No wonder almost two years ago, you predicted that 10 will lose the rights to Seven but I have this feeling that Nine will probably have even better coverage than 10’s second run.
Here is my favourite Cup Carnival coverage in order (Since early-1980s):
People tuned into 7 thinking the Melbourne Cup was on only to see Bruce and co in Sydney. They could do the same thing later this year not knowing the Cup is on Nine with horse racing on 7 and 9 going head to head on the biggest day of the year on the racing calendar.
Seven’s coverage was Bruce McAvaney, Richard Freedman, Simon Marshall, Matthew White, Pat Welsh, Johanna Griggs, Kylie Gillies, Sandy Roberts, Peter Donegan, Michael Felgate, Adam Peacock, Sonia Kruger, Hamish McLachlan and Francesca Cumani.
Same thing happened with the Paris Olympics Opening as well when viewers tuned into Seven for Bruce’s 12th Broadcast of the games, but instead what they got was a Sister Act Movie.
Three of those personnel were also on 10’s first run from mid-1990s until 2001.
Guess it’s a case of old habits die hard. Bit like tuning in to Channel 9 to watch cricket
To be fair, Nine did have the Ashes series in 2019 and 2023, though Seven has them when they’re played in Australia.
As posted in another thread recently, I was surprised that Seven got the rights to televise the 2013 and 2017 Rugby League World Cups, given Nine has had a stranglehold on rugby league broadcasting in Australia since 1992.
It’s because Rugby League World Cups aren’t NRL Property
That is true, though Nine did televise the Rugby League World Cup in 2008 using their commentary team led by Ray Warren.
The 2022 tournament was exclusive to Fox Sports.
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup had the non Nine televised games broadcast on the Telstra Bigpond Sports Channel
Who copped an absolute pasting for his Cup call basically ignoring every horse apart from the Winner (Media Puzzle) for the last 200m or so. Admittedly the backstory revolving around the Oliver family which spawned a feature film and the emotion may have got to him.
Wayne was arguably in my opinion, one of the Australia’s premier race callers alongside Matt Hill and Greg Miles as well as John Tapp and Dan Milecki. Wayne’s call of the 2002 Melbourne Cup Race, was not bad having seen the Race on youtube plenty of times and I might look forward to seeing it may be uploaded on the Paul Lang Youtube Channel (I mean Seven’s first of 17 Broadcasts of the Cup Carnival) in coming weeks or months so watch this space everyone!
There are signs that Seven’s Full Melbourne Cup debut will be uploaded in the coming days or weeks.
Ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the first ever segment of Seven’s Melbourne Cup journey of 17 years is now all yours to enjoy (Please note some Sky Channel Coverage is featured in video).
And to add, The full coverage of Seven’s first of 17 running’s of the Melbourne Cup is now on Youtube (Coverage 2:32 until 13:30, no post-race coverage here).
I always get something in my eye when watching this…
Now here is something 90s kids never knew happened, Bruce and Tim Webster broadcasting the Melbourne Cup carnival together for 10 (May have happened as well at the Seoul Olympics 5 weeks earlier)
youtu.be/y6RkrQom9JU?si=G3_aHgyHsSaPr9ka
This would’ve been Bruce’s last Melbourne Cup carnival broadcast for 14 years before officially handing the reigns to Tim Webster and Dan Mielicki but continued as a spectator at the event for that entire period.
Mielicki would take over the binoculars from Bruce until 2001 when 10 lost the rights to 7
There is a much more recent video of Bruce and Dan Mielicki on Facebook at the trotts in Victoria, I think from December of 2022 and both also featured on Racing. com on the show Calling the cup which first aired around the time 10’s second run began.
