NBC and Comcast are killing Indycar

[Rogue Leader]

http://jalopnik.com/5818178/how-nbc-and-comcast-are-killing-indycar

:tony:

[cameraman]

Sorry, it isn't Versus or NBC that is at fault. Versus is providing very, very good coverage of a series that is not very good. Hell the Indy Lights have better coverage than the ALMS this year. The problem lays with the content not the production.

[Gnam]

Maybe Bernard will walk away after this season. Maybe IndyCar will completely collapse. One thing is for certain, it can't get much worse.

Of course it can; it always does. The IRL never fails to make things worse.
It's their speciality.

[racer2c]

Sorry, it isn't Versus or NBC that is at fault. Versus is providing very, very good coverage of a series that is not very good. Hell the Indy Lights have better coverage than the ALMS this year. The problem lays with the content not the production.

I agree. I also think :tony: is chomping at the bit to take the reigns. He'll ruin it for sure.

[SurfaceUnits]

I agree. I also think :tony: is chomping at the bit to take the reigns. He'll ruin it for sure.

Word out of a Broad Ripple gay bar is TOney is the last buyer standing

[NismoZ]

Probably get a good price, then. Less to lose later on!:thumbup: (PS-how could anyone possibly "ruin" IndyCar?...now?

[racer2c]

Probably get a good price, then. Less to lose later on!:thumbup: (PS-how could anyone possibly "ruin" IndyCar?...now?

Good point.

[JLMannin]

Probably get a good price, then. Less to lose later on!:thumbup: (PS-how could anyone possibly "ruin" IndyCar?...now?

It's all a matter of perspective. It could be "ruined" in a fashion similar to how USAC was "ruined" from 1979 to 1995. Well, I can always dream.

When TG is or can be involved, there is no limit to how much worse it could become!

[Lux Interior]

One thing for sure - I don't think I have ever seen the sport at a lower level than it is now. The amount of apathy is staggering. I don't even watch it anymore it's so bad. :thumdown:

[stroker]

I don't even know what days the races are. I catch the "highlights" on the Speed Report and fast forward through them. I don't think I miss much.

[cameraman]

The Edmonton race is July 28 on Versus.:rolleyes: Trust me, I am acutely aware.

I've been bombarded with IRL ads during the TdF coverage. The live TdF coverage runs ~3-5 hrs a day so even using the DVR there is plenty of time for me to see scrolls across the bottom of the screen and hear voice mentions during the coverage.

Nobody can claim that Versus does not advertise the holy hell out of the races they broadcast. I routinely see Indy Lights ads too. Verizon buys a huge number of IRL ads too, they are forever flogging their IRL app. In fact the Verizon Indy app ads are all over the Science, History, History International, BBC America, Discovery and Nat Geo channels. Their media buyer targets me with laser-like precision:saywhat:

Something that the TF and Hulman folks just can't comprehend, it is not the fault of the coverage. This is one of the best examples of putting lipstick on a pig that I have ever seen.

[Al Czervik]

"When people say there's nothing wrong with the product, that all it needs is better marketing and promotion, that's a pretty good clue they don't know they have a product nobody wants," - Tommy Kendall 6/04

[Elmo T]

"When people say there's nothing wrong with the product, that all it needs is better marketing and promotion, that's a pretty good clue they don't know they have a product nobody wants," - Tommy Kendall 6/04

This brings back memories on the IRL races I did catch at Nazareth and M-O. There was so much false bravado and cheering - and no one cared. Empty interactive fan attractions, empty swag tents, blaring anthems :shakehead. The event lacked soul, heart, and true passion. Hard to put into words - the emptiness was palpable.

[Ed_Severson]

I don't even know what days the races are.

Sundays, mostly. :tony:

The coverage this year has actually been reasonably good -- minus Bob Jenkins it would be the best the sport has seen in at least a decade. It's a damn shame it's on a channel that reaches about six thousand homes.

[cameraman]

It's a damn shame it's on a channel that reaches about six thousand homes.

Not true actually...

