Is there enough motorsport on tv?

[Lrawlings]

As the above title suggests, do you think there is enough motor sport coverage on british tv? tomuch of which type ( if any ) an what would you like to see more coverage of?
cheers lee

[BertMk2]

There is quite a lot on tv - but a lot of it is tucked away either on obscure channels or in the dark hours of the night. I don't think the various championships that are on the tv make enough of it (in terms of letting people know when it's on). Channel 4 actually has quite a lot of motorsport - but you wouldn't really know if you're weren't specifically looking for it.

[chunder]

I think there is a hell fo alot of rubbish on tv.

Knowing how much it costs to put some thing on tv, some of the total trash that is on Motors amazes me, it really is handheld camera trash.

You dont always need some bint to present, you dont always have to do things everyone else does, it's simple.

[JamesRamone]

I don't think we do too bad, but would love a dedicated channel with everything in one place. I would be prepared to pay a monthly fee if it was done right.

[Paradise City]

With series' walking up to the viability of live streams as a motorsport fan I'm not too unhappy. I don't particularily like modern BTCC but ITV4 do great coverage of that and the support races. Is there any mileage in them picking up NASCAR Natiowide/Trucks and showing that on ITV4? Could be a winner? Motors UK need either to do a fund raising spree, just focus on national-racing or buy in a few m/sport history documentaries.

[chunder]

That would be a good idea for Motors, I know for a fact that it costs quite a lot of money to put together series on tv if you cant do any of it yourself, tens of thousands in fact!

It has fallen well behind in recenr years, remember they used to have ALMS, DTM, AMA Superbike, ice racing, CORR, Supercross, loads of stuff, now there is very little.

Issue with ITV and NASCAR is the rights to show it in the UK, it costs a lot of money!

[Gary Critcher]

I've produced a couple of programmes that were accepted by Motors TV. I barely got my money back on them. I have suggested some more historical documentaries too; they ARE interested, but (this year anyway) have no more money to spend, as they spend it all on their 'live' weekends, which swallows up virtually all of their budget. I'm keeping my foot in the door & my fingers crossed at the same time !

[Carsandmotorracing]

In New Zealand there is some of the crappiest TV coverage for motorsport in the world. F1 coverage is pretty good though. But hey with the internet, I can watch anything I want. Thnak you YouTube and Justin.tv, along with series such as the ALMS that live stream on their own site.

[AndyS]

Yes there is plenty on TV, but not necessarily that accessable. There seems to be an increasing drift towards ESPN and now Sky Sports, which I refuse to pay for. I think you now have Indy Car, NASCAR (Premier Sports I think), DTM, FIA GT buried where most of us can't see it. WRC and ALMS are also on ESPN but we do get decent highlights on Motors.

Motors is a mixed bag really, there's some really good quality highlights on there but also a lot of poorly produced rubbish. Eurosport does a reasonable job but my problem with them is they don't have highlights shows if you are not able to watch live or don't have time to watch a recording of the full event. Although in the case of the WTCC I couldn't care less!

As regards the FTA channels, BertMK2 is correct there is more than you think but you have to hunt for it. F1 we all know about and I suspect the beeb will completely drop the live coverage before the 6 year deal is out. Time will tell how that pans out. ITV do a cracking job with the BTCC, shame the drivers can't stop driving into one another. We constantly hear that C4 and C5 are looking at stuff but nothing ever seems to materialise. They need to bite the bullet and go for it if they are serious.

I've watched the odd bit on the internet, but it's always the time factor. I'm surprised more series' don't offer a highlights show that you can watch similar to iplayer. When i say highlights I don't mean 5 or 10 mins I mean a decent 30 to 60 minute show.

[nickyf1]

With the internet, I don't have to rely on TV to see motorsport. The only motorsport I do watch on TV is F1 and BTCC (admittedly I do not have Eurosport or Motors). I watch 75% of my racing on the net.

ALMS stream their races live on the internet, and last night I watched the Bathurst 1000 live on Youtube on the official V8SC channel. I also used to watch the GT1 races live on the internet, and i'll probably watch the World GT on the internet next year.

