F1 and Speed channel splitting after this season...
10-12-2012, 01:30 PM
#1
Safety Car
Thread Starter
F1 and Speed channel splitting after this season...
F1 and Speed channel splitting after this season
Looks like Speed will lose another customer...
WTF? With a channel named SPEED and they are going to do stick & ball coverage?
Makes me want to puke...
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The cable sports channel Speed will no longer air Formula One races after this season, ending a 17- year partnership.
Fox Sports Media Group, which owns Speed, confirmed Friday that the partnership will end after this season. The network indicated it was outbid for the U.S. broadcast rights.
"It's disappointing to learn that F1 has elected to move forward with a different media partner," Fox Sports Media Group said in a statement to The Associated Press.
F1 was in talks with NBC Sports Group for U.S. broadcast rights, according to two people familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement.
NBC Sports spokesman Chris McCloskey declined comment, as did F1's governing body, FIA, which noted that TV deals are handled by Formula One Management. The series is in South Korea this week for the Korean Grand Prix.
"Speed has been the U.S. voice of F1 since the mid '90s, and it is a passion for many people at the network," the Fox Sports statement said. "Fox Sports Media Group made what we believed to be a fiscally responsible bid based on the sport's current viewership levels, but F1 has elected to go in another direction. We wish them well."
It's not clear what NBC Sports would do with F1.
NBC Sports Network currently broadcasts the bulk of the U.S-based IndyCar Series, and announced last month a deal with Robby Gordon to televise the inaugural season of his Stadium Super Trucks. Gordon inked a deal that gets 12 races televised — seven of them on NBC. The television contract for IndyCar is split between ABC, which owns the network broadcast rights, and NBCSN, which only has the rights to air races on cable.
The departure of F1 comes as Fox Sports moves closer to rebranding its motorsports network into a broad-based national sports network. Fox has not commented on the rebranded channel, expected to be called Fox Sports 1, but it is expected to be heavily utilized in the eight-year television contract announced earlier this month with Major League Baseball.
Speed partnered with F1 in 1996 in the network's first full season on the air. Speed moved to live coverage in 1997, and has expanded to live coverage of qualifying and practice sessions of the most popular motorsports series in the world.
Broadcasting from a studio in Charlotte, the booth of Bob Varsha, Steve Matchett and David Hobbs is considered by many fans to be the best in motorsports. The excitable trio breathes excitement into often single-file racing, and closely follows storylines and strategy despite being halfway around the world from most of the tracks.
___
AP Sports Writer Jerome Pugmire contributed to this report.
Fox Sports Media Group, which owns Speed, confirmed Friday that the partnership will end after this season. The network indicated it was outbid for the U.S. broadcast rights.
"It's disappointing to learn that F1 has elected to move forward with a different media partner," Fox Sports Media Group said in a statement to The Associated Press.
F1 was in talks with NBC Sports Group for U.S. broadcast rights, according to two people familiar with the negotiations who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because there was no official announcement.
NBC Sports spokesman Chris McCloskey declined comment, as did F1's governing body, FIA, which noted that TV deals are handled by Formula One Management. The series is in South Korea this week for the Korean Grand Prix.
"Speed has been the U.S. voice of F1 since the mid '90s, and it is a passion for many people at the network," the Fox Sports statement said. "Fox Sports Media Group made what we believed to be a fiscally responsible bid based on the sport's current viewership levels, but F1 has elected to go in another direction. We wish them well."
It's not clear what NBC Sports would do with F1.
NBC Sports Network currently broadcasts the bulk of the U.S-based IndyCar Series, and announced last month a deal with Robby Gordon to televise the inaugural season of his Stadium Super Trucks. Gordon inked a deal that gets 12 races televised — seven of them on NBC. The television contract for IndyCar is split between ABC, which owns the network broadcast rights, and NBCSN, which only has the rights to air races on cable.
The departure of F1 comes as Fox Sports moves closer to rebranding its motorsports network into a broad-based national sports network. Fox has not commented on the rebranded channel, expected to be called Fox Sports 1, but it is expected to be heavily utilized in the eight-year television contract announced earlier this month with Major League Baseball.
Speed partnered with F1 in 1996 in the network's first full season on the air. Speed moved to live coverage in 1997, and has expanded to live coverage of qualifying and practice sessions of the most popular motorsports series in the world.
Broadcasting from a studio in Charlotte, the booth of Bob Varsha, Steve Matchett and David Hobbs is considered by many fans to be the best in motorsports. The excitable trio breathes excitement into often single-file racing, and closely follows storylines and strategy despite being halfway around the world from most of the tracks.
