A New TV Deal (U.S. Fans May Want to Take a Deep Breath First)

[Amar7605]

It is possible that Versus has a competent business plan that puts it in a position to challenge both ESPN and Fox Sports Net. I'm not saying that Versus will be a juggernaut, only that it wants to be at the same level as the current sports channels.

[JohnSSC]

All things are possible, Amar! The difficulty here is that open wheel has sunk so low (as has the NHL), that it has to scamper down the viewership ladder to Versus to obtain a platform to show off the product.

Off-topic note: I now know that I do not have epilepsy as I would have had a petit mal seizure by now (if not grand mal) what with the young lady doing the ridiculous repetitive dance over the possibility of getting her bachelor's degree on-line in 24 months right next to the quick reply box here....

[Fish_Flake]

It seems to me that the people who don't like this TV deal is because it doesn't provide adequate exposure for the "casual fan." I think that rationale is complete nonsense. The casual fan isn't watching anything but the 500 regardless of what channel the races are on, so why should the series beg for tables scraps at ESPN when being aired on ESPN hasn't helped?

[icemachine]

Well Canadian fans are apparently going to have to pony up a premium to watch the IRL. TSN2 will be launching soon and apparently it will be carrying the IRL telecasts

http://www.tsn.ca/tsn2/story/?id=246...headlines_main

TSN2 launches on August 29 at 7 p.m. ET with exclusive live Canadian coverage of the U.S. Open tennis tournament. TSN2's roster features an exciting lineup of exclusive live sports games and events, including the NHL, CFL, NBA, Curling, International Hockey, Golf, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, IndyCar Series, Grand Slam Tennis, Champions League Soccer, Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts, and NCAA Football and Basketball.

News reports have indicated this will be a premium sattellite channel, and no word yet on how the cable co's will carry it, if at all

[Dutton]

Well, it'll be interesting to see how much of the coverage TSN picks up. It will be interesting to see if TSN goes for anything other than bear-boned lights-to-flag coverage.

Is this TSN2 going to a re-branding of TSN-A, or is it going to mean an expansion to three channels?

[icemachine]

Apparently TSN has been sharing its alternative feed bandwidth with other CTV properties. This will be a dedicated feed so TSN-A will be subsumed / disappear

[ozrevhead]

Originally Posted by Fish_Flake

It seems to me that the people who don't like this TV deal is because it doesn't provide adequate exposure for the "casual fan." I think that rationale is complete nonsense. The casual fan isn't watching anything but the 500 regardless of what channel the races are on, so why should the series beg for tables scraps at ESPN when being aired on ESPN hasn't helped?

i suppose you consider fans outside America the 'casul fan' then

I dont believe we get Versus in Oz or outside America for that matter TBH so we are so screwed

[Fish_Flake]

Originally Posted by ozrevhead

i suppose you consider fans outside America the 'casul fan' then

I dont believe we get Versus in Oz or outside America for that matter TBH so we are so screwed

The Versus deal is for the United States only; the ownership of the series' Australian broadcast rights will be unchanged.

[ozrevhead]

I read in another forum that it might be for the only races ESPN has brought which is 5 IICR

If thats true what happens then?

[wills]

How about the UK? If its only on Sky Sports then forget it. Missed all the races this year so far!!

[Amar7605]

Originally Posted by wills

How about the UK? If its only on Sky Sports then forget it. Missed all the races this year so far!!

What you talkin' about, wills?

(Sorry everyone... for anyone who remembers Different Strokes, I just had to di it! )

[wills]

I'm talking about the broadcasting of the IRL in the UK and whether it'll be still on the premium sports channel which costs over £40 a month or whether more affordable channels like MotorsTV might have anything in the lineup. And no I don't remember Different Strokes...

[Amar7605]

Originally Posted by wills

And no I don't remember Different Strokes...

Heehee... don't worry about it!