And its very easy to find unofficial streams on the internet too, as well as reruns of races. My youtube subscription box usually fills itself up with Aussie V8, Indycar, Super GT and all kinds of other races after each weekend.

The internet is making the TV obsolete. More racing series should embrace the Internet as a platform for broadcasting.

[Lin1876]

I think that motorsports coverage is OK here. Eurosport's coverage is good when there is any (although their GP2/GP3 coverage was shocking this year), and motorbike fans are very well catered for there. Unfortunately, aside from BTCC, the rest are/will be scattered between Sky, ESPN and Motors TV. Getting that lot will cost me more than £30 a month to add to my Virgin Media package. Can I justify it? Maybe Sky (£22.50 per month) for F1/IndyCar, but not the rest.

[Gary Critcher]

But doesn't Motors TV come in free with the Sky package? I can't remember...............I'm sure you don't have to pay for it separately....

[Pilgrim1975]

I've always been at something of a loss as to why the Le Mans 24 Hours attracts so little terrestrial TV coverage on British TV. There have been more British winners of Le Mans than any other nationality, there are usually more British fans who attend the race than any other nationality and it's long regarded as being almost a British race that happens to be run in France. Yet it gets inconsistent and limited coverage on the free-to-air channels in the UK.

Why is this?

[m1fcf]

Originally Posted by Pilgrim1975

I've always been at something of a loss as to why the Le Mans 24 Hours attracts so little terrestrial TV coverage on British TV. There have been more British winners of Le Mans than any other nationality, there are usually more British fans who attend the race than any other nationality and it's long regarded as being almost a British race that happens to be run in France. Yet it gets inconsistent and limited coverage on the free-to-air channels in the UK.

Why is this?

I think you have answered your own question there....

Originally Posted by Pilgrim1975

24 Hours

I can not see the BBC or any other Terrestial TV station dedicating 36-48 continous hours (got to add Qualy, Warm Up, Parades etc) to what in the grand scheme of things is a minority event.

If Maclaren were to enter the race, using one J.Button, L.Hamilton, D.Paffet as the team, then things might be different and you may get some 'Red Button' action, otherwise I doubt we will see a full race any time soon.

[chunder]

No mainstream terrestrial company has ever covered Le Mans for one main reason! It takes too long!

I am not a fan at all of Le Mans, never have been, it's a competitor event not a spectator event in my mind, must be awesome to be invovled in as a team, team mamber or driver, but why on earth anyone would want to go and watch it is beyond me!

As for tv, Eurosport and Motros are only interested because it is Frenach and theya re too, simple.

TV people like a result, thats why footie, F1, rugby work on tv, it's why cricket has had to change.

there are sports like golf, test match cricket that sort of still work on tv that last days, but they have contastant action, a bowler or batter, a birdie or a mi****. Le Mans has some action, but let's face it, its an endurance event, its unspectaculr unless you are there.

I have tried to watch it, but it bores me to tears I am afraid!

[Paradise City]

The only terrestrial channel that could broadcast LeMans is the BBC. They are happy to put aside their prime time for a niche game like snooker so there's no reason they couldn't do the same for LeMans particularily given the mad numbers who make the trek every year. I'm not telling they must do it of course ! but I do think it wouldn't be a bad commercial decision from their POV. At least if the economy picks up.

What makes LeMans come to life is the story-arc and just showing the start and finish doesn't give it that life. Night broadcasting is also less than fruitful so prime-time is an important link to make LeMans that epic show. Most terresterials [are understandably] disinterested in putting aside their primetime slots but the BBC could. Particularily as it's only once a year.

Eurosport do a good job for my purposes. Yeah, yeah, they can be very, very cheesy (Carlton, 24 minutes..etc) but their commitment to show virtually it all is admirable, French company or not.

I don't agree that LeMans 24 hours=Cricket. You're talking about a diverse range of fast-cars congesting a sweeping, flowing track with a mystic history in death and speed. That's an audience friendly spectacle right there, IMO, if it's promoted beforehand properly.

[chunder]

Well to be brutal they have looked at it in the past and left it well alone.

