If you’re a V8 Supercar fan and have Foxtel, you’re pretty happy. The pay television broadcaster will televise, live and commercial-free (except at Bathurst) the entire 2015 V8 Supercar Championship Series.
That means every V8 session and every other on-track sessions from every race weekend. It’s the sort of coverage that’s long been a feature of Formula One, MotoGP and NASCAR weekends, and it’s finally here in Australia.
Conversely, if you don’t have Foxtel, you’re likely not to be so happy, because Channel Ten will broadcast only six marquee events live – Adelaide, Bathurst, Sandown, Townsville, Sydney and the Gold Coast – while the remaining weekends of racing will be shown as highlights package in a regular timeslot, for a duration that’s yet to be determined.
Without doubt, it’s a blow for fans used to seeing the entire series on free-to-air television, helped along by Channel Ten’s dire financial situation and giant money offered by Foxtel.
However, falls in line with other premiere racing series in the world, and, indeed, with coverage of MotoGP and Formula One in Australia, this year and into the foreseeable future.
After the end of the Channel Seven era of V8 Supercar coverage, the sport is ready for a new media dawn, with a whole stack of new bells and whistles set to be debuted at the Adelaide street circuit this weekend.
On the talking head side of things, some familiar faces return, some old faces and voices are back, and there’s a few new faces thrown into the mix.
Here’s your 2015 broadcast form guide.
V8 Supercar Television
The sport’s own broadcast unit provides coverage of all racing sessions, which both FOX Sports and the Ten Network will carry. Greg Rust returns to the series after resigning from Channel Ten to become chief caller for the V8 Supercar Series (though Rust will contribute sporadically to the returning, and very popular motorsport review show, RPM, which returns to Ten this year).
Joining Rust in the commentary box is the knowledgeable Neil Crompton, who might very well be the foremost motorsports expert in Australia. Crompton and Rust have worked together previously, and their friendship was evident during coverage of the SuperTest a few weeks ago. They will be a solid team.
Riana Crehan returns on pit road, and will be joined by Greg Murphy, who steps away from his part-time endurance drive, swapping a steering wheel for a microphone. Aside from reporting on happenings in the pits, Murphy will team with Rust to broadcast the V8 Supercar Dunlop Development Series.
Up and coming broadcaster Chad Neylon will call all the support events at each weekend, joined by various expert commentators.
Reporter Kylie King will contribute feature-type pieces throughout the season.
FOX Sports
Live coverage: every session of every category on every race weekend, commercial free, flag-to-flag, excepting Bathurst, which will feature limited commercial interruption.
Former SPEED Channel host Jessica Yates teams with former Holden heroes (and noted on-track adversaries) Mark Skaife and Russell Ingall to host FOX Sports’ coverage.
The Skaife/Ingall partnership is an interesting one, thanks to their history, and one thing is pretty much guaranteed: their time on-camera between racing sessions certainly won’t be boring. When he tones down the pro-V8 rhetoric, Skaife is a good analyst, and Ingall, if he applies the take-no-prisoners manner he exhibited on track to his new career as a talking head on TV, will be a hit with fans, too.
Ten Network
Live coverage: Clipsal 500, Bathurst 1000, Sandown 500, Gold Coast 600, Sydney 500 and Townsville 400.
Former network favourite Matthew White, who departed to Channel Seven a few years ago, and called V8 Supercar racing there for all but the last half of the 2014 season, is back at his prodigal home, and will host coverage from trackside at all six marquee events that the Ten Network will broadcast live.
White, who is a polarising figure, replaces Greg Rust, who will call the races simulcast on FOX Sports and Ten. White will also host RPM Sundays on Ten.
Making a new home with Ten is fan favourite Mark Larkham, whose irreverent wit and deep knowledge will be missed on race broadcasts, but after universal worry that the man commonly known simply as ‘Larko’ would not be seen on our screens, it’s a relief to know that we’ll at least see him on the Ten Network.
Joining Larkham and White will be Rick Kelly, driver of the Jack Daniels Nissan. In something of a first, Kelly will be accessible to the Ten Network except when he’s on the track or conferring with engineers immediately afterward.
He will appear in formal attire, to distance himself from his other job, and seeing whether the former Bathurst champion will be happy to call out fellow drivers will be one of the interesting television stories of the 2-15 season.
Additionally, Formula One turned sports car star Mark Webber will join the team at Adelaide and Bathurst, and plays a role in the network’s coverage of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix later in March.
