Has V8 Supercars made a terrible mistake?

I think you have made a mistake by changing networks as ten, only show highlights of events later at night. Where as prime seven screen actual event. If you are like me and probably lots of others who do not have fox you miss it all.

Can you define a "full-time" V8 Supercar fan? As far as I'm aware the only full time "fans" would be those that work for V8 Supercars and the teams. Also, I wouldn't have thought that V8 Supercars are really in a position to be turning away ANY fans at this point, though they're doing a great job of proving me wrong.

I've just responded to a different article but will repeat what I said here. Someone at The Roar needs to write about the effect this is having on the fan base. Most of you would have seen the V8 Supercars Facebook page and read the ongoing war of words between fans. The decision has divided the fan base in way that Ford and Holden couldn't and it's not pretty. Ford and Holden fans were passionate but I believe respectful as the rivalry depended on each other being successful at various times. This new rivalry is really ugly and I think terminal for the series. It's personal and vindictive and pitting people against each other who previously would have been debating motor sport and not TV. V8 Supercars seems happy to allow it to continue while now finally providing cut and past responses. Channel Ten still says nothing. The TV deal in my opinion was a bad idea and while the teams may get a few dollars out of it short term, the longer term loss of sponsors and fans will not have been worth it. I've found it easier to walk away than I thought. Having to put up with Matt White certainly helped and I'm now a little fitter than I was and have discovered so much more variety in motor sports on the net. I'll happily wait for next year's Bathurst 12 hour as a substitute for V8 Supercars.

Another weekend lacking free to air motorsport. I used to be able to watch F1, Moto Gp and V8 Supercars but these days have little idea who is winning or losing (Except Us). I suppose at least I am getting a lot more sleep. I've argued for years with people that motorsport wasn't elitist, I guess I was wrong as now it appears only those with money can now watch it.

I'm a HUGE V8 fan, but, there comes a time, once every four years, when a national team is playing for a world championship, so I watched. Pretty sure I wasn't alone, given the numbers 9 and FOX pulled. Why the V8SC decided to go up against a World Cup Final weekend in Australia that was likely to feature Australia...that's beyond me. But then, these are the folks who turned a one-day test into a weekend-long event to try and discredit the Bathurst 12 Hour.

It's all about money, Archer Capital the major owner of the V8's, they have tried to turn a great Aussie sport into a business thinking the fans will follow at what ever cost . They are all about profits and don't care about the fans at all. Last year the V8's had a profit of $25+m but they say they had to do the Foxtel deal for the sport . The Foxtel deal is so they make more money at the expense of the sport and the fans . The board members of the V8's will be taking millions in salary and all other costs and perks which would be millions as well,nice job clowns.

It was the fans that made this sport what it is today and it will be the fans that decides its future. This new format didn't work then and its not going to work now, FORD AND HOLDEN V8s ONLY ON FREE TO AIR.

I was going to the townsville round of the v8's and have accommodation booked, but by the time we get to July, i suspect i would have lost complete interest in the sport as i still haven't seen any decent coverage... so wont be going. I'm sure i'm not the only person thinking this so there has to be many others probably considering not going to events so i think the events themselves will suffer the loss of people going though the gates to enjoy the sport. Thanks channel 10 and V8 supercars thinking of the profits instead of the fans!

Sean. Is that supposed to provide comfort those who poured their hearts, souls, AND money into a sport we love and miss so much. Im a dedicated,(or was) Ford Fan, and when I found out the Blue Oval was leaving in 2015, I sold my new Ford I got. That's how passionate most of us are, and, I let Ford now it. I will NEVER buy another Ford car or anything else Ford again. The V8SC Series is dying a slow and miserable death, and I would guess,, by the end of 2015. It will be a dead category. There is NOTHING GREAT, about Ford and Holden anymore. They will die in Oz as surely as the V8SC Series will.

Saying that the cricket had an impact on viewer numbers implies, to me at least, that those people that watched the cricket over the v8's would be part time V8 supporters at best.

Sunday race went against the Cricket World Cup Final, which will have drawn a lot of viewers away -- it was the highest-rated show of the year, so far. The Perth round will be a better comparison point, but, even so, I'm not expecting the numbers to be much better.

I will simply leave it to the numbers to do the explaining. 2014: V8's Tasmania Seven Network viewers Race 1: 221,900 Race 2: 287,600 Race 3: 405,400 2015: V8's Tasmania Fox Sports viewers Race 1: 57,400 Race 2: 63,500 Race 3: 31,500 2015 FTA Highlights: Saturday 192,200 Sunday 143,900. 2014 Total viewers was 914,900. 2015 FTA+Fox= 488,500. The difference between 2014 & 2015 is 426,400; ie 2015 had almost half a million less viewers. This measure is the key one in terms of total exposure for sponsors and commercial partners.

Great comment. So true, and I had not thought about it that way. Do you mind if I pinch it or quote you in a letter to V8's etc...

It's terrible that they have done this to the majority of the fans. Shame on V8SC. Lost me.

it's a shame what they have done, after 30 odd years of following them every race and programs in between races, although i can afford to have foxtel put on i refuse to line their pockets with my money. australian v8 supercars should be available on free to air as it has always been. v8 supercars are over for me..

What you have said in your article is exactly the way I feel about V8SC at his point of time. There is no interest in watching the highlights which to not do the sport any favours at all. Why would you only watch 6 full races each year, it's a bit like watching the beginning and end of a movie and not knowing what has happened in the middle.

Have been a V8's supporter for years. Yes, I can afford Foxtel, but why should I pay to watch an Aussie icon of a sport on TV? Will be boycotting all V8's races, and yes, it's very hard to do!!!

Brocky would be disgusted with this shame on you CEO of V8 Super Cars and The Teams for letting down the Fans and i hope you haven't screwed yourself but looking at last year's Tasmania 2014 i could be wrong channel 7 had about 800 + Thousand viewers and this year 150 + on pay TV and watching highlights on Channel 10 just a joke ! Sorry if I have upset anyone this is my opinion

Not Happy.. Join The Boycott Today.. https://www.facebook.com/groups/BoycottFoxteland10

My wife and I been to around 8 rounds over the years and now our boys wont have motorsport to grow up to like i did as a boy. We have given up on v8s and in the process of finding a new spot to follow.