longhornliz said:
I think another reason why ratings may be low is that the COP has completely changed the way the game is played. The romance of the 6.0 system was that 1-4 places controlled their own destiny with the LP. I bet that the casual fan is turned of by the large and meaningless numbers awarded at the end of the program. I also think that programs geared towards COP are less interesting, so much emphasis is put on uping the degree of difficulty in spins and footword with complicated edging that aesthetics are often ignored. I think that skaters like Jeff Buttle have done a good job creating programs that are entertaining and make the most of the COP.
I have had the same thought about CoP making skating less audience friendly, and possibly contributing to low ratings. On one hand, Jeff was the king of the new judging system with his sublime Naqoyqatsi LP choreographed so brilliantly by David Wilson. They showed how the new system could encourage great and memorable skating and accumulate points with great difficulty in the transitions, spins and footwork.
On the other hand, I think most skaters’ teams still did not know how to incorporate the new rules into a complete program. There were so many awkward inside edge spins and bielman positions that added nothing to the programs other than a few tenths of a point. Also, the new system encouraged omissions like Michelle leaving out the triple loop, and it discouraged risk taking by under-rewarding quads, 3-3s and triple axels. Also, for all the talk about the importance of transitions, I did not see very many interesting movements beyond jumps, spins and footwork. Looking back, performances from the 80’s and earlier were filled with exciting varieties of split jumps, dance movements and moves in the field. I don’t see the new system doing anything to encourage skaters to add excitement to their programs or to entertain the audience.
soogar said:
As for ESPN b!tching about streaming video, maybe they need to get online and see what the fans are doing. The fans are downloading programs as the event is occurring b/c they want the coverage as close to the event as possible, want to see all the skaters, and want an event that is covered professionally (by Eurosport, Chinese TV etc) and doesn't reek of being a cheap afterthought. I don't even tape skating events anymore b/c what I get online is so much better. I would prefer to see the event on a big TV but I'm not wasting tape on ESPN coverage!
So true! ESPN has no idea how to market skating to core fans. Fans want to see the closest approximation possible to sitting live in the arena. I watched worlds on the internet, switching between Russian tv online and raisport depending on who was carrying the events live. This was not the ideal way to watch because the feed interruptions would sometimes skip at the worst possible time, like right before a jump. It was easy to download the programs at FSU and read Rosaleen’s reports to fill in the gaps. ESPN’s coverage was an afterthought for me because everything was delayed and they showed only the top few skaters.
I think ESPN should consider a more diversified broadcast for next year. ESPN 360 seemed like it had potential to be a good online alternative for downloading individual programs without commentary, but it is not available on most service providers, and they only made available the top 3 performances in each discipline. I think there could be possibilities for better programming on HDTV channels. NBC’s HD coverage of gymnastics at the Olympics was similar to the internet feeds, showing several performances in a row and showing most of the competitors in the field, but the coverage was delayed until the morning after the performances had aired in the regular primetime broadcast.
ESPN could improve ratings by catering more to the family audience as well. The Hirsh article states that the highest rated cable skating broadcast was on ABC Family. I think skating has a lot of family appeal because many of the athletes appeal to a younger audience. ESPN might want to think about showing more of the junior competitions and advertising on Nickelodeon. Now that the age limit is in full effect, I think the juniors are more exciting than before and might be more relatable to a younger audience. I think they were trying to go for that with all the Kimmie coverage, but the overall packaging of All Access was geared toward an adult female audience. I noticed ESPN did a couple of promos going after the female audience with a montage of Michelle, Venus and Serena, and Pat Summit, but as others have said, they did not make it easy for nontraditional sports audiences to find the skating coverage.
mzheng said:
did you notice that this year's coverage without Dick Button, we hardly hear any criticizing of NJS? All are praises and sang along. Had Dick been there, you bet hearing something critical especially in Lady's SP. But non of any critisizing from US TV or may be not any from NA tv stations
I noticed this too, mzheng. I think ESPN deserved the pitiful ratings because they were not willing to stand up to the ISU to enforce their contractual right to have Dick Button as a commentator. I do not see why ABC/ESPN would care if Dick criticized the ISU or the new judging system as long as audiences watched. I think Dick has helped make the sport more accessible to non-skating fans, and he makes for great television. Dick always calls it like he sees it, and I love that he is passionate about the sport and the skaters and is thrilled when someone does well. I think the ESPN commentary was very dull this year and lacked the excitement befitting the most important skating event of the year. The mood was the same as all the ESPN broadcasts during the GP.
For me commentary is a very important part of the sport, but it does not have to be made during the performance. I enjoy the commentary during the warm up segments when the commentators have watched the practices and set up the important moments for each group to skate’
33leprechaun said:
bring Elvis (Stojko) on as a commentator, if he's interested. It's not as exciting as watching him skate (sigh, I need my old tapes) but it's the next best thing. He has done it in the past - for CTV, I believe - and he was awesome!
I agree Elvis would make a great commentator. He was very outspoken in his eligible days about the direction of the sport, fairness of judging, and technical advancements.
soogar said:
I also want to add that NBC's biased coverage of the pairs event ruined figure skating. I am tired of hearing all the b!tching about the scoring system. I think most people who tune in just want to see skating and not hear all the controversy. There's enough turmoil in the world without getting folks all worked up about a figure skating result
Scott and Sandra B. should be sanctioned from commentating for their inflammatory remarks about B&S. It is one thing for Dick Button to voice his concerns about the ISU and their mismanagement of the sport. It is another thing to make vindictive comments about the competitors themselves as Scott and Sandra did.
). Still, I don't think she will be quite as big as let's say Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods. 
