How will Channel 9 ruin Top Gear

[Reschsmooth]

Ok, I assume some will be over Top Gear. But for those that aren't, I have two questions:

1. How will Channel 9 ruin Top Gear for you?
2. How quickly will they do so?

For me, they have started with their advertisements:

"special event".....umm, it's just two episodes back-to-back.
"Bana v Clarkson"...it's an interview not a contest. Is there a winner of something to be decided?

At least on SBS, despite the commercials, they just previewed the following week's show.

I see Channel 9 having ad breaks every 2-3 minutes.

Any other suggestions or am I just being too cynical?

[Mr Darcy]

They did that as soon as they took it from SBS.
Bye Bye Clarkson et al.

[ATJ]

I don't watch Channel 9 so they can't possibly ruin Top Gear for me. I hate them more than the other two commercial channels. They have no soul. They have no scruples. They will do anything to make a buck but will pretend to be your friend.

As we have already watched the latest series, in full, without ads (as it was intended) Channel 9 has absolutely nothing to offer.

I assume that the Bana v Clarkeson was just the regular "Star in a reasonably priced car" segment.

[Reschsmooth]

I assume that the Bana v Clarkeson was just the regular "Star in a reasonably priced car" segment.

I believe so.

I also get sick of the commercial channels relentlessly cross-promoting their shows. This has been done before extensively, but they had a frickin' news story about Top Gear on the Sunday (or Saturday) night news. The NEWS I tells ya. And then some rubbich an a Current Affair, apparently. I am too bloody young to be yelling at the TV.

[dviv]

Channel nine will ruin it exactly the same way SBS did - by cutting bits out to make it fit in the hour slot with ads.

After watching the full episodes, it's really annoying when you realise they've cut out a segment.

I don't think it will be any different - it was already ruined.

[ATJ]

I assume that the Bana v Clarkeson was just the regular "Star in a reasonably priced car" segment.

I believe so.

Well, Bana is just one "Star in a reasonably priced car" in the most recent series. It was a pretty good interview - no better/no worse than the others.

I also get sick of the commercial channels relentlessly cross-promoting their shows. This has been done before extensively, but they had a frickin' news story about Top Gear on the Sunday (or Saturday) night news. The NEWS I tells ya. And then some rubbich an a Current Affair, apparently. I am too bloody young to be yelling at the TV.

Yep. That's why I hate them. Note that ABC does that a bit, but usually it is a news story in its own right which is also a Four Corners story.

At least I'm old enough to yell at the telly - and do it often enough.

[ATJ]

After watching the full episodes, it's really annoying when you realise they've cut out a segment.

Yep. We used to watch the full episodes (when they were current) and then watch them again on SBS (months later) but we soon stopped that because of a) the missing pieces which were often badly chopped out and b) many of the stories were no longer current.

A good example of the currency issues from the previous series was the running joke about MS being The Stig - and how Top Gear could release him to fill in for Massa because they had a break. By the time it was SBS, MS had been ruled unfit to drive.

[gstark]

By the time it was SBS, MS had been ruled unfit to drive.

So now they can run them.

[chrisk]

Any other suggestions or am I just being too cynical?

yes.

its a great show and will continue to be a great show despite who televises it. as already mentioned SBS cut the show down already and have ads so its never gonna be as enjoyable as the DVD version. that being said, the mass commercials will likely get very frustrating so i prefer to tape it on foxtel and watch it on a 30min delay so i can FF the ads.

[natskis]

Ruin it like they're ruining the Olympics?

Having exclusive broadcasting rights and on the first day showing the cricket instead of the Olympics?
And showing Repeats of Wipeout and Big Bang Theory on it's second channel instead of the Olympics?

Grinds... my... gears!

[agriffiths]

1. How will Channel 9 ruin Top Gear for you?

They'll run too many adds

2. How quickly will they do so?

It hasn't started and they've already achieved this goal.

[ATJ]

By the time it was SBS, MS had been ruled unfit to drive.

So now they can run them.

Actually, no. By the time they air on 9, MS will be driving F1 which means he can't be Stig.

[ATJ]

Having exclusive broadcasting rights and on the first day showing the cricket instead of the Olympics?
And showing Repeats of Wipeout and Big Bang Theory on it's second channel instead of the Olympics?

Which is why I'm very much against sport on FTA TV - or at least exclusive to FTA TV.

e.g. ONE HD/SD showing a replay of "Ultimate Fighter" instead of showing F1 qualifying live. Or One HD, SD and TEN showing the exact same AFL game on all 4 channels while not showing the F1 live.