The Original Smith
Guest
Awesome job by Crompton in the box yesterday his knowledge and expertise is incredible
Lea Inglis
Guest
channel 10's coverage of the v8 Supercars is pathetic!hav followed car racing all my life even been involved with family members racing at different levels over the years! Can't believe fans have been shafted yet again!give the coverage back to 7 and let's go proper armchair racing again!way too many adds through Bathurst 2015 missing major dramas ! Only to see them on replays?fair go to free to air viewers please?
The Tonic
Guest
A smart tv broadcaster would do a deal with The Aussie cars series. Much better television and a pissed off walk up audience would immediately provide an audience who would soon see how much better the racing is!
Ron Spencer
Guest
Foxtell will be the death of V8 Supercars
Allan Waldron
Guest
I try to get to at least 3 v8 tracks a year and watch the rest on tv but until they put all the racing back on tv im not going to the tracks again
graeme tory
Guest
Australian motorsport has lost me and I guess a lot of other viewers since the start of the Foxtel/Channel 10 take over of the television broadcast rights for 2015.I do not have Foxtel and no longer watch even the highlights broadcast by 10 I say to the management of V8 Supercars look after the sponsers and fans who can no longer watch their favourite drivers either in the V8s or in the support races on commercial television.
graeme tory
Guest
Australian motorsport has lost me and I guess a lot of other viewers since the start of the Foxtel/Channel 10 take over of the television broadcast rights for 2015.I do not have Foxtel and no longer watch even the highlights broadcast by 10 I say to the management of V8 Supercars look after the sponsers and fans who can no longer watch their favourite drivers either in the V8s or in the support races on commercial television.
kel
Guest
200% agree
Tricky Ricky
Guest
Without free to air TV coverage of all V8 Supercars races the sport has pi**ed off its loyal fan base, many whom are unable to afford pay television to watch the races live. This decision is the absolute pits. I for one have lost interest and have stopped following the series this season.
Tricky Ricky
Guest
Without free to air TV coverage of all V8 Supercars races the sport has pissed off its loyal fan base, many whom are unable to afford pay television to watch the races live. This decision is the absolute pits. I for one have lost interest and have stopped following the series this season.
Jane
Guest
Worst thing that could happen was channel 7 losing the right to the Supercars for those of us who only watch Supercars as a sport is too costly to sign up to Foxtel bad news channel 10 not happy
Rowan
Guest
Can't argue with that Gayle. Have always been a V8 Supercars fan, and usually watch most races (working weekends has made it a little hard to get every race in the past), but this year, i've seen only 1 race, and that was because i was at the track. The rest i can't even remember to follow because i have no idea when they are coming up. Usually only find out about them a few days after race weekend when someone mentions what they saw on the news (again, working nights, don't watch news - can't stand the afternoon crap) V8 supercars, If you wanna keep fans like myself interested and following what's happening, you're gonna have to let us see it.
Mark Chaffey
Guest
Bring back channel 7 for live coverage of the v8's. This is so disappointing and totally arrogant of chanel 10 to give foxtel the live coverage rights!!! What about the rest of Australians who live and breath the sport. Chanel 10, i wont be folowing u at all!!
George Hillier
Guest
No wonder channel 10 is going broke. They take off free to air popular sport programs and replace them with uninteresting padding. As for foxtel, great for those who can receive it and to hell with to all those who can't. The end of channel 10 for this person.
Peter Curwood
Guest
I agree 100%
Greg Larchin
Guest
Feeling totally ripped off. After 50 years of being a fan of Australian Motorsport, particularly our premier category, to have it taken from us like this is gut wrenching. Was Channel 10 advertising last year a lie? Could this be the death of V8 Supercars.
Graham F
Guest
Channel 10 has sold out the V8 supporters with greed to foxtel, VOTE WITH YOUR FEET DON'T GO TO THE RACES, DON'T BUY MERCANDISE and let the sponsor's know they don't have our support anymore and good luck with them making a dollar when there name isn't being shown free to air. Graham F.
Rob Kelly
Guest
Personally, I think it stinks that foxtell has taken away a great sport from free to air television. Many many fan who can never afford to go to track events are pushed to the side and forced to purchase pay tv to see these events. It is an absolute travesty. Oh, we can etch the highlights of the races. lovely, screwed again.
Bj
Guest
Gee thanks channel Ten.my two boys and myself have religiously watched the Supercars for the past for years.I havnt missed a Bathurst race in twenty five years.Because we cant afford fancy TV we have to go without,bloody typical,just keep bashing the battlers..........Seriously Peeved BJ.S.Aust
very up set
Guest
Channel 10 has lost me and so has the v8 supercars for agreeing to going to channel 10 . I'll never pay fox just to watch and never watch channel 10 again . Its just not the australian way to rip people off to see programs they like . All I can say is I hope next year its back with channel 7