The Racing Post

diomed · 15-05-2017 6:30pm #1

I don't subscribe to the Racing Post website.
The "Essential" is £14.50 a month and the Ultimate is £26 a month.
At the moment about 80% of the RP website is hidden behind these subscriptions.

Does anyone here pay for these? Are they worth it?

I spend at least €1,000 a year on racing books, but I keep these books and can read them many times.

uxiant · 15-05-2017 6:38pm

diomed wrote: »

I don't subscribe to the Racing Post website.
The "Essential" is £14.50 a month and the Ultimate is £26 a month.
At the moment about 80% of the RP website is hidden behind these subscriptions.

Does anyone here pay for these? Are they worth it?

I spend at least €1,000 a year on racing books, but I keep these books and can read them many times.

I got a trial month a while back and couldn't believe people were actually paying for it. Horsetrackers are free in many other places, pedigrees can be seen elsewhere and you can get much more comprehensive and useful statistical databases for cheaper elsewhere. Now RPRs are free for everyone too.

Thought it was a complete rip off but maybe its changed.

Francie Barrett · 15-05-2017 9:05pm

I have a subscription but I won't be renewing when it expires. The reason is the awful new website that has been made much harder to navigate, and has removed vital data and statistics. When I complained, I was told that my complaint was a minority and that the vast majority of customers approved of the changes.

BumperD · 15-05-2017 9:10pm

Dislike the new site and many others do too judging by a few forums discussing the subject. I did speak to rp reps and was told that people will get used to it. I don't have a subscription and agree more and more is now hidden but what I find most irritating is the volume of pop up adds when you hit the site, it's got out of control. Thankfully, there are free alternatives out there.

The marketing team at rp are young so probably a little defensive when it comes to handling complaints.

Francie Barrett · 15-05-2017 9:38pm

BumperD wrote: »

I don't have a subscription and agree more and more is now hidden

There are things that have been removed from the paid version, or else split across multiple pages (when they would have all been on the one page before) making it a pain in the arse to navigate.

ShaneU · 15-05-2017 9:39pm

Don't like their new design either, results are a lot harder to find.

tryfix · 15-05-2017 10:46pm

I've never paid for it.

The new website is horrible, especially navigating around the results section. I enter the website through the old Bloodstock section which is in the old deskstop style and it lets you look at stallion tables, racecards and the day's results in the old format but trying to get detailed results brings you off to the new website and all the messing that goes with it. I'm now much more fond of the Irish Racing site and atr and ruk than I used to be and could live without the RP at this stage.

mdwexford · 15-05-2017 11:15pm

New site is cat.

Change is bad.

Hulk Hands · 16-05-2017 12:08am

New site is getting ripped to shreds on twitter on a daily basis but the powers that be are ignoring the criticism. I suspect its a money issue. Shame cos Millington the editor is a decent bloke. The podcasts are good. Once race displays start being on digital screens in shops, the end is near id say for the paper version itself

kfallon · 16-05-2017 9:05am

I wouldn't subscribe to anything that involves that c*nt Bruce Millington!

Not even bought the paper in years, nothing but bookmaker's apologists!

Hulk Hands · 16-05-2017 3:42pm

Ive met Millington on a few occasions and hes very sound. Just a happy go lucky punter that likes most sports, just happens to have a high profile job. I suspect its the strong English accent and turn of phrases he has more than anything else that puts Irish people off him

kfallon · 16-05-2017 3:48pm

Hulk Hands wrote: »

Ive met Millington on a few occasions and hes very sound. Just a happy go lucky punter that likes most sports, just happens to have a high profile job. I suspect its the strong English accent and turn of phrases he has more than anything else that puts Irish people off him

Didn't he write an article lately basically saying how FOBTS were a good thing, again looking out for his mates in the bookmaking fraternity.

2 weeks ago they had a Q&A with that absolute cretin, The Racing blogger. Guy is f*cking clueless and knows nothing about racing yet the trade paper saw fit to publish it (and apparently it was full of his bullsh*t too)

BM seems to shut down any criticism of himself on Betfair forum too, any article with a hint of criticism is gone before you know it.

