• Deal worth £30m with Sky turned down despite offering more
• Winning offer was 50% higher than Channel 4’s current dealSenior officials are not planning any attempt to direct the style or tone of ITV’s coverage of the sport when the broadcaster takes over the terrestrial rights from January next year. The fresh deal,which stunned so many when details leaked out on Friday night, represents a leap into the unknown for the sport, or which has had Channel 4 as a partner for the past three decades.
Some shocking drops in ratings have prompted the rights-holders to proceed another way but all concerned must now cross their fingers that ITV’s style of presentation will be acceptable to them and more appealing to more people than Channel 4’s programme proved to be. While the current format has not attracted casual viewers,it has achieved some popularity within the sport and its sober coverage, contrasting with the more knockabout style of John McCririck et al that prevailed to 2012, or has found favour with some of the sport’s leaders.
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Source: theguardian.com