TV coverage of NASCAR

[Matt Albee]

I'm curious about NASCAR's move to allow networks to televise races on channels that few people have. This seasons races will be on Fox and NBC, but half of each networks telecasts will be shown on their new sports only channels which are FS1 and NBCSN. The sports packages that include these channels are pricey, and not even available in some areas yet.
For a sport that's lost many of it's viewers already, what's the motivation to lose even more? Now i don't think NASCAR can dictate what channels the networks can use, but it sure seems strange. They could simply award the tv contract to networks that broadcast to the most viewers, but i imagine NASCAR just wants the largest possible check and figures the fans will just have to find their own way to watch the races.

[luke81]

I'm curious about NASCAR's move to allow networks to televise races on channels that few people have. This seasons races will be on Fox and NBC, but half of each networks telecasts will be shown on their new sports only channels which are FS1 and NBCSN. The sports packages that include these channels are pricey, and not even available in some areas yet.
For a sport that's lost many of it's viewers already, what's the motivation to lose even more? Now i don't think NASCAR can dictate what channels the networks can use, but it sure seems strange. They could simply award the tv contract to networks that broadcast to the most viewers, but i imagine NASCAR just wants the largest possible check and figures the fans will just have to find their own way to watch the races.

It almost hurts my head to say this but I totally agree with you. I happen to have all of the channels so it wont affect me personally, but I know people who don't. Teams are finding it harder to get sponsors on board and maybe getting stuffed down into 2nd and 3rd tier cable channels is a part of that. I still think NASCAR is plenty big enough to support a major network audience, so I dont get it.

[egspeedway]

You said it all in the last half of the last sentence. The point that NASCAR is either missing or ignoring is that every drop in attendance and/or viewers will result in a loss of sponsors for the owners and sponsors for the shows. Look at how many Series and Race sponsors have disappeared some after extended relationships. I feel like NASCAR is trying to use gimmicks instead of good business judgment. We now have group qualifying, a modified chase format and the one thing I support a truck race on dirt. They have more money than they can spend yet give little back to the car owners or fans.

[OldSchool+]

They are using the best business judgment they have, IMO.

They are stuck with being "them", and the decisions seem logical and sound--to them.

We are stuck with them as well...

Who else is there? FUPS? CART? F1? TBARA?

The thing is, sanctioning bodies are made up of real world fallible folks.

I DISLIKE PLATE RACING.

That said, I believe they (yes, NASCAR) have the plate/spoiler(s)/tire thing down pretty good right now, given they are in fact plate racing.

[Phil Jacques]

Must... resist... urge... to... agree... with... Albee...

CRAP! I can't...

You're right, it's ridiculous...


Personally I have a very bad feeling about the direction this has continued to go in over the past number of years. It's become more about the media circus than the actual racing and NA$CAR doesn't really seem to care because they are making a big check... right now. But what happens when this all backfires, and the fans who are holding on to some glimmer of hope such as myself, completely abandon ship. The on track product has it's moments, but for the most part it has become very stale and predictable. The cars handle and drive too good, it's become very close to just as bad as F1.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNXHS1XGFTE

This is how the media coverage should be... It focuses on the sport itself... Not all the bs surrounding it.

[egspeedway]

Phil I agree with you and Matt. My viewership has been reduced to short tracks, plate races and yes they have sucked me into Homestead for the one race shoot out. If they would try anything on dirt I would be there and if they ever go to a Saturday night format with heats and a b main to set the line up I would support it all the way.

[Winger]

Yep, I agree with you all also. I stopped watching truck races a few years ago and haven't followed it at all. I don't get FOX sports and I'm not going to subscribe to it. I did for about a year and I didn't watch enough to warrant the extra cost. So I don't follow the truck series and I won't follow the Nationwide series or whatever it's called this year. I did quite often catch those races. As for the Cup races, I've got so I have them on the TV but often aren't watching them. I will go and visit my mother and she's become quite a fan, so I will watch the races there. But Cup racing doesn't excite me anymore. Actually, racing has got so it doesn't excite me like it used to. I don't know if it's my old age or the product is different. I used to record the races, even when I watched them live. I also used to go to Sunday short track races and record the Cup races so I could watch them when I got home. Of course that wasn't in Florida, so my racing passion has changed since moving here.

