Hello all, I'm sure you all remember me ranting about RUK before...

I read last night that RUK now have Ascot too and Ascot have released a statement talking about it benefiting the Quipco Champion series etc, possibly the worst concept ever in my opinion. How about just downgrade the whole of British racing to sellers and just making the G1's exclusive to the arabs?! Anyway that isn't the point.

I can't afford RUK, I pay £21 a month out of my student loan to keep Sky in the house so I can watch ATR at the weekends and now that has lost a lot of the major tracks it once held. There is no way I can pay £41 a month to have Sky and RUK. The pricing is disgusting, the presenting is awful and when I did have the channel (very briefly before my father died) I was shocked at the quality (not of the pictures, but of the racing coverage). They used to do the 'get one hour free' which they have stopped, but I still flick over there every ATR advert break just in case. I don't know what the channel is like now because I haven't had it for about 8 years, but I doubt it is any better.

Supposedly racing is a 'public sport' one in which you can feel involved in the greats, but RUK are making it more exclusive than ever. All the racecourses are doing 'get 30% off if you buy online' etc tickets, but for the average person who can't travel, or who can't get the day off work and wants to enjoy the racing, particularly NH racing where you might not want to stand outside in the freeing cold and wet after a hard week at work, and watch it in the comfort of their own home they need to pay a premium!

Yes, most of the big Saturday races are on C4, but what a waste of time that will become when the changes come into place. I was so pleased when the BBC announced they wouldn't be showing racing anymore, but it seems that C4 are the new BBC. The Cheltenham Festival coverage this year was disgusting, repeats of awful features 5 times a day and an advert break approximately every 6 minutes (I calculated it for the Gold Cup day). Add to that they don't analyse falls, they don't tell you when a horse has obviously been injured badly etc. You didn't even see them in the paddock before the Supreme because they repeated the 'Supreme feature' that they had payed on the Morning Line just 5 hours earlier. Plus they're going to have Claire Balding on next year! Eurghh. Just awful.

I am seriously considering getting into another sport... Or maybe out of sport all together. Hey, if we have to pay a premium for our racing channels why don't we all just sit at home and watch the pay-per-view porn or chat channels instead at least then we'd be interacting with people... At least then we wouldn't be those sad old men and women sitting at home on a Saturday afternoon in front of the racing will we?!

Ugh, apologies for the essay. Rant temporarily over!

RUK is a rip off always has been
30 euros a month for a racing channel that i got for frree for 2 years as part of a 20 euro setanta package b4 went bust is dylight robbery
you should see what they charge pubs its a joke
ATR are free to air and is far superior IMO
they have invested alot in there channel last few months and have not passed the cost onto the viewer
RUK costs more than skys sports package which is a total FARCE!!!

What do you mean c4 is the new bbc? I think it's important for all group/grade 1 races and major handicaps in Britain to be shown on terrestrial free to view tv as that's what sets racing apart from sports like football, rugby, cricket etc.

Obviously I'm not complaining about them showing all the big races. But can't you see it, Claire Balding, Rishi Persad (I think?), countless pointless features and 'race previews' rather than real analysis or seeing the horses in the paddock, or analyzing horses injuries because it's important we all keep our eyes open about the sport. Plus the guy who runs C4 now is an ex BBC controller, I can only see a dark future ahead. It's turning into the idiotic, patriotic (i.e. if the queen has a runner lets only focus on that and how wonderful she is, overlooking the fact that the horse was a 'present' (Carlton House 2011 Derby) from Sheikh M. who for political and human rights reasons she should NOT be seen to be sympathising with ) fluffy horsey worshiping that the BBC coverage used to convey.

I'm not sure if you noticed I'm not a fan of the BBC or the licence money they make us pay.

Anyway PJ I'm pleased you agree, £20 for one channel is extortionate. Especially when ATR and C4 bring mostly excellent coverage to us for free; the whole lot of them ought to be deported along with the Horseman's group (or whatever it's called) and the mug who thought it would be a good idea to take Champion's day away from Newmarket and start the British Champion Series.