Channel 9 Ruins the airing of the UK episodes of Top Gear in Australia.

flybysupra

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Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
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Hi All,

Over here in Australia Top Gear first aired on SBS a public broadcasting network that shows a lot of BBC uk tv shows and documentaries. It was very very popular on SBS - no adds and full unedited episodes. Since it was so popular a commercial tv network - with much more money - snapped up Top Gear. Since it has been on channel 9 it is just totally ruined and going downhill fast. It is on very late at night, starting 930 or later and has about 50 hours of adverts per episode shown. When it was on SBS it was also on at a reasonable time and non-car minded people were getting into it and started to watch it. Now that it is on so late, this has stopped and so has the "new" followers.

I will let other members comment about this also, but I believe that Andy Wilman needs to know. You just need to check the Top Gear Australia facebook page and the like to see peoples discust in this.

David
 
Never watched it on Nine as you know it'll either be shown late,butchered or be 3 or more months old.

Downloading is your friend.Screw Nine.
 
Hi All,

<snip>

David

What the others said. I don't watch it on nine (except by accident).

I would contend your assertion that SBS showed "full unedited episodes" though. The SBS episodes were cut to 45 mins, often omitted "the news" and used generic sound tracks. The one thing nine did do right was to air the full BBC2 episodes.

I'm pretty sure Wilman already knows. He isn't an innocent victim in the decline of the franchise in Australia. He is more likely one of the culprits.
 
What the others said. I don't watch it on nine (except by accident).

I would contend your assertion that SBS showed "full unedited episodes" though. The SBS episodes were cut to 45 mins, often omitted "the news" and used generic sound tracks. The one thing nine did do right was to air the full BBC2 episodes.

I'm pretty sure Wilman already knows. He isn't an innocent victim in the decline of the franchise in Australia. He is more likely one of the culprits.

I'm fairly sure they still had to use generic music, all internationally shown episodes have to do this due to a special agreement the BBC has, meaning they don't have to pay for music.
 
There is another way of watching it you know.

(hint: You didn't use Australia Post to post this)

I am like you, I have been using this website for years getting my episodes - have from series 1 and some older 1989-93 episodes. The point I'm trying to make is that because of channel nines actions, the audience level is decreasing not increasing as it was when SBS had it. Popularity dies, money dies, then what.
 
^ It isn't re-runs flybysupra is talking about. It is first airings of current Top Gear Episodes. Channel Nine has been airing episodes of Top Gear within weeks of them airing in the UK. The show was/is very popular here. We were the first country to air Top Gear on free to air TV outside the UK and the first to have a spin-off Top Gear. If nothing else, the success or demise of the show here may be a barometer for what happens elsewhere. :dunno:
 
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