___
AP Sports Writer Jerome Pugmire contributed to this report.
Looks like Speed will lose another customer...
WTF? With a channel named SPEED and they are going to do stick & ball coverage?
Makes me want to puke...
10-12-2012, 01:48 PM
#2
Melting Slicks
maybe it will make airtime space for some more neato shows about car parts stores
10-12-2012, 02:05 PM
#4
A sad day, indeed. I only watch limited programming on Speed. F1 is the draw for me. Speed does a great job with F1. I highly doubt NBC will cover practice, qualifying and the races in the way Speed has done. Also the F1 Debrief shows are a great asset to understanding the details behind the headlines.
If speed bring on any more NASCAR, tow truck series, car parts seller, drag race game show series - I will stop tuning to their channel. Enough already...
If speed bring on any more NASCAR, tow truck series, car parts seller, drag race game show series - I will stop tuning to their channel. Enough already...
10-12-2012, 02:08 PM
#5
Safety Car
Thread Starter
A sad day, indeed. I only watch limited programming on Speed. F1 is the draw for me. Speed does a great job with F1. I highly doubt NBC will cover practice, qualifying and the races in the way Speed has done. Also the F1 Debrief shows are a great asset to understanding the details behind the headlines.
If speed bring on any more NASCAR, tow truck series, car parts seller, drag race game show series - I will stop tuning to their channel. Enough already...
If speed bring on any more NASCAR, tow truck series, car parts seller, drag race game show series - I will stop tuning to their channel. Enough already...
The departure of F1 comes as Fox Sports moves closer to rebranding its motorsports network into a broad-based national sports network. Fox has not commented on the rebranded channel, expected to be called Fox Sports 1, but it is expected to be heavily utilized in the eight-year television contract announced earlier this month with Major League Baseball.
10-12-2012, 02:09 PM
#6
Safety Car
Cripes.
On the upside I can quit paying Comcast $5/month to get Speed since F1 is the ONLY thing I watch on there any more.
Worst case I can pull the UK coverage off of the net and watch it that way.
Z//
On the upside I can quit paying Comcast $5/month to get Speed since F1 is the ONLY thing I watch on there any more.
Worst case I can pull the UK coverage off of the net and watch it that way.
Z//
10-12-2012, 02:37 PM
#7
Le Mans Master
That's my only hope, since I CANNOT get NBCSN at my new home in Hot Springs. Just wish I could get Indycar online as well, but haven't had any success with that yet.
OTOH it looks like ABC is going to carry most of the summer Indycar races next year.
Anyway, y'all have a good one (because frankly this isn't very high up on the list of bad things to have happen),
Mike
OTOH it looks like ABC is going to carry most of the summer Indycar races next year.
Anyway, y'all have a good one (because frankly this isn't very high up on the list of bad things to have happen),
Mike
10-12-2012, 02:42 PM
#8
Safety Car
Thread Starter
After thinking about this for a bit...I would think that there are performance clauses in the contracts.
Bernie doesn't do it any other way. NBC will undoubtedly need to have certain areas of coverage available, and they do have their NBC Sports channel on cable where they already show some racing programming.
FOM want to grow the brand and there has been talk by teams and people around F1 that they want to crack the North American market, something Bernie gave up on years ago and is still regretting.
The manufacturers and sponsors in F1 WANT this market cracked, and have been pressuring the dwarf to do something about it. The purpose-built track here in Austin was a big trigger. Having a large national broadcasting company like NBC to take the ball and run with it makes sense.
Fox is COMPLETELY committed to NASCAR, body & soul.
Getting that to change would be a monumental task.
This could be a good thing for F1 here in North America, depending on WHO they get to commentate on the races. If they were smart, they'd hire the F1 crew from Fox...after all, they aren't going to have a job after this year. They are knowledgeable and have a great fan following.
It will certainly make next year an unknown...I hope Bernie holds NBC's feet to the fire and makes them do everything they are required to do.
Bernie doesn't do it any other way. NBC will undoubtedly need to have certain areas of coverage available, and they do have their NBC Sports channel on cable where they already show some racing programming.
FOM want to grow the brand and there has been talk by teams and people around F1 that they want to crack the North American market, something Bernie gave up on years ago and is still regretting.
The manufacturers and sponsors in F1 WANT this market cracked, and have been pressuring the dwarf to do something about it. The purpose-built track here in Austin was a big trigger. Having a large national broadcasting company like NBC to take the ball and run with it makes sense.
Fox is COMPLETELY committed to NASCAR, body & soul.
Getting that to change would be a monumental task.