Copper_pipe · 16-05-2017 3:59pm

kfallon wrote: »

Didn't he write an article lately basically saying how FOBTS were a good thing, again looking out for his mates in the bookmaking fraternity.

2 weeks ago they had a Q&A with that absolute cretin, The Racing blogger. Guy is f*cking clueless and knows nothing about racing yet the trade paper saw fit to publish it (and apparently it was full of his bullsh*t too)

BM seems to shut down any criticism of himself on Betfair forum too, any article with a hint of criticism is gone before you know it.

He recently had 200 on a fav @ 1/5 in a 2 horse race :pac::pac:

kfallon · 16-05-2017 4:01pm

Copper_pipe wrote: »

He recently had 200 on a fav @ 1/5 in a 2 horse race :pac::pac:

I wish I could go back 2-3 months to when I was oblivious to that muppet!

masterK · 17-05-2017 11:23am

The most annoying thing I've noticed it not being able to filter on a horses wins like you were previously able to. It's handy to see quickly what ratings a horse has won off, the ground etc.

Edit: Actually just realized you can sort on the column headers in the form view.

Nulty · 17-05-2017 12:23pm

Whats wrong with the new site?

Hulk Hands · 18-05-2017 12:59am

kfallon wrote: »

Didn't he write an article lately basically saying how FOBTS were a good thing, again looking out for his mates in the bookmaking fraternity.

2 weeks ago they had a Q&A with that absolute cretin, The Racing blogger. Guy is f*cking clueless and knows nothing about racing yet the trade paper saw fit to publish it (and apparently it was full of his bullsh*t too)

BM seems to shut down any criticism of himself on Betfair forum too, any article with a hint of criticism is gone before you know it.

His idea on the FOBT's is just that shops will close when they go and this will hurt racing.I don't necessarily agree but I don't think the point is invalid. Should we be worrying about these addicts over there when theyre just going to go online instead and do their brains there, in a place that doesnt help racing. Not sure who exactly the mates are he's helping out in the bookmaking fraternity? Dermot Desmond? Hills shareholders? PP want FOBT's gone asfaik and Freds are barely a footprint now.

I agree with the blogger thing, fking idiotic, but i'd imagine that was the bright idea of young lad in marketing. Even RUK are giving the blogger air time now. There's a vocal minority that im sure you follow also that realise he's a muppet, but we're a very small group numbers wise really. Not sure how BM has an "in" with Betfair though? Havent heard that said before

abarkie · 18-05-2017 8:51am

Hulk Hands wrote: »

Not sure how BM has an "in" with Betfair though? Havent heard that said before

Have a look on the Betfair forum, you will soon see

Perhaps even better, start a thread saying RP gone downhill, website harder to navigate, cannot see racecards any more and need to subscribe, then set your watch as to how long it lasts

18-05-2017 9:15am

Nulty wrote: »

Whats wrong with the new site?

I've worked for large online businesses and on major site redevelopments in the past.

Whenever you change anything you get a large number of people moaning and screaming about it, suggesting that nobody in the business knows what they are doing, etc etc. It is inevitable.

My own thoughts on the site are mixed, but in a lot of ways it is much clearer and easier to read. The cards are certainly cleaner, and most importantly of all (and I suspect this was the motive behind the refresh) it works on mobile. It was embarrassing that the RP didn't have a responsive website in 2017. They've fixed it.

I don't subscribe but I use the app / site most days and occasionally pick up a copy at the weekend, particularly if I am actually going racing for the day. It isn't perfect but I would prefer it to exist than not exist.

kfallon · 18-05-2017 10:35am

Hulk Hands wrote: »

His idea on the FOBT's is just that shops will close when they go and this will hurt racing.I don't necessarily agree but I don't think the point is invalid. Should we be worrying about these addicts over there when theyre just going to go online instead and do their brains there, in a place that doesnt help racing.

Maybe the bookmakers might actually go back to being, ya know, bookmakers? How about that for a thought? Take some decent bets on racing/football and not try to get people to bet on FOBTs, Virtual sh*te, Rapido and all that kind of rubbish where they know the odds are stacked in their favour.

The man is a parasite!

