Champ Car might not be on TSN in 2006

[cameraman]

This is out of Chris Zelkovich's column in the Toronto Star.


There's a slim chance that TSN might strike a deal, but it appears Canadians will get their Champ Car racing on Speed Channel next season. "We have some difficulties scheduling Champ Car races because of our NASCAR commitments so we'll have to see if they'll be on Canadian TV," said TSN president Phil King. A long slide in ratings was no doubt part of the problem.

I didn't hear anything good about TSN's coverage but how many people in Canada get Speed?

[jonovision_man]

Speed is pretty common. It's in the same "Sports Pack" for Bell Expressvu as TSN, and looks like it's in the same package as TSN on Rogers too... that covers most Canadians.

It sucks as far as the lack of faith shown by TSN toward CCWS. :thumdown:

It rocks because we won't have any more of those @#$% after-midnight tape delays. :thumbup:

jono

[devilmaster]

Happily, TSN is not the end all be all of Canadian Sports broadcasting.

Roger Sportsnet, The Score, and The Global Network are all possible homes for Champcar in Canada.

The truth is, TSN has a long term deal with and actually houses NASCAR Canada in their home offices.

If TSN doesn't show all NASCAR races this upcoming year, (Rogers Sportsnet has shown some races) they will soon.

Both Rogers and The Score follow and report Champcar regularly, and Global is the host network that broadcasts the Canadian races for everyone.

And if worse comes to worse, Speed is readily available across most of Canada. Let the IRL have the midnight time slot for their races.

[jonovision_man]

All very true...

TSN is hands-down the leading cable sports network. But being shown live on Sportsnet, the Score, or even Speed would be preferable.

I wonder if all the hate-mail they get from ChampCar fans for the midnight viewing and Speed blackouts factored into the decision? :p

jono

[Kiwifan]

Don't suppose anyone has heard anything about any TV coverage for New Zealand? :cry: I don't want to think about another year without my favourite series being on the box.

Cheers, and good luck Canadians!

Rusty.

[pitwall3]

As a Canadian Champ Car fan I am only to happy to enjoy the races on SPEED. No more delayed telecasts with butchered edited versions of races and interviews. Good riddance to the Toronto Sports Network.

[audi quattro]

Booooooooooo hoooooooooooooooooo
the humanity of it all!!!!!!!!!!

WGAF!
TSN can suck the big one for all I care.

Let Speed show the show and let it be.

Unless we get a network who can show the races live, then let speed do it.

[ChampCar#3]

also doesn't ABC own 40% +/- of TSN!
Being in partnership with Nascar makes it a lot easier to give the other series crappy coverage!

[pferrf1]

Not being reliant on TSN is great!

Being stuck only on SPEED is VERY bad. IMO. The mainstream presence of the series has been slipping greatly and replacing TSN would be a great opportunity for the series.

Global or CBC are much better options.

[pferrf1]

also doesn't ABC own 40% +/- of TSN!
Being in partnership with Nascar makes it a lot easier to give the other series crappy coverage!


No, they're not allowed by law to own that much of TSN. 10% is the max I believe.

[devilmaster]

CBC are much better options.

Well, lets not go nuts here. ;) CBC was the first home broadcaster of the Molson Indys. And if you remember it, like me, the broadcast team of Brian Williams and Bobby Unser was honestly worse than any broadcasting team since.

In fact, me and a friend of mine always remember 1 quote from Brian, we laughed at its stupidity then, but it was actually very prophetic of the future IRL. - "So Bobby, at what speed do these cars take off?"

[TorontoWorker]

So far, where is the problem? I guess the huge volume of email to Champ Car worked! :D I'll take Speed and Global any day over the IRL shrills at TSN!

[pferrf1]

Well, lets not go nuts here. ;) CBC was the first home broadcaster of the Molson Indys. And if you remember it, like me, the broadcast team of Brian Williams and Bobby Unser was honestly worse than any broadcasting team since.

In fact, me and a friend of mine always remember 1 quote from Brian, we laughed at its stupidity then, but it was actually very prophetic of the future IRL. - "So Bobby, at what speed do these cars take off?"

I'm not suggesting that CBC do their own boradcast. They can show the Speed feed or better yet, plug into the international feed with Jeremy Shaw doing the announcing.

I think if CCWS ended up with 11 races on CBC next year - you'd see a considerable up tick in general buzz about the series and you'd see Canadian sponsors coming back to the table for '07. 14 national network broacasts in Canada, that would be the best package ever!!.

If CCWS does end up on Speed in Canada, the ratings will be half the the anemic ratings of this year on TSN for those same 11 races. If they are counting on Canadians watching the race on US networks for those broadcasts, then I don't know how those ratings count when trying to sell CDN sponsorships.

Remember - this series now owns the Toronto race. They have a truly vested stake in seeing the races broadcast as broadly as possible. Even if they have give the rights and feed free to CBC - they'd be paid back in sponsorships over time. Much easier to sell 14 national broadcasts than 3. The Speed races wouldn't even count.