Very many people share your view, and if you say theya re all going there, then who on earth is going to watch it!

the viewing figures would not even break a million I would imagine which is nowhere near enough to justify the cost of buying the coverage from teh French (as there is no way on earth they would let the BBC cover it)

Some people think its the most amazing thing on earth Le Mans, but quite frankly these days I dont see the interest, two likely winners, the rest just trying to finish. I got it in the 80's and early 90's, and in the old days when cars were so unsafe and unreliable, but when Peugeot and Audi can basically sprint race for 24 hours after doing 10 or fifteen 24 hour tests a year, what does that tell you?

Exactly what it is, they spend more and win all the time, and frankly that is about as interesting as watching bowls in my opinion. And this comes from someone who has watched anythign from autograss to karting!

[Paradise City]

Originally Posted by chunder

Well to be brutal they have looked at it in the past and left it well alone.

Very many people share your view, and if you say theya re all going there, then who on earth is going to watch it!

the viewing figures would not even break a million I would imagine which is nowhere near enough to justify the cost of buying the coverage from teh French (as there is no way on earth they would let the BBC cover it)

Some people think its the most amazing thing on earth Le Mans, but quite frankly these days I dont see the interest, two likely winners, the rest just trying to finish. I got it in the 80's and early 90's, and in the old days when cars were so unsafe and unreliable, but when Peugeot and Audi can basically sprint race for 24 hours after doing 10 or fifteen 24 hour tests a year, what does that tell you?

Exactly what it is, they spend more and win all the time, and frankly that is about as interesting as watching bowls in my opinion. And this comes from someone who has watched anythign from autograss to karting!

I disagree with this entire post. LeMans attracts a huge influx of English that disagree with you and yet this is a sport that is given very restricted coverage in England. The potential is there and its untapped. It's not the top three biggest race in the world for nothing. There are two teams in soccer and many other sports yet noone accuses of it being uncompetitive. Why wouldn't France allow the BBC to cover the race? LeMans won't compete with the ball sports but it is meaner, it has many running storylines and as much/more variety than cycling, athletics and a whole range of other sports. There are almost always death defying crashes and so on.

If it's just an hour at the start and a war-torn field circling at the end that's limp alright. To bring it all to life, the story-arc needs to be developed. That's the magic ingredient for it to work and that's done by giving LM the amount of coverage they routinely give to a snooker weekend for one weekend. The BBC exec that decided against LM dropped the ball on this one that's for sure.

[chunder]

Haha, you really think the BBC are interested?

THERE is NO WAY the French would allow BBC to cover Le Mans, no way on earth, they would have to buy the feed from Canal+ or whoever.

They send that feed to the countries that want it, just like F1.

This is the issue with LE Mans people, they cant understand why everyone isnt the same as them.

Well, for me it's simply because its not a very interesting race to spectate at, and for tv, a spectator is a viewer, hence no coverage, in pretty the entire history of Le Mans in the UK!

TV people are not stupid my friend, they have obviously looked at it, imagine the viewers when Jaguar were up front, I think there were brief highlights back then.

As I have said, Le Mans people love their race, those that don't cant see what there is to get excited about, are there many passing interest people? I imagine so, but not enough to warrant a huge show.

I think there is a chance to perhaps do a fly on the wall thing, but that would be after the race perhaps.

And really, comparing Le Mans to football, are you serious? In any way at all!!! The winner used to be a little unpredictable, not any more. Yes the same is true in football. But thats played out over 40 odd games, not 24 hours when you KNOW who is going to win pretty much.

Forgive me, this a real soapbox of mine, but endurance racing is not for TV, a package show maybe, but not live, and certainly not terrestrial, not when BTCC, BSB put it to shame with regard to excitement and closeness.

[Paradise City]

Originally Posted by chunder

Haha, you really think the BBC are interested?

THERE is NO WAY the French would allow BBC to cover Le Mans, no way on earth, they would have to buy the feed from Canal+ or whoever.

They send that feed to the countries that want it, just like F1.

This is the issue with LE Mans people, they cant understand why everyone isnt the same as them.

Well, for me it's simply because its not a very interesting race to spectate at, and for tv, a spectator is a viewer, hence no coverage, in pretty the entire history of Le Mans in the UK!

TV people are not stupid my friend, they have obviously looked at it, imagine the viewers when Jaguar were up front, I think there were brief highlights back then.

