Wynne Gray: TVNZ learns harsh lessons

Silver Ferns captain Katrina Grant's response was real. She cared, she didn't know the answers but promised to fight on. Photo / Photosport

Hoist up your marks for television coverage of the Commonwealth Games — they should be about the same as for the netball side.

Both have disappointed across so many areas and are the result of a lack of expertise in dealing with high-level sporting occasions. It's not a surprise because TVNZ has been out of that frame for some time while New Zealand have been on the netball slide in recent seasons.

Roundups on the news are delivered with his usual aplomb by Andrew Saville but the programming, coverage and commentary around that is messy.

We expect adverts to intrude into events because the broadcaster has to pay for their television content and although that timing will be questioned it's part of free to air coverage.

So is the plan to split events across a number of channels so viewers have choices about their sporting focus. But the lack of strap-line information across the bottom of the screen or, even worse, the wrong details is a glitch in the system. So, too, is telling viewers they can catch other events online.

Watching sports events on a desktop computer, laptop, iPad or phone is anti-social. Part of the beauty of watching sport is sitting back on the couch and being able to take the atmosphere in on a decent-size screen without having to hover over a smaller device which might suffer buffer or sound issues.

TVNZ has to judge this fortnight as invaluable and build on it if their combined bid is successful to screen next year's much longer Rugby World Cup.

Wynne Gray

TVNZ's decision to have studio presenters standing in front of giant pictures of the Gold Coast or stadium mockups is unfair to their talents while they have hidden the experienced linking talents of Peter Williams across the Tasman. The team over there have to deal with time allocated for interviews or how they frame their questions and often there are constraints put on those inquiries by team management.

When the interviewers get the chance they need to cut to the chase because chats at poolside, courtside or trackside are running against the clock.

So big ups to Jenny-May Clarkson who dispensed with her allegiances to the netball side as she quizzed the upset captain Katrina Grant about the tactics and production from her side. That drew outrage from some hand-wringers who thought Clarkson should have brought out the tissues and wrapped her arms around the troubled skipper.

Patsy answers came from the coach who had time to trot out her response while Grant's response was real. She cared, she didn't know the answers but promised to fight on.

If Clarkson had not asked the questions she did, she would have done her audience a disservice. She is in the privileged position of being up close to watch the team train, play and ask questions on behalf of her audience. She works for TVNZ and is not the public relations arm of the netball side.

Time under pressure is the best instruction for TVNZ and the netball team for their future contests. The Silver Ferns are unlikely to get past the Aussies in the semifinals and will then re-evaluate while TVNZ has to judge this fortnight as invaluable and build on it if their combined bid is successful to screen next year's much longer Rugby World Cup.