Speed is good for hardcore fans to see the series....it sucks for building a business.

[TKGAngel]

Well, lets not go nuts here. ;) CBC was the first home broadcaster of the Molson Indys. And if you remember it, like me, the broadcast team of Brian Williams and Bobby Unser was honestly worse than any broadcasting team since.

In fact, me and a friend of mine always remember 1 quote from Brian, we laughed at its stupidity then, but it was actually very prophetic of the future IRL. - "So Bobby, at what speed do these cars take off?"

Is Brian Williams the announcer that does the Olympic anchoring on CBC and makes every single event sound so dramatic?

If the races were on CBC, you might be able to catch some of the people in border states who have CBC on their regular cable channel lineup and/or antenna. It could possibly reach those who dont get or want Speed Channel.

[ChampCar#3]

Is Brian Williams the announcer that does the Olympic anchoring on CBC and makes every single event sound so dramatic?

If the races were on CBC, you might be able to catch some of the people in border states who have CBC on their regular cable channel lineup and/or antenna. It could possibly reach those who dont get or want Speed Channel.


Yes......that's the Brian Williams!

[devilmaster]

Is Brian Williams the announcer that does the Olympic anchoring on CBC and makes every single event sound so dramatic?


I don't have a prob with CBC doing broadcasts..... (much) - and thats why the winking smiley is there. But they used to do the Molson Indys, and now Global does it. I don't think there was a bidding war for it. CBC doesn't care much for auto-racing, IMO. (they used to have all F1 races too a few years back, now TSN does every race except the Canadian GP) So why go to another station that may bump CC to midnight slots?

2nd, Do we really need a guy who's going to try to make everything sound dramatic? (see Harris, Todd)

3rd, The two other sports channels in Canada, do broadcast alot of Champcar news and such. I'd like to see one of them, and maybe they can make a deal to show WGN's race car driver.

[audi quattro]

CBC all the way.
Its the best possible solution.
Network and live.

[TedN]

Further update from today's Toronto Star ....


TSN released its auto racing lineup this week and no Champ Car races are on the schedule.

There have been scheduling conflicts in recent years — baseball or CFL football always seemed to take priority — and Champ Car (not to mention its fans) was not happy.

Let's hope Sportsnet, The Score or the Outdoor Life Network will guarantee to telecast Champ Car races when they are actually happening, not eight hours later.


Link (http://tinyurl.com/av8nj)

Ted

[TedN]

Confirmation at the Race Fan TV site. Here’s the relevant excerpt from the piece:


The surprise is that TSN will NOT broadcast any of the Champ Car races in 2006. Actually it’s not such a surprise. Many Canadian Champ Car fans were so fed up with the way that TSN showed some of the Champ Car races tape-delayed in the middle of the night or made crude edits that chopped out vital pieces of the race story that they organized a petition to Champ Car asking them NOT to re-sign with TSN for 2006. Well, they got what they wished for.

The SPEED Champ Car broadcasts will not be blacked out in Canada this year, so Canadians can watch the SPEED broadcasts which mostly will be aired live. What this means for the Canadian events – Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal – which were broadcast by Global in Canada in recent years, I do not know yet.

You have to wonder how these Canadian Champ Car fans who petitioned for TSN to be denied the Champ Car races feel about the unanticipated consequence of TSN now making available the full 2006 schedule of the hated (by loyal Champ Car fans) IRL series.

Full Article Link (http://www.geocities.com/racefantv/NEWS-COMMENT.html)

Ted

[mapguy]

WTF is going on here? Almost 20 posts on this thread and no mention of Vic Rauter? "Oh my".... ;)

[ChampCar#3]

WTF is going on here? Almost 20 posts on this thread and no mention of Vic Rauter? "Oh my".... ;)


At one time Vic Rauter and Bill Adams made for a pre-race team. VR seemed really into open-wheel racing. But last year on a Blue Jay game he started shiling the Nascar at MIS. Even though it was all scripted.....it made my stomach turn! VR really really tried to pimp the Nascar but he ended up coming across as a Grade C actor!

[devilmaster]

At one time Vic Rauter and Bill Adams made for a pre-race team. VR seemed really into open-wheel racing. But last year on a Blue Jay game he started shiling the Nascar at MIS. Even though it was all scripted.....it made my stomach turn! VR really really tried to pimp the Nascar but he ended up coming across as a Grade C actor!

TSN made a deal with Nascar about a year ago, and in fact NASCAR Canada's HQ is in TSN's offices.

Vic is TSN's racing guy, and therefore will have to shill the tintops. The MIS bit is that every year the August MIS race is officially Canada Day at MIS, a marketing strategy to recognize that a significant amount of MIS attendees are north of the border.

As i wouldn't hold it against a driver who is looking for a paycheck, I don't hold it against Vic.

A bit of news I'm wondering about, is a jayski rumour that NASCAR will develop a 2nd Grand National division that will tour more in Canada, Mexico and possibly overseas.