Four years wait for four decent minutes...

I have stopped watching the Olympics on BBC TV. I love the occasion of the Games, but my enthusiasm has been eroded away by my dislike of the way it is covered. Yesterday, on at least 5 separate occasions, they paused live coverage to show a video about the 800m runner Keely Hodgkinson. FIVE TIMES. Her actual race last night lasted less time than the video they had made to promote it, and they showed that video 5 times. (and I wasn't watching continuously, so my suspicion is that it was played even more often than that). And when they are not promoting what they are showing later, they are advertising other output from the BBC, and trying to direct you to the iPlayer. If I wanted to be watching comedy, I wouldn't be watching sport, so I don't need to be constantly reminded that there are comedy shows available online. I'm also sick of hearing about 'the journey' that every single athlete has been on, and about their dead relatives who they want to dedicate their efforts to. I'm sorry, but EVERYONE has lost people they loved, and everyone has had to overcome difficult circumstances and situations to get to where they are. It's just life. Most of us just have to put it down to experience, we don't get to talk about our 'journey' on national television in an overlong interview while far more interesting sporting events are continuing (uncovered) behind us. And that's my MAIN annoyance - the main things that I would love to watch are being ignored while four overpaid 'experts' in a studio drone on about the race that just happened, or might be about to happen. And they give so much coverage to cycling, equestrian and swimming while things like hockey and archery are cut up into tiny slices and spread across different channels. Personally, I've seen enough dancing horses on display this week to last me a sodding lifetime.
I don't want to moan on and on, but that's just a few examples from a very long list of reasons why I have binned it from the telly. So, now, I have Radio 5 Live on in the background and their Olympic programming is utterly exceptional. Better analysis, better commentary, better presenters, wider scope of events talked about, and no annoying recap/highlights reels or cross-promotion adverts being forced on me every five minutes or so.

RC 6-8-24