Two weeks ago was the first time that a V8 Supercar race meeting was exclusive to pay television.
It caused quite an uproar, particularly on social media, where the call for boycotting both Channel Ten, Foxtel, the V8 Supercars and all associated sponsors is really gaining hold.
It’s understandable that people are upset about the changing circumstances, and there’s no doubt that the trend is a worrying one for people who can’t justify having Foxtel installed. More and more motorsports coverage is heading for pay TV.
Just in the last two years, we’ve seen categories that once had a home on free-to-air – Moto2, Moto3 and NASCAR’s Sprint Cup and Xfinity Series – go exclusively across to pay television. Earlier than that, former Channel Ten staples, the World Rally Championship and IndyCar Series (remember the Monday evening replays hosted by Bill Woods and Neil Crompton?) have become Foxtel exclusives.
It’s been tough for some fans for a long time.
In America and Europe, big-time motorsport has either been wholly on cable or at least has a major component on subscription television. It’s been like that for a decade or more, including for big series’ like Formula One in Europe and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in North America.
Really, Australians should count themselves lucky that we’ve had such a good run with free-to-air coverage here.
Channel Ten’s financial situation has been well documented, and you can only imagine the amount of money being thrown at them by Foxtel to have a stake in Formula One and MotoGP, arguably the two most popular motorsports categories on the planet – and certainly the most recognisable forms – and also V8 Supercars. For a struggling network, Foxtel’s willingness to open it’s chequebook doubtless helps ease some of the monetary pain.
What startles me is the preponderance of Facebook groups and comment on other social media platforms that I’ve been pointed to in recent times – recent, as in the last few weeks, even after Symmons Plains and Malaysia – from mostly V8 fans (but a sprinkling of Formula One followers, too) who claim to be diehard fans. These diehards are completely shocked and dismayed by an arrangement they claim to have known nothing about.
To which I say this. We have known about the new V8SC television deal since late 2014. How much of a diehard fan can you be if you’re just discovering this news now? I’m a diehard AFL, hockey and motorsports fan and I devour information on all those sports from various sources on a daily basis, at the very least. I know all the major happenings within those sports, especially changes to broadcasting!
Contrary to popular conspiratorial belief, there has been no subterfuge. This news has been out there for some time! All one needed to do was to read the original press release, or one of the handful that have followed since to understand what was going on. Admittedly, V8 Supercars have tried to bury the crux of the detail regarding free-to-air coverage – that there would be six rounds live, and the rest presented as hourly highlights on Ten and One on weekend evenings – way down the page, well after spruiking every session of every race weekend live and commercial-free on Foxtel.
Even so, it was there to be read, and most people did. I’m getting a little sick of people not bothering to take the time to understand the changing face of their favourite sport’s coverage, and now blowing up a giant storm about it. Unless you lived under a rock or have been overseas for an extended period of time, people complaining about how the new deal has blindsided them is crazy.
Also, Channel Ten’s slogan this year has been ‘The Home of Big Event Motorsport’, not, as it once was, ‘The Home of Motorsport’ and people who claim otherwise on social media and crucify Channel Ten for false advertising need to either and not broadcasting all the V8 events like they ‘said’ they would, are either in need of glasses, or are bending reality to suit their cause.
There’s no false advertising here. Trust me: the network’s lawyers would never have allowed the old slogan to run, because that would be misleading. Calling themselves the home of big-event motorsport is dead on. Why? They broadcast the Clipsal 500, Sandown 500, Bathurst 1000, Australian Formula One and Moto Grands Prix, and some of the other big events on the Formula One calendar. Anyone who’s paid attention to the commercials would have seen that.
I can understand casual followers perhaps not understanding the situation, but to see posts from people who also post shots of rooms in their house latterly crammed full of V8 paraphernalia and, at the same time, claim not to have known what was happening is a bit of a stretch, don’t you think? If nothing else, surely Channel Seven’s lengthy farewell to the sport at the end of the Sydney 500 last year might have piqued some interest and led people to research the situation a little further?
It’s all there at your fingertips, with a simple Google search.
I get it – people are upset that their favourite sport is going through a change in how it is presented to the fan-base. I genuinely feel sorry for people whose situation means they can’t afford it, but for so many people to say that they had no idea it was happening until they tried to watch the Symmons Plains round on Channel Ten the other weekend seems ludicrous.