This could be a good thing for F1 here in North America, depending on WHO they get to commentate on the races. If they were smart, they'd hire the F1 crew from Fox...after all, they aren't going to have a job after this year. They are knowledgeable and have a great fan following.
It will certainly make next year an unknown...I hope Bernie holds NBC's feet to the fire and makes them do everything they are required to do.
New shows like "Pimp these Parts". 
10-12-2012, 08:17 PM
#12
Safety Car
Not hardly. Comcast alone grossed $29.5 Billion in the first 2 quarters of 2012.
And that would entail having cable 
Remember that Comcast now owns NBC Universal and Comcast sees lots of profit in eliminating the middle man. They undoubtedly see even more consolidation in the sports television world and, like the other players, will be doing what they can (and paying good money) to lock up the things that people want to see.
If, indeed, F1 is going to NBC's Sports Channel then if they're smart (it's a cable company so it's a legit question) they'll bring over the current Speed team if only to bring the existing audience with them.
I agree that Bernie has probably extracted more contractural guarantees AND cash in exchange for dropping Speed. On the other hand, Fox may just be shedding crocodile tears over the loss and actually wanted to get out of the F1 business. If Speed is going to "stick & ball" then just where would F1 fit in their big picture? And all you have to do is see what commercials are shown during the F1 race broadcasts to know that it had to be a money loser for them all along. (I can guarantee you that Speed's take from the "per inquiry" ads they show don't come close to meeting Bernie's Dr. Scholl's bill.)
Formula One has always been Speed's "halo car" - a loss leader that gave them credibility and weight in the racing world. If they aren't going to be Speed any more then the primary reason to keep F1 pretty much goes away.
Z//
PPV on an HD internet feed would be great.
Remember that Comcast now owns NBC Universal and Comcast sees lots of profit in eliminating the middle man. They undoubtedly see even more consolidation in the sports television world and, like the other players, will be doing what they can (and paying good money) to lock up the things that people want to see.
If, indeed, F1 is going to NBC's Sports Channel then if they're smart (it's a cable company so it's a legit question) they'll bring over the current Speed team if only to bring the existing audience with them.
I agree that Bernie has probably extracted more contractural guarantees AND cash in exchange for dropping Speed. On the other hand, Fox may just be shedding crocodile tears over the loss and actually wanted to get out of the F1 business. If Speed is going to "stick & ball" then just where would F1 fit in their big picture? And all you have to do is see what commercials are shown during the F1 race broadcasts to know that it had to be a money loser for them all along. (I can guarantee you that Speed's take from the "per inquiry" ads they show don't come close to meeting Bernie's Dr. Scholl's bill.)
Formula One has always been Speed's "halo car" - a loss leader that gave them credibility and weight in the racing world. If they aren't going to be Speed any more then the primary reason to keep F1 pretty much goes away.
Z//
10-12-2012, 08:40 PM
#15
Safety Car
Thread Starter
Not counting the throttling of your bandwidth when you are with providers like Time-Warner...you are at the mercy of all the other subscribers on your leg. If nobody else is online, you have great bandwidth...otherwise it goes in the toilet.
Don't ask how I know...if you want guaranteed bandwidth you are paying WELL more than $35/month.
10-13-2012, 08:46 AM
#16
Safety Car
The manufacturers and sponsors in F1 WANT this market cracked, and have been pressuring the dwarf to do something about it. The purpose-built track here in Austin was a big trigger. Having a large national broadcasting company like NBC to take the ball and run with it makes sense.
10-13-2012, 09:18 AM
#17
Team Owner
I hardly watch much on TV now so if they screw this up I will have nothing to watch.
May be Fox will still grab it.
May be Fox will still grab it.
Last edited by John Shiels; 10-13-2012 at 09:21 AM.
10-13-2012, 12:17 PM
#19
Team Owner
10-13-2012, 01:22 PM
#20
Safety Car
Thread Starter
The drivers didn't like it, the course was crap, and Tony George did nothing to promote the race NATIONALLY like it needs to be to grow your audience.
Is Indy a great oval? Yes...I grew up in Dayton, OH and went to watch the 500 every year from the time I was 7 until I went into the service.
And I did attend 2 F1 races there...
Austin beats Indy like a drum...elevation changes galore and great corners. The TRACK is what makes it success/fail.
And Austin has more night life than Indy ever dreamed of...we aren't in the "middle of nowhere". I can go watch >100 LIVE music acts any day of the week.
Matter of fact, we are hosting about 150k music fans this weekend for the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
And we'll do it again come spring for South By Southwest...
Last edited by 1991Z07; 10-13-2012 at 01:33 PM.