Also published at The Roar
No wonder the V8 Supercar Series is struggling to gain traction in the all-important world of television ratings. The premiere motorsports category in Australia languishes behind rugby league and AFL most weekends when there is a clash, and leafing through the television guides this afternoon, I think I’ve realised why.
I can honestly say that I’ve never seen a more jumbled television broadcast schedule than I have for this weekend’s ITM 500 Auckland at Pukekhoke Raceway Park in New Zealand, and I’m sorry to report that this isn’t a one-off.
In Sydney, ANZAC Day Friday’s racing took place on 7Mate. On Saturday morning, the V8 Xtra, the not-exactly-appointment-viewing magazine format show was live on 7Mate. Then, the first two hours of the day’s racing were on Channel 7.
When the main channel went to Stakes Day horse racing, I you would assume that the broadcast would continue over on 7Mate, pleasantly in High Definition, right? Wrong. Perhaps only to prove that they have three channels to use (and confuse fans with), the remainder of the days racing was on 7Two, including the myriad support categories and the second of the V8 Supercar Series races for the day. Meanwhile, 7Mate showed AFL.
Concisely:
10.30am – 11.00am: V8 Xtra on 7Mate
11:00am – 1.00pm: ITM 500 on Channel 7
1.00pm – 3.00pm: ITM 500 on 7TWO
This is unforgivable, and a mystery to me as to why the V8 Supercar head honchos are allowing this to happen. Yes, I know the current television deal was a much cheaper one than the previous, with Channel 7 being the only serious bidder, but the series has a duty to it’s fans to make it easy for fans to find the race. Switching various bits of programming across three channels is beyond ridiculous.
Look at America, where you can tell with certainty on which channel the NASCAR Sprint Cup race is going to be on. It’s never shuffled to some backwater channel – yes, some of the races are on cable giant ESPN, but it’s in more than a hundred million homes, so it’s hardly buried in a hole – and only in the event of rain does it (sometimes) switch to a different network, though always an easily accessible one. Fans know the schedule, and which broadcaster is broadcasting any given weekend’s race, so there’s no channel flipping.
Here in Australia, finding out where the V8 race is on can be a time-consuming process. I understand that in Victoria and South Australia, AFL broadcast commitments trump V8 Supercar racing, so events are routinely shuffled to HD or digital channels, which aren’t available to everyone including, I suspect, a lot of folks in rural centres, where the sport is particularly popular.
I can sort of understand that, if it’s a full broadcast on one channel, but what’s happening in Sydney this weekend, with chunks of the same broadcast spread across three channels, is an insult to fans. I guess this is what happens when there’s no bidding war: the winner can slice and dice as it likes, and V8 Supercar can’t do a thing. Still, the head honchos must be peeved at being relegated to second class citizens.
That, I suppose, is a product of bad ratings on the main channel, though the numbers would surely be better if there was a clear broadcast pattern. Only diehard fans are likely to go searching through their Electronic Program Guide fanatically. Not casual fans, so you miss out on those eyeballs who might have tuned in because it was on the main channel, and hung around to watch. The real shame of this is that the actual coverage, particularly Neil Crompton, is of A-grade quality. Motorsports broadcasts around the world could learn a thing or two.
No wonder the V8 Supercars chose to sign with Foxtel (who promise full coverage of every single lap of every single event, beginning with opening practice, through to the final podium of the weekend, including support categories in the one place, and mostly without in-race advertisements) and Channel Ten, whose absence from football coverage means it can give the series a guarantee that races will be shown on the main channel.
Despite what the 7 Network spin doctors might say, channels like 7Mate, GEM or One-HD aren’t the same as their mothership channels. The ratings, if you care to dig them up, only confirm this. To have full brand exposure, you need to be on the main channel. Yes, Channel 7 promise full and live coverage of every race this season, but burying V8 Supercar racing on their secondary channels or shifting to a new channel seemingly every second hour, sends a clear message: they don’t regard V8 Supercars as a big-time sport, and they’re short-changing race fans.
If the rest of the season’s television scheduling proves to be as confusing and all over the place, you can only imagine that V8 Supercar officials will be counting down the days to the commencement of the new television contract.
At least, in 2015, we’ll know where we can find the races – an improvement over what we have now.
Look mate, I love you, but this is Australia, not America. We don't like footlong entrail dogs, we don't understand the kardashians, and we don't really like racing. Some do. There is a hardcore group that treks to Bathurst and sits watching hour after hour of cars doing the same thing at every corner, but the rest of us would rather our sport a tad more exciting. I respect Motorsport immensely, and I love to read about it, but I can't fathom why watching a bunch of blokes punt around a circle for 5 hours is a spectator sport.
ReplyDeleteWith this said, that is why the V8s are relegated to the TV scrap heap.
Except that Channel Ten paid a lot of money for the marquee events, and SPEED paid even more - ridiculous coin - for the rights to every single piece of on-track action, from Free Practice 1 to the podium for every single V8 race for the next half-decade.
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