By DANNY BUTTLER
Winter Olympics
Channel 10 and One
THE Winter Olympics is chock full of events that most sport fans wouldn’t spend five minutes watching at any other time outside the games fortnight. But that doesn’t mean it’s not good viewing.
Unlike the summer version, the frozen Olympics tends to have spectacular sports set in mostly beautiful venues.
For the average TV viewer, watching downhill skiing is a far more exciting prospect than athletes circling a stadium or, even worse, semi-submerged swimmers hanging laps of the pool.
The figure skating has a grace and beauty that the summer gymnasts – for all their strength and poise – struggle to match.
Channel 10 have done a fair job in covering the Sochi games, with a good spread of events and great pictures being beamed from the official feed.
With no Australian gold medals so far, Channel 10 evening host Mel McLaughlin has been the nation’s biggest winner from the games, stamping herself as the rising star of Australian TV.
The only complaint would be the overuse of “extreme” words used by middle-aged men in suits. Simply saying “epic” doesn’t atomically give you snow cred.
HG and Roy have also run their race, producing a shtick that had grown tired more than a decade ago.
The lack of curling coverage has been a concern for some viewers, with 10 and One preferring relatively new sports like half-pipe and snowboarding rather to this staple of winter sports.
As the second most popular sport in Canada – behind ice hockey – this is a competition that required more focus and commitment from the broadcaster.
Apart from that, 10 and One have combined to bring a little bit of cool television into a hot summer.
– Danny Buttler
