TVG is Failing Us

How many of us even know what “TVG” is? The Television Gaming Network is an American sports-oriented cable program that focusses on broadcasting horse races happening throughout the United States as well as in different countries. You’ve probably seen the channel in passing while looking for something else to watch, the TVG logo is the green block with the white outline of a horse’s head that looks ridiculously outdated and is in need of a major overhaul design wise. If you happen to spend more than five minutes watching the channel, you’ll notice gradually just how outdated the program is in general. Watching a horse race on TVG is like watching a home-recording that took place in the early 90’s, it seriously looks like some of the footage my parents have of me as a baby; that’s the kind of quality level we’re talking about. 

It’s important to know that TVG is owned by the Betfair Group, the world’s largest internet betting exchange which is headquartered in West London, England. This is the root of all of TVG’s problems and is why the program is such a dismal excuse as a source of racing entertainment. TVG needs to do more.

Camera Angles & High Definition

1. Have you ever watched a NASCAR race, an NFL or NBA game? Notice how in all three of those sporting events different camera angles are used to provide the most visually appealing display of the sport without actually being there in person. These sports are also broadcasted in high definition, so the picture quality is spectacular. As I already mentioned, TVG has the video quality of a “made at home” movie from the early 90’s and only uses one camera angle for most of their races. If NASCAR can incorporate different camera angles as a fast-paced racing sport, then so can horse racing.
   

   High Def NFL Broadcast vs. 90’s VHS recording?

   

Also, why haven’t Spidercams been incorporated into horse racing? The Spidercam is a filming system that allows a television camera to move both vertically and horizontally over a predetermined area. They are used all the time in NFL and MLS games and allow for a unique visual stimulation to the viewing audience. Imagine if horse races were broadcasted using multiple camera angles and techniques as well as in high definition, the product becomes 100x better right off the bat.

Spidercam

Outdated Looks, Over focus on Gambling & Commentating Failures

2. “TVG has a dirty casino vibe look to it”. That was literally a direct quote from one of my friends who begrudgingly sat down and watched a few minutes of racing with me. There is too much going on for one television screen to handle. Again, the numbers and colors of the graphics scream early 90’s technology. STOP WITH ALL THE NUMBERS AND WAGERING ELEMENTS. It not only looks tacky but hurts my eyes to concentrate on everything that is going on. Do you see constant point spreads flashing on the bottom of ESPN sports telecasts? No. Obviously you need to keep an aspect of gambling to the program but give it a limited amount of space on the television screen and make it look nice and professional looking.

TVG is an eyesore; too much going on

Clean, professional looking

Another thing, instead of the announcers constantly talking about the financial outcome of each race, how about they actually dissect the sport? Nobody wants to sit down and listen to someone describe how excited one should be that a horse paid $2.20 on his 3^rd place finish! They have it all wrong. Stop focusing on the betting aspect of the sport and focus on the actual competition, the beauty of the horses running on the track. You’ll end up with a way more exciting and audience oriented product if you allow and instruct the announcers to be more colorful while the race is actually happening. Substitute thought provoking analysis of the sport and it’s athletes, and allow the announcers to actually discuss what is going on instead of how much money someone could’ve just gained or lost.

Authenticity as a Sports-Entertainment Channel

3. TVG is not a sports-oriented channel, it is a gambling channel and the product they put out for the audience reveals that immediately. Yes, horse racing and gambling are synonymous, but it shouldn’t have to result in the formation of an ugly love child. Horse racing and the gambling aspect of the sport should be a beautiful pairing, one where each element compliments the other. There should be a higher focus on the actual “sport” part of horse racing rather than the gambling portion. People that love and religiously follow horse racing, do it because they LOVE the sport, not for the chance at winning a few dollars here and there. I guarantee more people would be attracted to horse racing if it was broadcasted like a NASCAR event, with backline stories, in depth interviews leading up to the action, etc. Allow the gambling aspect to be there, just don’t let it overshadow everything else that is going on.

Produce a product that is going to get people, especially a younger audience excited. While other broadcasting of sports, such as golf have evolved, horse racing has stayed stagnant. Golf could be an extremely dry sport to broadcast, yet when it is presented on TV, the commentators and the people working behind the scenes do a good job of narrating a story and of getting the audience excited about the talent on the course. Golf does a tremendous job of generating hype around it’s young and upcoming stars such as Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods, back when he was just coming up in the sport. Golf broadcasting has done a tremendous job of putting a product out there that has garnered a large amount of attention and positive reviews, which has opened the door for huge companies to advertise with the sport such as Nike, Adidas, TAG Heuer, etc.

Talk about the actual horse competing in the race. Discuss the horse’s connections in depth so the audience can start building connections with particular racing stables, farms and ownership groups. “Wait, Sagamore Racing is out of Maryland? I’m form Maryland too, so I’ll root for them!” Individuals who are fans of a sport love to build connections with the athletes and/or teams they are watching. I love the Cleveland Browns because I have a connection to the city they play in, I feel like a part of the team in some aspects. When I root on the Browns, I’m rooting for the city of Cleveland at the same time.

Other Ideas to Improve Horse Racing Television

–> Interchangeable numbers for horse racing vests via a clear plastic sleeve that would enable the athletes to wear the colors of their perspective racing stables while still indicating to the audience what gate number they started in. Instead of a bunch of horses running in pink colors, each horse could be easily distinguished from one another while they are racing.    

–> Silks should be paired with a logo that further identifies a horse and the “team” the colt/filly is a part of. You paid all this money to own and race this horse, don’t you want your own unique logo on the athlete you’ve invested a lot of time and money into? Plus, you could increase your fan base overtime via individuals recognizing your logo and silk combination.

Hypothetical Sporting Logo w/ Silks

–> Project lines on the horse track that are vivid and clear in display, to help indicate particular distance markers, etc.; similar to what the NFL does with the yellow line for a first down.

These ideas aren’t and wouldn’t be hard to institute given a television program that actually cares about the product they are putting out there and about the audience they are catering to. I highly doubt TVG will ever change, however what’s to stop someone from coming in and starting up a television program for horse racing that actually hits on all these points I just made? These changes would build the fan base of the sport greatly and elevate it from “gambling TV” to entertainment TV. It’s your more TVG.