Originally Posted by
RobF
That's because they don't shoot full bore at the Olympics.
They do at the Commonwealths, but it's a bit behind the times in coverage because they still shoot paper targets in full bore and put the scores up on a billboard hours after they've collected all the paper from downrange, at least that's the impression I got from Scotland's hosting.
Shooting has been working hard to improve it's TV profile, but it needs to go a long way further. But in opposition you have more dynamic sports being accepted by the IOC driving more TV revenue.
Target Sprint has been formulated to do that... i'm not wholly convinced. It's a short track running version of biathlon, which has more visual appeal... and they don't run with the guns. So really it's running and then shooting and then running, and then shooting, and then running. Which we already have. It smacks of a bright idea that's desperately trying to hold onto standing with an air rifle.
Pentathlon has dropped shooting and they've now gone to laser pointers. Anschutz were celebrating their rifle laser points on social media this week.
You can see where it's going to possibly end up, but 10m laser pointing is about as interesting as watching Formula E in comparison to F1, which is basically a good excuse for a snooze (and I'm a motorsport fan). 3p is something like 1 hour 45 and then a final that takes almost another hour. It's a great technical achievement for the top shooters, but it's just pandering to that. Prone is just batch test fest that anyone can win, although there are a handful that have fought their way to the top on a more consistent basis. But 60 shots is just too long. Same with 10m. That's why the actual matches aren't televised. They just show the finals.
Shooting, if it wants the coverage, needs to supply what TV wants. And that's speed, colour and noise because TV doesn't care about what it shows, just how many watch it.