As I have said, Le Mans people love their race, those that don't cant see what there is to get excited about, are there many passing interest people? I imagine so, but not enough to warrant a huge show.

I think there is a chance to perhaps do a fly on the wall thing, but that would be after the race perhaps.

And really, comparing Le Mans to football, are you serious? In any way at all!!! The winner used to be a little unpredictable, not any more. Yes the same is true in football. But thats played out over 40 odd games, not 24 hours when you KNOW who is going to win pretty much.

Forgive me, this a real soapbox of mine, but endurance racing is not for TV, a package show maybe, but not live, and certainly not terrestrial, not when BTCC, BSB put it to shame with regard to excitement and closeness.

I think the BBC should be interested if they had any imagination. You've already got a huge market of English going to LeMans and that's it WITHOUT it being promoted well in England. Why would France not allow it to be broadcast in another jurisdiction? Napoleon is long dead you know. Important that they give it snooker levels of exposure but it's no harder to follow than any other weekend final for any other sport. You often don't know who's going to win with Peugeot and Audi.

You're entitled not to like it of course, many don't such as with sports like snooker, golf and athletics, but you are clearly allowing your burning hatred of endurance racing to cloud you as to how much appeal it would've amongst the mass-market.

[chunder]

My point about the French is that this event is a grandee event for France, like the Tour, Frnech Open etc. It will ALWAYS be covered by the French tv companies, there is nothing stopping our stations buying the coverage, but the BBC will NEVER supply the camera's, cameramen and sound at Le Mans.

In all honesty its hardly fair comparing Le Mans ot snooker, there are far more cameras, sound systems, mikes etc, You only need a few at a snooker event! But that will never happen as explained earlier

I dont hate the event, just dont think it realy warrants the coverage you say it does. It is the Glastonbury of motorsport events, if you are there, great, if not it looks OK but you would rather do something else!

And if Le Mans was as popular as you say, surely someone would be covering it> Surely? AS it has been a big event for quite some time!!

It is an event to go to, not watch on telly, like Ascot, or Goodwood, or the National, or Wimbledon, F1 GP.

Its the race fans Glastonbury as I say, but not necessarily great for tv

[Paradise City]

Originally Posted by chunder

My point about the French is that this event is a grandee event for France, like the Tour, Frnech Open etc. It will ALWAYS be covered by the French tv companies, there is nothing stopping our stations buying the coverage, but the BBC will NEVER supply the camera's, cameramen and sound at Le Mans.

The BBC could just borrow French footage. It'd neatly tie into their cost cutting drive. They've allowed other companies to take on this role for the last few years with a number of their sports.

In all honesty its hardly fair comparing Le Mans ot snooker, there are far more cameras, sound systems, mikes etc, You only need a few at a snooker event! But that will never happen as explained earlier

Cut costs, borrow the French production infrastructure.

I dont hate the event, just dont think it realy warrants the coverage you say it does. It is the Glastonbury of motorsport events, if you are there, great, if not it looks OK but you would rather do something else!

What's the mystery property that makes LeMans unwatchable but makes other weekend finals watchable?

And if Le Mans was as popular as you say, surely someone would be covering it> Surely? AS it has been a big event for quite some time!!

The sport isn't understood or hasn't been pitched well.

It wouldn't make commercial sense for any other station with only one terrestrial channel to park their prime-time schedule for it. I said that in my first post on this thread. But that's true for all sports save soccer.

It is an event to go to, not watch on telly, like Ascot, or Goodwood, or the National, or Wimbledon, F1 GP.

Its the race fans Glastonbury as I say, but not necessarily great for tv

Horse racing is more snappy but there's no reason LeMans couldn't outstrip any other sport that has a weekend-final.

[Al Weyman]

Prehaps if they showed something like this it may be a lot more interesting.
http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=129736

[Gary Critcher]

'The BBC could just borrow French footage. It'd neatly tie into their cost cutting drive.'
What? 'Borrow'? I think you mean 'buy', which would then mean they have to spend more money for the footage. It's like 'buying' the F1 footage. Cost cutting, eh?

[chunder]

Al, none of us have Winnebago's and I cant afford Hadfield to drive my car sorry.

Been there, done that, left me cold lol!