CART - SPEED Channel

[RacinM3]

I was at a pre-LA Auto Show reception that BMW threw yesterday morning, and I got to have a conversation with BMW NA's M-Brand manager. We were talking about the World Challenge on SPEED, and how BMW will probably (he wouldn't officially confirm, but said wait a couple weeks) field a PTG/Factory team in World Challenge GT this year. I was surprised to hear him tell me that both BMW NA and BMW Germany were very excited by SPEED's "excellent, excellent TV package".

YOu ask what does this have to do with CART? It shows that some pre-eminent corporations, companies that CART would love to have, are sitting up and taking notice of SPEED's potential, thus turning the number of homes (which is constantly growing) into a smaller and smaller issue.

It appears these companies are realizing that the general racing audience knows that Speed is the place to be.

We just need to be patient. I hope CART's in with SPEED for the long haul.

[oddlycalm]

Agreed, I you're going to have a special interest broadcast, you want to focus on your target audience. Big Nielson numbers are what they are, but marketing having to come to grips with market fragmentation. Achieving great penetration in your target markets is the answer. The days of 3 channel markets have been gone for some time. The marketing people at the auto companies can't afford to ignore any marketing niche, and with BMW the performance/racing crowd is a major niche.

Speed's only weak spot from where I sit is their NASCAR orientation, however their involvement in roadracing and coverage of WRC seem to be long term commitments, and as long as that's the case, I'm going to be happy.

[mnkywrch]

I noticed a Speed Channel promo during tonight's NFL game as the Giants folded like a chair.

Twas for the Craftsman Truck Series, though.

Time for CART to get the same...

[rabbit]

The SPEED Channel deal sounds better to me all the time. They do a great job covering races and provide a great opportunity for companies in the high-performance auto industry to showcase their products to the exact demographic they're looking for.

SPEED is like the all-you-can-eat buffet for race fans; all the CART, F1, F3000, Australian V8 Supercars, misc. Touring Cars, Toyota Atlantics, BDPS, SoT Karting, ALMS and even NASCAR you can eat.

[cart7]

With cable and satellite expansion across this country it won't be long before the channel becomes a "player" in the market. Geez, a channel devoted to racing. You've got a built in market and advertising niche right there. While I'd hate to see Nascar coverage start to overwhelm the stuff I like(all the road racing previously unavailable anywhere else), WC does bring profile to the channel. Add USAC racing this year and we may have racing on 24-7 this year.

My wife is still wishing the cable upgrade had never happened. I'm watching racing 3-4 days of the week now!:laugh:

[RTKar]

The only thing that worries me about Speed is the increasing presence of Nascar. I'm a bit worried that the niche motorsport afficianado will be squezzed out some as Speed becomes more commonplace. The major networks certainly won't run Nascar talk shows and ESPN and ESPN2 are dominated by the stick and ball sports. I'm afraid over time the emphasis during prime time on Speed will be NASCAR related. Although, I'm looking forward to CART growing on Speed and developing it's own presence as NASCAR did on ESPN in it's formative years.

[oddlycalm]

Originally posted by RTKar
The only thing that worries me about Speed is the increasing presence of Nascar. I'm a bit worried that the niche motorsport afficianado will be squezzed out some as Speed becomes more commonplace.

I certainly shared your concern when Fox bought Speednet. However, NASCAR popularity seems to have reached a plateau. You can bet that Speed would be an all NASCAR all the time channel if they thought they had the market to support that. The fact is, they don't, and the growth rate in NASCAR has been flat for some time.

[Railbird]

I love SPEED, I've been lucky enough to have had access since damm near startup.

The CART coverage has been great IMO.

The Nascar connection has added more homes at a higher rate than anyone predicted when some where saying that the Champcars races would be buried in the middle of the night on the "Nascar Station"...


Not that it would or could happen for the CCWS, but check out where Nascar and ESPN were in the early eighties and what happened to both after they joined up.

[cart7]

Where else but Speed could you watch Cart Stars of Tomorrow. shifter cart racing that just ended. congradulations Ron White. Great stuff!!:D

[fourrunner]

With CART's restructuring, The two (SPEED & CART) can now Grow together at a comfortably speedy pace! :)