Hoops

Worst Olympic Coverage Ever

Fair points is most cases. But if you sit on your hands and do nothing, nothing changes.

I think the point is that considering two channels are covering sports; you'd not restrict the "Australian" competition to only being shown on Channel Seven.

Personally it would have been best to advise viewers that the full game can be watched on one of the HD Channels or the coverage has been moved over to SBS.

Saying you're covering an event like basketball and equestrian and trying to "juggle" them is a stupid idea. Having a "temp" channel during olympic time that will show uninterrupted games of 'whatever' sport you're into is the way to go.

So yes, while there was a medal chance in equestrian (which by the way, congrats to Aus for the Silver), badgering an audience on regarding basketball and then failing to show anything of value; when there are at least 4+ channels that can show the game in whole, is a poor example of planning.

It shouldn't matter whether or not specific sports are more appreciated than others; because in all honesty, they could be showing full basketball games rather than watching Swimming heats, containing swimmers we already know are going to make the finals.

And yes, while the same can be said for pre-finals basketball; the fact you go ahead and promise coverage of aussie competition then fail to deliver across a number of sports, you're doing a pretty pathetic job of meeting your mark and keeping 'good old fashioned' promises.

Here's my follow up letter to the one I sent channel 7 on Monday (due to the poor effort on Sunday): 13 August 2008 Seven Network Limited PO Box 777 Pyrmont NSW 2009 To Whom It May Concern: I am writing in follow up to my letter dated 11 august concerning my complete and utter dissatisfaction at your coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In addition to my previous areas of complaint, I am also wishing to express my further extreme displeasure at your broadcasting schedule for specifically the evening of the 12 August 2008, and early morning of 13 August 2008 involving the coverage of the Australian mens basketball game against defending Olympic champions Argentina. As was the case with the Australian mens game scheduled on 10 August 2008, your network presenters continually promised to show the basketball game later that evening. I therefore stayed up to watch the game that was due to commence at 12:15am AEST. Whilst the start of the game was missed due to the existing coverage of another sport, shortly afterwards your began to broadcast the basketball live which was greatly appreciated. Understandably, at the half time break your network crossed to another event (Equestrian) to cover the action there. However the coverage stayed with the equestrian and did not return to the basketball. There was no mention of the basketball at all, and no indication to advise whether or not the coverage would be crossing back. Bleary eyed, I hung on for another 20 minutes hoping to see some more basketball coverage, eventually falling asleep  bored to death watching animals jump over fences. So having stayed up all night to well after 1:30am in the morning to watch a game of basketball, I was yet again let down and left disappointed, missing out of the second half of a crucial contest. Absolutely flabbergasting! Your treatment of the Australian basketball teams and the Australian sporting public is both perplexing and disgusting. Your networks actions only reinforced my original conclusion that you are treating the 2008 edition of the Olympic Games and the Australian public with disdain. Despite by best judgment I gave your network another chance, and once again I end up being frustrated, disappointed and left feeling short-changed. You will not get another chance. I now remain committed to watching broadcasts of the Olympics exclusively on SBS on free to air television. Im still also unable to do so online, as your Yahoo website is just as bad if not worse than your television coverage. I expect to receive a detailed response to my complaint, and remain intrigued as to what continues to drive your incompetence in covering the greatest sporting event in the world. Regards, LC *** Please feel free to plagiarise it and amend it for your own purposes.

I guess the thing that has annoyed me the most has been the fact that SBS and 7 have been showing the same thing at the same time, i would have thought that the two FTA channels showing the olympics dhould show different events. I would have thought that the news services would have been the right time to show replays of Aussies winning and medal cerimonies.

Channel 7 Olympics: a marathon of ads broken up by sprints of events!