[Wink]

The only concern i have is hwo the episodes will be played.
Season 14 only has 7 episodes, so i'm worried we'll be watching 3 or 4 old episodes in between each new episode.
I downloaded the first episode of season 14 when i aired. It was one of the best episodes i'd seen in a long time! I decided that i'd watch it on channel 9 rather than download the whole series (which is available). I'm now considering just doing that.

The ad shows part of the Ken Block rally segment James May did. That's from early season 13. So i'm thinking they'll air an old episode and a new one tonight.

[ATJ]

I wonder if 9 will drop segments from the show if they include unfavourable comments about one of their sponsors' vehicles. It would not surprise me at all.

[glamy]

I just cannot put up with this sort of show where one man is taking the show over the cars, where it is more about self promotion than anything else. I just cannot put up with all that crap, I just cannot watch this shows. Channel Nine is worst than the others. I can put up with SBS and ABC, that's about it. All their self promotion for their crap shows really gets me going. One of my pet hate is the voice they use on 7 to promote their shows. You guessed it, I could go on for a while, but to me Clarkson is enough to ruin "Top Gear".

[Aussie Dave]

I have been an avid viewer of Top Gear for a number of years now and quite enjoyed the SBS screening (which had minimal ads shown during the episodes).

I can completely empathise with everyone's views above, however you do get what you pay for and being broadcast on Free-to-air TV, I'm not sure how it can be considered the farse it is being made out to be, that cross-promotion and advertisements are shown throughout each episode. Someone has to pay for the commercial stations to broadcast it. Out in the real world, companies are marketing hard to promote their products/services, so why should TV be any different ?

In saying this, I am not looking forward to the many extra ads etc. that will be shown during Top Gear on Channel 9 (along with the bits and pieces they cut out), though I am still happy it is being shown on TV and would prefer that than scouring the net for a worthy copy to download (albeit illegally).

I don't see it being any different to any other TV show being shown by channels 7, 9 and 10. If you like the show you put up with the crap that goes along with FTA TV. If not, you watch by another means (or not at all).

Long live The Stig and I hope they continue the show for MANY more years to come. I think they are hilarious...even if they are pompous and down-right obnoxious. Anyone can review cars but it's the characters in the show that make the show what it is.

[/rant]

[Reschsmooth]

Dave, I do agree with your comments. However, where my gripe lies is the fact that, with great fanfare, they bought the rights to an existing product off another supplier and will then, presumably, diminish the quality.

I know I can ask for a full refund

[Big V]

Well they did not do a bad job tonight. Having seen all of series there was minimal disruption given that it is on commercial TV.

[hrpremier]

Having not see the journey to Romania (Borat Country) before hard to comment, but I though they had edited the hell out of the winter olympics edition which I have seen a number of times.

My biggest gripe was the lack of reception I was getting. Fine up until the start of the show then consistantly black screen appearing for lengths of time while the signal got lost. Weak as Pi$$. Damn WIN TV. Even with the lack of reception at least they are better than Channel 7.

Jase

[photomarcs]

still love that ep. where that Evo 8 MR drills hard against a Lambo, yet suffers in 6th gear against a Fiat... A FIAT!!!

[tasadam]

Well they did not do a bad job tonight.

Looked OK to me too. But the Winter Olympics, well there's another matter. What the blazes is Eddie doing there? What a great way to wreck a broadcast.
LONG LIVE THE MUTE BUTTON!!!!

[sirhc55]

fta will always bastardise any show with its prolification of adverts PLUS station logo

[Killakoala]

I'm just grateful for proxy servers and bit torrent

[dviv]

still love that ep. where that Evo 8 MR drills hard against a Lambo, yet suffers in 6th gear against a Fiat... A FIAT!!!

A better question should have been "How bad a driver do you have to be to try to accelerate from 30mph in 6th gear?" Especially in a turbo.

[surenj]

I don't even have channel nine in our area. It seems to be called NBN...

[Wink]

It's WIN in my area.

uTorrent will be working on season 14 tonight.

[Willy wombat]

If they do to it what Eddie is doing to the olympics it will be a tragedy

[gstark]

If they do to it what Eddie is doing to the olympics

I believe that Eddie's wife is jealous.

[ATJ]

If they do to it what Eddie is doing to the olympics

I believe that Eddie's wife is jealous.

I would have thought she'd be relieved.