[jacko241]

Get rid of the Waltrips, AKA Moe & Shemp. Darrell is such a goofball, it is hard to remember he was a hard driving champion in the past. Of course, most of what is now Nascar makes it hard to remember how much I used to like it. Every driver now thinks he is a comedian.

[Lurkin]

Ironically though trucks and xfinity are on FoxSports1 the Cup Series is, for the first time ever I believe, entirely broadcast on what I guess you call "network" TV, FOX and NBC. Which means all you need is an antenna.

I think what makes the races miserable, besides the unfunny attempt at comedy constantly by the announcers on every nascar series, is the fact that instead of panning the camera back where you can see some action as if you were there they zoom in so, in my opinion, you can read the sponsors while the comedy trio chats up some "human" side of the sport. They need to go back to the days when they would abandon watching single file nothingness and find some guys racing side by side and talk about that. This is what absolutely RUINS it for me everytime. The leader (s) will be finally catching the tail of the field and it's about to get good at the back as those guys don't wanna go a lap down and are racing their arses off. They'll either zoom way in on somebody so tight you can't see anything else but his sponsors or they'll cut away to commercial and come back under yellow because they wrecked trying to keep from being lapped. Infuriating!

[Matt Albee]

I see where the tv coverage of the March races at Martinsville and Richmond are being switched. The afternoon Martinsville race is being banished to FOX Sports 1 and the Richmond night race will instead be shown on network tv.

[Matt Albee]

Ironically though trucks and xfinity are on FoxSports1 the Cup Series is, for the first time ever I believe, entirely broadcast on what I guess you call "network" TV, FOX and NBC. Which means all you need is an antenna.

I think what makes the races miserable, besides the unfunny attempt at comedy constantly by the announcers on every nascar series, is the fact that instead of panning the camera back where you can see some action as if you were there they zoom in so, in my opinion, you can read the sponsors while the comedy trio chats up some "human" side of the sport. They need to go back to the days when they would abandon watching single file nothingness and find some guys racing side by side and talk about that. This is what absolutely RUINS it for me everytime. The leader (s) will be finally catching the tail of the field and it's about to get good at the back as those guys don't wanna go a lap down and are racing their arses off. They'll either zoom way in on somebody so tight you can't see anything else but his sponsors or they'll cut away to commercial and come back under yellow because they wrecked trying to keep from being lapped. Infuriating!

I understand that in the production meetings before each race weekend, " story lines " are laid out. And those are adhered to no matter what. So if a driver has really made up some ground coming from the back of the pack, he will be ignored while the announcers drone on about the several drivers and story lines they laid out days before. And if they're forced to mention a driver or story that wasn't in their production notes, that mention will be very short.
Everything is about the sponsors, even lining up camera angles during interviews that make no sense, but have a NASCAR sponsor logo in the background.

As for the Waltrips, i don't get that at all. Never did.

[Matt Albee]

Post script
I read this morning on another web site that race tracks on the NASCAR circuit took in a total of $239 million last year in ticket sales. Those tracks took in a total of $388 million last year from television networks. No wonder NASCAR let's the networks do whatever they want.

[Groundpounder]

Every driver now thinks he is a comedian.

and a bad comedian at that!

In the midst of this discussion, the rating for the first two races this year were up...but I know they are doing everything wrong.

[Matt Albee]

I'm not sure that's true about the ratings being up. But if they are, what are we comparing them to? Up from last year? That wouldn't be too hard.

[egspeedway]

I agree with Matt regarding the ratings. Nascar has to have reached close to the bottom of the decline. I still maintain that a major format change is desperately needed to make the show more viewer friendly. The long green flag stretches would be eliminated with time trial, heats, consy and feature format and would put additional pressure on the drivers to perform well in each segment.