Thud · 18-05-2017 11:28am

The At the Races website is a reasonable substitute for the racing side (no pedigree side) without blocked content.

posturingpat · 18-05-2017 11:29am

kfallon wrote: »

Maybe the bookmakers might actually go back to being, ya know, bookmakers? How about that for a thought? Take some decent bets on racing/football and not try to get people to bet on FOBTs, Virtual sh*te, Rapido and all that kind of rubbish where they know the odds are stacked in their favour.

The man is a parasite!

They won't. It'll just mean everything will go online and they can track and limit shrewd punters more efficiently.

Gregk961 · 18-05-2017 1:55pm

kfallon wrote: »

Maybe the bookmakers might actually go back to being, ya know, bookmakers? How about that for a thought? Take some decent bets on racing/football and not try to get people to bet on FOBTs, Virtual sh*te, Rapido and all that kind of rubbish where they know the odds are stacked in their favour.

I appreciate your romantic view of things but your basically saying they should stop one of their main streams of income and focus on areas with less profit. That is nonsense no business/industry would do that by choice.

danganabu · 18-05-2017 3:39pm

Only site I would ever consider paying subs for is https://www.geegeez.co.uk/

lemush · 18-05-2017 6:14pm

Paying for the paper is bad enough nevermind the online subscription. The RP is a bookies mouthpiece run by an editor who hasn't the first notion about the industry whilst the paper is full of so called experts who in the majority don't even keep a p&l. Millingtons piece on the fobts showed once and for all where his loyalty lies and it isn't on the side those poor fools who pay money for RPs "service".

Francie Barrett · 18-05-2017 6:31pm

lemush wrote: »

Paying for the paper is bad enough nevermind the online subscription. The RP is a bookies mouthpiece run by an editor who hasn't the first notion about the industry whilst the paper is full of so called experts who in the majority don't even keep a p&l. Millingtons piece on the fobts showed once and for all where his loyalty lies and it isn't on the side those poor fools who pay money for RPs "service".

Sorry, but that is ridiculous. Tipsters columns, editorials, and PR puff pieces are like 10% of the content. I agree those bits are useless (I never read them anyway), it's the other 90% of the content (statistics, breeding, cards) that holds the real value. If you're really into the flat racing where there's often no form to go by and you're reliant on breeding, then I think unless you pay for content like the RP, or have some other source of your own, then you're really betting blind.

Slattsy · 18-05-2017 6:46pm

lemush wrote: »

Paying for the paper is bad enough nevermind the online subscription. The RP is a bookies mouthpiece run by an editor who hasn't the first notion about the industry whilst the paper is full of so called experts who in the majority don't even keep a p&l. Millingtons piece on the fobts showed once and for all where his loyalty lies and it isn't on the side those poor fools who pay money for RPs "service".

On the money.

lemush · 18-05-2017 7:23pm

Francie Barrett wrote: »

or have some other source of your own, then you're really betting blind.

Bingo, plenty of other sources available for what you just mentioned, RP offers zero value for money. Anyone paying for it is off their head imo.

Francie Barrett · 18-05-2017 7:35pm

lemush wrote: »

Bingo, plenty of other sources available for what you just mentioned, RP offers zero value for money. Anyone paying for it is off their head imo.

Please tell me where I can get the equivalent of what's available on the RP website for £12 a month....

lemush · 18-05-2017 10:17pm

Francie Barrett wrote: »

Please tell me where I can get the equivalent of what's available on the RP website for £12 a month....

The question should be is 12 quid a month value for what you receive? If you believe so then more power to you.

Nulty · 20-05-2017 2:10pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Nulty wrote: »

Whats wrong with the new site?

I've worked for large online businesses and on major site redevelopments in the past.

Whenever you change anything you get a large number of people moaning and screaming about it, suggesting that nobody in the business knows what they are doing, etc etc. It is inevitable.

My own thoughts on the site are mixed, but in a lot of ways it is much clearer and easier to read. The cards are certainly cleaner, and most importantly of all (and I suspect this was the motive behind the refresh) it works on mobile. It was embarrassing that the RP didn't have a responsive website in 2017. They've fixed it.

I don't subscribe but I use the app / site most days and occasionally pick up a copy at the weekend, particularly if I am actually going racing for the day. It isn't perfect but I would prefer it to exist than not exist.

Yep

The Racing Post

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