Spoiled for choice when it comes to watching athletics

The way we consume and watch sport has transformed but, with so much athletics now broadcast in different ways across the globe, the biggest problem is trying to keep up with it all

We live in an age where almost everybody expects to be able to consume what they want, when they want – and that “when” is usually “now”, if not five minutes ago. Seldom does this apply more strongly than when it comes to filmed or televised sport. People want to see it live, not after the event, when everyone has already formed their own opinion and let the world know about it on social media.

Many of us have proudly touted for too long to remember that athletics is the “No.1 Olympic sport” and, while this has come under threat at times, I still think it’s largely true. However, while athletics has consistently rebuffed all pretenders to the throne – thankfully, Breakdancing will not be at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles – many other sports, plenty of them unheard of or even non-existent only a few years ago, are well marketed, have innovated, and are televised with ingenuity. 

Some of these are considered “sexy” and, to be fair, make compelling viewing, but it’s the job of those guarding athletics’ dominance, throughout each day of the four-year Olympic cycle, to ensure our sport not only matches these newbies but serves up what the consumer wants in an eye-catching, fresh way that keeps it not only popular but, first and foremost, accessible.

And accessibility is the key, frankly. After over 30 years of commentating, and 15 more before that as a good runner, I’ve become accustomed to seeing events with ease on my TV, but that’s been changing for over a decade, as other platforms and ways of sport being served up, have developed.

I’ve lost count of the number of friends who say to me: “That event you’re commentating on; where can I find it? It’s very well hidden!” – and they’re the lucky ones. There will be plenty of others who will ask after the event, “Where was it on?” or, worse still, “I didn’t even know it was on!”.

Long gone are the days of the 1990s when Eurosport showed literally dozens of European meetings each year, free to view, as well as the major championships – in conjunction with BBC or ITV or another terrestrial channel – with we commentators going onsite for the vast majority. 

More common now is the remote commentary option, which applies to many sports. In…