The debate on whether this has been a positive move for V8 Supercars, based on eyeballs able to see the five-star coverage, is another debate for another article.
Goodbye V8 Supercars
Guest
Well done V8 Supercars.....Its Sunday and normally I'd be watching the V8's. I made the decision to get rid of Fox, as its overpriced and a waste of money...the re-runs are absurd and the sports overpriced. I've been watching the V8's since i was a little lad and now you've manged to grab a bag of cash from Foxtel and run. I can't see how the sponsors would be happy with the outcome as there are definitely less people watching the sport. Sure the Foxtel coverage might be better but guess what, they get paid good $$ to produce a better show so what would you expect!!! The latest 10 coverage is less than average and the highlights....well why would you ruin the "edge of your seat experience" with a 1 hour highlight. I wish the V8 Super morons the best of luck, another fan hits the road. And if you think in years to come once the Fox contract is done and dusted all those disgraced fans are coming back you are very mistaken. I can actually afford Fox and chose to cancel, but what about all those family's with kids who cant afford Fox?...future fans who wont grow up following the sport. Good job V8's for securing the future of the sport, you deserve what is in store for you...what a pity!!!
Paul Smith
Guest
Hi to whom may read and respone I Like to express my Feelings here by saying that I am Deeply Discussed with Channel Ten giving soul rights to the Foxtel Paid TV Company No Prior Warning and or Advertising Leaves a dislike in a company I dislike already, a ploy to force people to switch to they company. Disgraceful of Telstra. I would like to say I am also lodging an complaint against FexTels Parent Company for the Lack of warning which in Tassie there was no Prior warning or prior advertising it was okay which is disgraceful and very Un Australian a stern thought here for both Ten and the V8 Supercars. Sport should be Free for all Australian's and not just for those who can obviously afford paying for Foxtel which if they didn't spend money on that can obviously afford to pay to go to such events
Andrew
Guest
Use to love watching V8 super cars on tv but now we only get highlights. What's the use in watching it anymore
David
Guest
Well done V8 supercars. Now you have to pay &50 a month to watch. WELL GET STUFFED. I use to sit down and watch every race and qualifying session free on channel 7 who turned the sport into what is today but now you have gone to Foxtel and set it back ten years. I will not be paying to watch nor will i be going to the track any more. SO GOOD BY FROM A FORMER FAN PS. foxtel can not even get the aspect ration right. Dismal
MikeLF
Guest
Time will tell. Looking thro these posts, I get a whiff of deceit, in spades. Whose sponsoring you lot??
Not convinced
Guest
Online coverage is affecting pay TV as well. Probably more so. You'd be annoyed if you had to watch a delayed telecast on FTA but could watch live online for free but couldn't because of your download speed or allowance. You'd be really pissed off if you paid $60 for live pay TV but could watch it live online for free or at a much reduced cost. Unless of course your whole life revolves around watching every second of every show about a particular sport. The there might be bigger issues that need to be dealt with on a personal level.
Robert Klimo
Guest
Really?, "Australians should count themselves lucky that we've had such a good run with free-to-air coverage here." So what you're saying is...The new move to Foxtel is unfavourable for fans. You're argument was void once you made that early statement. Fans knew it was coming since last year as well but that information was not as bold as the forecasted impending reaction. That spells cover up to me. Why cover up? Because they didn't want a negative reaction prior to the movement. Just because there is an uproar doesn't mean fans didn't see it coming. I ordered Foxtel to follow Nascar and CMT a decade ago. The rest of their program I found was rerun over and over again. And I paid for that. Then Nascar went to FTA and they moved CMT to a premium package. FOXTEL can change your package as they see fit. They expected me to pay for the upgrade. I CANCELLED IT! They sent a technician to collect the box. Then, the box never arrived apparently and they wanted to charge me $350 for the box. That was against my credit as well as an outstanding bill because I did'nt pay for the box which was lost by a tech. I AM ABSOLUTELY SURE THAT FOXTEL IS A POOR SERVICE PROVIDER AND YOU ARE ALL WRONG> NOTHING CAN PERSUADE ME TO EVER THINK THAT FOXTEL IS GOOD FOR THE SPORT> THAT HAS BEEN PROVEN TO ME AND IS AN ABSOLUTE FACT. BELIEVE IT OR NOT I DO'NT CARE. (The interesting thing is, several years later I found a boxed foxtel unit and card in the middle of the road. Some other poor customer will go through the same thing.) Limiting the fanbase to the numbers of Foxtel subscribers is basically laying the success of the sport in the hands of Foxtel management. I would also like to add. It is hardly a boycot for change. No boycot will change the deal (We agree on that). For me they have LOST these fans, lost these customers of sponsors, lost these viewers in the move to foxtel. Time to find another pass time. Good luck with the statistical repercussions. Ex Fan
nordster
Guest
Presto is foxtel ;) Cant beat em....
