
The reason skating has declined in sponsorship and viewing is because skating has been turned into a less than serious sport with pseudo competitions like Marshall's and cheesy musical/skating shows. When skating was about serious head to head competition only, and when it wasn't OVEREXPOSED, there were plenty of sponsors and network coverage. The other issue is charisma. Until we have a skater with the charisma of a Michelle, Peggy, Katarina, or Dorothy, there won't be significant national interest. It is also still very much a woman's sport, which can be a death sentence where the major networks are concerned. Apart from the Olympic skating competitions, skating isn't viewed as a serious sport by the general public, especially men. Men make most of the decisions regarding tlelevision programing.
The reason skating has declined in sponsorship and viewing is because skating has been turned into a less than serious sport with pseudo competitions like Marshall's and cheesy musical/skating shows. When skating was about serious head to head competition only, and when it wasn't OVEREXPOSED, there were plenty of sponsors and network coverage. The other issue is charisma. Until we have a skater with the charisma of a Michelle, Peggy, Katarina, or Dorothy, there won't be significant national interest. It is also still very much a woman's sport, which can be a death sentence where the major networks are concerned. Apart from the Olympic skating competitions, skating isn't viewed as a serious sport by the general public, especially men. Men make most of the decisions regarding tlelevision programing.
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- Jul 11, 2003
Heyang and Kyla2 - Excellent serious posts.
Joe
Joe
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