London 2012 Olympics: Fed-up viewers demand BBC stop moving sports from channel to channel

  • Critics claim once broadcaster starts showing event, it should stay on same channel
  • BBC operating 24 dedicated channels showing all the action from every event

By
Paul Revoir

19:15 EST, 31 July 2012

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19:15 EST, 31 July 2012

Fed-up viewers have told the BBC to stop moving events from channel to channel, saying it is wearing them out trying to keep up.

Some sports such as the cycling road races and gymnastics have been switched from BBC1 to other channels, such as BBC3, or viewers have been redirected to one of the corporation’s 24 dedicated Olympics channels.

Critics claim that once the broadcaster starts showing a sport on a channel, it should stick with it.

Switch-over: Gymnastics has been one of several events where viewers have been asked to change channel to continue watching mid-way through the excitement

Others admitted they had not realised the sport they had been watching had been switched and they ended up missing large chunks of it.

The BBC is operating 24 dedicated channels showing all the action from every event on satellite and cable.

But many viewers access the coverage through the two main channels – BBC1 and BBC3 – which have been changing events in the middle of the coverage.

One viewer wrote on the BBC’s message-board: ‘I’m trying to watch the bike race here! It started on BBC 1, moved to BBC 3 and now is moved to the Red Button! ‘Stop doing that! I feel like I’m participating in the Olympics, chasing after the TV channel.’

Another said: ‘This is becoming a nasty habit with the BBC and I absolutely hate it! It’s like watching a TV with your kid in charge of the remote.’

Others took to Twitter to complain. One sports fan tweeted: ‘Ughhh, was streaming the gymnastics on BBC1 and it switched to BBC3 and the stream I have for that doesn’t work.’

Another added: ‘Didn’t realise gymnastics switched to BBC3, been watching horse riding for about 20 minutes.’

A BBC spokesman said: ‘Every event is live and uninterrupted on the BBC’s 24 Olympic channels, which have proved enormously popular and are being watched by millions.

‘On BBC1 and BBC3, we go to the best of the action, which occasionally means we will switch events between channels.

‘But this is the first time people can use the red button to find full live coverage of anything they choose and that can also be recorded.’

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