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
The arrival of Netflix, Presto and Stan probably didn't make them feel great. The more competition, the better.
nordster
Guest
Their penetration rate has been stuck where it is for a while now though. And yet they weren't reducing prices then. I think its partly competition from online, partly wanting to lower the price point to attract more people....also partly because they can see in the future people will be subscribing to more than one provider. But paying less for each.
nordster
Guest
Or something more like this.... http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2015/04/17/verizon-breaks-up-its-bundle-to-give-consumers-more-choice/ I thnk how it will play out is more people subscribing to multiple providers. Perhaps using technology, boxes etc that can deliver multiple sources. My ps4 already does this. Even the iq3 has apps now so theoretically u could get netflix on there. So paying less for each one, instead of paying everything to foxtel for example.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
It takes a lot out of me to avoid Foxtel, but I love IndyCar racing the same way you love V8 Supercar racing, and for ten years, the only way to watch a race - other than to be trackside - is to have Foxtel. You're 100% right in that there's so much crap on most channels most of the time. IndyCar season runs mid-March to late August. Redundant mostly, other than that, is my Fox.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
Probably because people still aren't signing up. I think they expected a major bump in subscriptions with both F1 and V8SC on their channels, but it hasn't happened.
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
Still, it'd be better if, as in America, you had choices of multiple companies who carry the same channels. Nothing like a price war to get things going!
nordster
Guest
If they have a monopoly then why are they lowering their prices now? You were correct ...past tense....foxtel no longer has anything like a monopoly.
nordster
Guest
I know a few folks like this. I can see where u are coming from. But pay tv allows a sport to be broadcasted in full across all sessions and in a depth that diehards enjoy. Plus there are a number of other sports that are covered on pay that were never covered on free. The free model is in real trouble financially with online stealing more and more viewers. We cant enjoy the online space and its advantages yet expect free tv to be able to afford to be the only game in town anymore. The media landscape has changed and its not going to stop.
nordster
Guest
The monopoly argument may have applied up until now. I dont see that foxtel has a monopoly at all anymore. Even in sports they (fox/foxtel) are competing with beIN now which is available direct online and via foxtel as an extra. They will likely be seriously bidding for the next EPL and UCL rights. Sports are now broadcasting directly online. In more broader content, they are competing with netflix and the like. Also they compete with free tv for viewership. The media landscape has moved to the point where foxtel is not even close to being a monopoly. They are a dominant player, for now. Thats not the same thing though. Going forward, they are going to be less of a dominant player as well. Which is going to be a bad thing for sports in some respects revenue wise, although it will push some to do more direct broadcasting. This again will initially be bad for revenues, but good in the long run potentially.
nordster
Guest
Thats a good point. Where do people draw the line on what should be on pay and whats on free. The anti siphoning list is flawed and restricts both sports and broadcasters. Some things will never be covered well on free and pay tv has widened our options enormously. Why should supercars be given free status and not others? Leave it to sports to work it out. If they are smart they will make themselves available in as many forms as possible. Its a balance. Full live for all sessions, live for just the race, replays and highlights for other platforms. Split between pay, free, online.
Tracey
Guest
That's fantastic that you can afford Foxtel. Compared to overseas paid TV, there is no comparison to what we have here (price and content wise ) so I'm getting a little tired of people saying," if you were overseas......." Well we're not. Regardless of how long ago this decision was made, it's happened and there are people like me out there who will not pay to watch a great Aussie Icon of a sport like the V8's, and why should I? The FTA coverage that Ch 10 is providing in an insult, and I flatly refuse to pay for Foxtel when 99.9% of the time there is nothing worthwhile to watch. Signed - a very long time disappointed V8's fan !!!
Andrew Kitchener
Roar Guru
Apparently the number of ads during Bathurst will be akin to what we saw during WEC coverage on Sunday. Once an hour, for 2-3 minutes.