But that tv deal does suck. It's like when CART had their races on SPEED channel instead of ESPN. Basic cable had ESPN, but to get SPEED you had to upgrade your subscription. Meanwhile, NASCAR was everywhere and that basically stifiled anything that CART/IRL was doing.

[indycool]

I don't think we've seen yet how this deal is going to play out. I've read on forums where some Time Warner cable customers in places like Dallas and Cincinnati, among others, are shut out on VS, but DirecTV, which has a relationship with the IRL, has it available. Comcast, a large cable company, owns VS. How all these folks get together on things -- or don't get together -- is yet to be seen.

[Neil22]

I will wait and see but anything has to be better than ESPN. VS is pretty good when they cover college football, so I will keep my fingers crossed.

[mirwin]

Originally Posted by indycool

I don't think we've seen yet how this deal is going to play out.

Of course we haven't seen how this deal will play out, but you only have to look back a few years to see how Spike and Speed worked out for Cart/Champcar.

On a selfish note, I hope they get something better worked out for Canada. TSN played the Chicago race at 12:30am, and it was shortened to 1.5 hours. I was obviously able to watch live on ABC, but that is not always the case, and Versus doesn't exist up here.

[Dutton]

Yes...I have the same selfish concerns. Hopefully TSN will decide to cover them all live.

I was rather hoping, with the end of TSN-A, that I would get TSN2 (having received TSN-A). As yet, I have seen no sign of TSN-2 for me. This is a tad irritating given TSN does not always prioritise motorsport on the primary channel.

(NASCAR running on TNT has shafted me in a similar manner. I'm OK if TSN ain't showing it and it is on Fox/that-other-channel-I-forget, but this TNT I don't get.)

[indycool]

Spike and Speed did not work out for CART/CC but they were in a competitive atmosphere with the IRL. Different situation.

I don't think we know the whole deal with international TV yet. The IRL has increased its streaming video on its website, with radio calls of qualifying, etc. Could the new deal include the ability to do that for folks who can't get Versus for the races so they can at least see the races live on the computer? Time will tell.

[Dutton]

I'll be seriously PO-ed if something decent isn't organised for Canada. Surely the series would be shooting itself in the foot otherwise? I am assuming Canada must provide a respectable per capita audience, but perhaps this is not true?

[Amar7605]

Maybe what is also needed for Canada is to have a Canadian driver or two in the IRL.

What are F1 ratings in Canada now that Jacques Villeneuve is not racing?

[mirwin]

Originally Posted by indycool

Spike and Speed did not work out for CART/CC but they were in a competitive atmosphere with the IRL. Different situation.

No, it did not work out because nobody knew when and where to watch the races. You can keep the positive spin up for now, but the ratings for next year will be a disaster and you know it. If people didn't watch on ABC, why will they watch on Versus?

[bil588]

Originally Posted by mirwin

No, it did not work out because nobody knew when and where to watch the races. You can keep the positive spin up for now, but the ratings for next year will be a disaster and you know it. If people didn't watch on ABC, why will they watch on Versus?

Were the tv ratings down this year?

[mirwin]

Originally Posted by bil588

Were the tv ratings down this year?

Yes.

The first half of the season was up slightly, and every race from Mid-Ohio to the end was down. Milwaukee was one of the best races and the ratings were almost half of last year.

[Tenoch]

Our beloved sport is not as popular as it was once. Personally I think VS is good fit, much like it is for NHL. Both sports have struggled in recent years in comparison to other pro sports.

Does the eternal pursuit of the casual fan justify spending millions in TV deals the way CC did? I don't think so, for me a casual fan is just as likely to watch a race be it on ESPN or VS.

[JohnSSC]

Except Steel Cage Death Match Extreme Sport Channel is not on any basic cable systems like ESPN is. So if you want to watch Flying Fists of Fury 26 followed by the Leafs and the Flames, then possibly the IRL you definitely aren't a casual fan...