95jersey

Since speed dropped ALMS, do we know if they are at least covering Le Mans? Their website doesn't show programming schedules that far in advance and there is nothing on the website to indicate they are covering it. A google search only provided European channels that are covering the race, but nothing in the US.

Jason

I thought I heard during an F1 race that they were going to cover all 24hrs.

John Shiels

24hr Le Mans: Live Streaming To Highlight Extensive SPEEDtv.com Coverage From Circuit De La Sarthe
Published June 13, 2009 in 24 Hours of Le Mans and SpeedTV. View Comments

SPEEDtv.com will also provide a car-by-car preview of the 55 entries that will start the race. SPEED’s live coverage from Le Mans begins Saturday morning, June 13 at 8:00 am, ET, with a qualifying recap, leading into race coverage at 8:30 am ET.

SPEED Live Coverage of the 2009 Le Mans 24 Hours (All Times Eastern)

Friday, June 12
9:00 – 11:00 p.m. – Truth in 24

Saturday, June 13
8:00 a.m. – Le Mans Pre-Qualifying on SPEED*
8:30 a.m. – Noon – Le Mans 24 Hours on SPEED (Live – The Start)
Noon – 4:30 p.m. – SPEEDtv.com streaming coverage with RadioLemans.com
4:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. – Le Mans 24 Hours on SPEED (Live – Day Into Night)
10:00 p.m. – Midnight – SPEEDtv.com streaming coverage with RadioLemans.com

Sunday, June 14
Midnight – 10:00 a.m. – Le Mans 24 Hours (Live – The Finish)

*Denotes Tape Delay

- SPEEDtv

Bills Z06

I'm pretty sure SPEED will be coveing it. They mention that they will on their website, but the schedule is not posted yet.

95jersey

This is good news! Now that it is on regular TV, I can DVR it and watch a couple hours of the race each night.

John Shiels

right above is schedule

davidfarmer

SPEED didn't "drop" ALMS, ALMS dropped SPEED.......


"For the fans" ......remember?

Rob Willis

...for 2009.....

95jersey

Do we really know if that is the truth? It makes no sense for them to drop the #1 racing channel in America to go to some 1/2 @ss website deal. I have a feeling they were back into a corner. I don't claim to know how the TV business works, but either air time got too expensive for the series to maintain or the sponsors weren't there to pay for commercial time. It is not a far reach that Speed put the caboch on the series, by increasing air time rates or something else. Just like Corvette racing allegedly prevented Lou from obtaining tires, could speed have used their leverage to dump a losing series that probably didn't pay 1/10th what NASCAR probably pays for airtime.

I don't beleive anyone with a decent business mind in ALMS made that decision because they wanted to. I guarantee ratings for the series have probably dropped (not that they were ever high) and Speed probably gets more viewers watching one 30 minute truck rebuild show than the entire Sebring race, and they somehow got forced into the situation and what you saw from the ALMS CEO was a spin to make it sound better. We do this ALL THE TIME in large corporate America. My team gets screwed by management and we spin some crappy new policy to our team that we know is total garbage, but we spin it like it helps them and is better for the company and our customers...bla bla bla

davidfarmer

I get your point, but regardless ALMS could have stayed on SPEED if they wanted to (or could afford to etc). I don't think SPEED has an agenda against ALMS, and feel they probably had access to the same type of package Grand Am gets. Anyway, it must cost a fortune to buy 12hrs of air time for Sebring......that race alone could have forced ALMS to look for other options.

btw, watching the same 2 commercials on ESPN3 (Micheling and "green" oil) certainly wasn't pleasant either.

95jersey

But isn't Grand Am owned by NASCAR as a spun off subsidiary? That would give them huge bargening power that ALMS does not have (even with all the doctors money). Think of it, Grand Am events are basically empty (meaning empty stands), but they get all their races aired live on Speed...huh?

ALMS events are packed with spectators (sebring has 200k people). They are doing a race in Baltimore (1.5 hours from my house) in Sept and all the hotels are sold out. You would never get more than a few handfuls of people at Grand Am, but yet they get prime coverage...also World Challenge, initially sponsored by Speed also got dropped and just so happens did the same (internet live streaming deal).

It all seems to fit neatly into a puzzle if you ask me.

VetteDrmr

I have a writing on my cubicle wall: "Never ascribe to conspiracy what can be explained by easier methods." At work we usually catagorize the "easer methods" as incompetency, but that's another post for another forum.

In any case, NASCAR doesn't *own* Speed, it's just the big dog in TV motorsports. Whether you like NASCAR or not, that's just the facts. The Grand Am races don't get any *more* coverage than they used to, just that ALMS was dropped. Did NASCAR subsidize Grand Am? If they needed to, sure, why not? Why wouldn't you spend some money from a bigger "company" to promote a smaller "startup". That's just business sense.

If a competitor doesn't want to pay the same (remember when Fox outbid ABC low-ball for NASCAR?), they shouldn't be offended when they don't get the deal.

That's just the marketplace at work. I truly hope ALMS gets back on their feet, but that pales in comparison to my dreams of actually seeing Indycar back on something other than the nether regions of cable. THAT will be something to celebrate!

Have a good one,
Mike

VGLNTE1

I think alms is the most popular its ever been, especially with chevys huge donation to corvette racing and how all the vettes are being compaired or given technology from the c6r...pretty sure the amount of money made with one race is enough to pay for speeds coverage. My guess was espn offered a sweeter deal