ESPN --- 98 million households
ESPN2 --- 98 million
Golf Channel --- 83.1 million
Speed --- 77.2 million
Versus --- 75.1 million
ESPNU --- 72.5 million
NFL Network --- 56.8 million
MLB Network --- 55.2 million
NBA TV --- 54 million
ESPN Classic --- 39.7 million

[miatanut]

Hmmm,

I wonder how the ratings for the average IRL event would stack up against the average event on NFL Network? Or MLB Network? Or NBA TV?

Must need more ovals! :tony:

[Michaelhatesfans]

"This IndyCar race live on VERSUS featured tremendous battles, multiple caution flags and intense racing"

Multiple yellows??? Hell, I didn't realize what I was missing!!!

:shakehead (as there isn't a gouge my own eyes out emoticon)

[stroker]

"This IndyCar race live on VERSUS featured tremendous battles, multiple caution flags and intense racing"

Multiple yellows??? Hell, I didn't realize what I was missing!!!

:shakehead (as there isn't a gouge my own eyes out emoticon)

The projectile vomit one will work just fine, thanks.

[Duroc]

As a comparison the Women's World Cup final drew 13.4 million viewers on ESPN - more than twice that of Indy. The rest of the schedule is just white noise and would be regardless where it was televised.

The sport is flat-line dead. No gate, no tv audience and no sponsors. I'm not sure how they plan on paying for the new sleds. They needed to aggressively bend the cost curve down - instead they're dicking around with trying to squeeze the last nickle from broke ass teams and in-house race promotion at already failed there track rentals.

I'm now convinced Mari is the leadership black hole. She is happy in her yes Ma'am bubble, and she doesn't want to hear the bad news or have to make the tough decisions, and will continue to drag her feet on a sale, regardless of the drain on the family trust.

[pchall]

Indycar is killing itself.

[Chief]

Indycar has killed itself.
fixxerd

[NismoZ]

Yeah, I was going to suggest it'd be a waste of time to make an effort to kill something already in the act of committing suicide.:rolleyes: SHOOT THE LEMMINGS, SHOOT THE LEMMINGS!

[Indy]

I'm now convinced Mari is the leadership black hole. She is happy in her yes Ma'am bubble, and she doesn't want to hear the bad news or have to make the tough decisions, and will continue to drag her feet on a sale, regardless of the drain on the family trust.

Nothing will improve until she is dead, and it's already too late.

The funny thing is watching them face the reality that they were created to keep ovals and therefore Indy relevant, yet in order to become relevant they will need to abandon ovals and downplay Indy. It would take a vision-ary to fix this thing. Wait, what is that snorting sound I hear in the background? :tony:

[SurfaceUnits]

Not true actually...

ESPN --- 98 million households
ESPN2 --- 98 million
Golf Channel --- 83.1 million
Speed --- 77.2 million
Versus --- 75.1 million
ESPNU --- 72.5 million
NFL Network --- 56.8 million
MLB Network --- 55.2 million
NBA TV --- 54 million
ESPN Classic --- 39.7 million

he meant 6000 that GAF

[JohnHKart]

Indy Car is the Amy Wine...I Mean Charlie Sheen of racing. :(

[Hard Driver]

It is no longer Versus...

It is now NBC Sports Channel.

http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/43966021/ns/sports/

http://nbcsportsmedia2.msnbc.com/j/NBCSports/Sections/Photos/NBC-Sports-Network-Logo_bla.grid-5x2.jpg

[Andrew Longman]

It is no longer Versus...Walking away from all that OLN, errr Versus brand equity. :rolleyes:

Does this mean fewer hunting and fishing shows? Are sporting goods sports?

[cameraman]

“many will evolve to have the look and feel of our NBC Sports brand and production values.”

So in other words cycling coverage will be either nonexistent or simply horrible:shakehead

[pchall]

I'll vote for this post as the best use of classical litotes in a thread so far this years.


Sundays, mostly. :tony:

The coverage this year has actually been reasonably good -- minus Bob Jenkins it would be the best the sport has seen in at least a decade. It's a damn shame it's on a channel that reaches about six thousand homes.

[pchall]

Are sporting goods sports?

That is like asking if crapwagons are racing. :gomer: