Is This A Coincidence?
Something called X-Factor starts next week. Is this why so many televisions were nicked last week?
Giving ITV A Chance
Just turned over to ITV to watch the football. But although it’s after two o’clock, I was too early for the football break.
The commentary actually started first on Radio 5!
Why We’re Losing Interest in the FA Cup
I like the FA Cup, but many are losing interest as one match today is on ITV and the other is on the US cable channel, ESPN. The former justs shows adverts interrupted by football and the second is not much better and anyway I don’t have a subscription.
I shall be listening to both matches on the radio and watching the rugby on BBC 1.
An E-Mail to the Head of ITV
The head of ITV was on BBC Radio 5 this afternoon and Richard Bacon was soliciting questions.
I sent one in.
I never watch ITV mainly because I’m a coeliac and allergic to gluten, which means no bread, beer, pasta or fast food for me. So most of the food and drink product adverts are for products that make me ill.
I’ve also had a stroke, so I can’t drive and have no interest in betting, except on my own terms, when I have information or have made a reasoned judgement. So that get’s the other adverts onto my not-to-watch list.
So how does a channel like ITV get me to watch football on the channel, rather than listen to it on another medium which gives a quality sound or text commentary, without bombarding me with adverts for things I don’t want or have no interest in?
I might be interested in subscribing to an advert-free ITV!
It was not asked.
ITV to Show More Adverts
Who cares? I don’t! I only watch sport on channels with adverts occasionally and usually there is a sound commentary on the radio, which I listen too.
The more adverts ITV shows, the worse the coverage will get and I’ll find something more interesting to do, like watch paint dry!
Solving the Problem of Watching Sky or ITV Pictures and Getting Radio 5 Sound
As you may know from this blog, I’m allergic to two things; gluten and adverts. I don’t like having to continually switch whilst watching sport on Sky or ITV to BBC Radio 5, to avoid the annoying adverts and get a continuous commentary. In many cases too, the ITV coverage is not up to scratch and vital parts like goals are missed. To be fair to Sky, there’s nothing wrong with their coverage in general, it’s just the adverts, often for products that contain gluten. So they are a double irritant.
Virgin cable gets around this problem in some ways, because it has a Back button, so you can constantly use it to flip between, your preferred video and audio channels.
For Christmas I was given a pair of wireless headphones by Sennheiser, that plug into the headphone socket of a television or radio and give a good sound quality within range.
So I have plugged them into my Roberts DAB radio for good Radio 5 sound and just put the television on the corresponding video channel.
There are some other advantages.
- I can get good commentary all over my house and even in the road outside.
- The range also solves the tea and toilet break problems, as never do I have to miss any of the action. This works well with sport, but you’d probably need to pause the television for a break, whilst watching a serious drama.
- I’d also be interested to know to, how serious music lovers would find the quality of the sound through the headphones.
- I now adjust the volume on the headphones, so that if say I was watching something very loud, then I’m the only one gets the loud noise.
- Obviously, if you are watching with someone else, you just unplug the headphones and watch normally.
It strikes me that various families would find different ways to use one or more of these devices to avoid problems amongst themselves or with the neighbours.
To be fair, I know that the headphones are a good deal cheaper, than the cost of using a solicitor to fight an ASBO caused by a loud television. And not everybody likes Abba!
But whatever, they made a very good Christmas present for me!
Gluten-Free Television
I don’t ever take my television with adverts, unless I actually really want to watch the program. So of the major programs on ITV like X-Factor, Downton Abbey and I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, I’ve not seen a single episode.
Today my son came up the M11 and he was watching a channel showing endless repeats of Frazier, which is a series of which I’ve never watched a single minute. Nearly all of the adverts were for products that I couldn’t eat, except for one for the Halifax Bank, for which I have no need.
I actually wonder whether these adverts have any positive effect for the companies involved as many households would actually be turned off by them. There was one advert for Iceland, that really convinced never to go near the shop, if all their customers were like those shown.
I Want to Watch Football Not Adverts!
I have just turned over from Radio 5’s build-up to the football to ITV’s coverage.
But what did I get?
Five minutes of adverts!
Grr! When somebody makes an advert filter that works, I’ll buy it! But I don’t buy any of the products they advertise anyway!
When I move, I’ll find a solution. Perhaps I need a TV that can switch from it’s Freeview tuner to a cable/Sky one at the touch of a button!
I’ve Been Watching Wales in Preference to England
On;ly because it’s on Sky and England are on the dreadful ITV.
I suppose I will watch England, but the idiot who gave them the contract for England matches needs certifying.
Sky and of course the BBC do football so much better!
The Anonymous Widower 