ALMS Media Schedule 2011

[Fogelhund]

http://murphythebear.com/blog/index....ries/#more-934


Rumoured TV Schedule for 2011.

...Four races will be shown on a one-week delay on ABC in the truncated
docudrama format introduced in the 2010 season. Those four were said to
be Laguna Seca, Road America, Long Beach, and Petit Le Mans. The
remaining races will be shown on Versus, except for Sebring, which will
be presented live on ESPN3 (yes, “3”). For those who like such things,
most – perhaps all – will be streamed live on the web.

So, not TV coverage for the balance of the races in Canada, as we don't get Versus. As much of a fan as I've been of the series, I'll admit this TV schedule is simply terrible and a very bad sign. This series was difficult at best to justify the expense to manufacturers or sponsors. Moving to this platform makes it much worse.

As always, there is more at the link, but the TV schedule is the glory bits.

[fiend540]

Well if it's not the ACO making a mess of the ILMC idea, it's ALMS making it a pita to watch the damn races. Not too happy as an American sports car fan

[mountainstar]

Looks like a shocking tv schedule. I don't know any other way of describing it.

[Dyson Mazda]

Assuming speed gave the ALMS the boot at NASCAR's wishes, what is the best realistic option left?

[picchiofan]

Originally Posted by Dyson Mazda

Assuming speed gave the ALMS the boot at NASCAR's wishes

ALMS is a time buy on Speed, no different than world challenge or the Lucasoil half hour shows of demo derbies & school bus racing. You can ease up on your unfounded paranoia.

[Porsche917K]

Wow tape delay is the worst, and I know for sure I don't get ESPN 3... so this season really looks like a chore for a fan to watch and thats for someone who knows how to find it.

[dxk1]

Originally Posted by picchiofan

ALMS is a time buy on Speed, no different than world challenge or the Lucasoil half hour shows of demo derbies & school bus racing. You can ease up on your unfounded paranoia.

Isn't it great, Speed will now have more time available for "Pinks All Out", "Monster Trucks", NASCAR, and other such useful stuff.

DK

[picchiofan]

Originally Posted by Fogelhund

http://murphythebear.com/blog/index....ries/#more-934


Rumoured TV Schedule for 2011.

...Four races will be shown on a one-week delay on ABC in the truncated
docudrama format introduced in the 2010 season. Those four were said to
be Laguna Seca, Road America, Long Beach, and Petit Le Mans. The
remaining races will be shown on Versus, except for Sebring, which will
be presented live on ESPN3 (yes, “3”). For those who like such things,
most – perhaps all – will be streamed live on the web.

So, not TV coverage for the balance of the races in Canada, as we don't get Versus. As much of a fan as I've been of the series, I'll admit this TV schedule is simply terrible and a very bad sign. This series was difficult at best to justify the expense to manufacturers or sponsors. Moving to this platform makes it much worse.

As always, there is more at the link, but the TV schedule is the glory bits.

Makes sense, after all, BMW, Porsche and Ferrari's target demographic is 19 year old college freshman that are used to torrenting and watching everything on a tiny laptop screen anyway. For the fans!

So, some of your biggest races will be shown a week+ tape delayed and edited in a wildly hated format from last year. The rest will be shown on a station that 2/3 of cable and dish households don't even get. Their premiere race will be shown on a buggy webcam feed on the internet that isn't even available to everyone, it's ISP-based. Seriously, look at how ESPN3 works.

This is Champcar-circa 2007 swirling down the drain decision making here. Outstanding.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by picchiofan

Makes sense, after all, BMW, Porsche and Ferrari's target demographic is 19 year old college freshman that are used to torrenting and watching everything on a tiny laptop screen anyway. For the fans!

So, some of your biggest races will be shown a week+ tape delayed and edited in a wildly hated format from last year. The rest will be shown on a station that 2/3 of cable and dish households don't even get. Their premiere race will be shown on a buggy webcam feed on the internet that isn't even available to everyone, it's ISP-based. Seriously, look at how ESPN3 works.

This is Champcar-circa 2007 swirling down the drain decision making here. Outstanding.

I liked the edited races last season, but I also liked the live streaming of said races. I have had no problems with watching sports on ESPN3, the quality is decent, and the laptop plugs right into the tv, so not to worry about tiny laptops. As far as Sebring goes, I'm pretty sure they won't have webcams posted around the track, but will likely use a tv crew like a normal coverage would.

[porsche91722]

Originally Posted by joeb

.................As far as Sebring goes, I'm pretty sure they won't have webcams posted around the track, but will likely use a tv crew like a normal coverage would.

Plus the fact that it will be part of the ILMC next year.

[Acid09]

That's the schedule that caused them to have the PLM kicked out of the ILMC?

[pdxracefan]

If this turns out to be true (it is still a rumor) then the best you can say about it is pitiful. It sounds like a series in it's death throes, or one that someone is trying to kill.

[HJJ]

I'm still holding out when the Comcast deal for NBC goes through and Verus becomes NBC Sports merging Verus with NBC Universal Sports Channel. Hey, it could happen.

[dxk1]

Originally Posted by HJJ

I'm still holding out when the Comcast deal for NBC goes through and Verus becomes NBC Sports merging Verus with NBC Universal Sports Channel. Hey, it could happen.

Yeah, and then they'll kick ALMS to the curb and put on soap box derbies and Ski Flying from Kopfschplatten, Austria.

DK

[TRuss]

As bad as this news is, this thread is actually making me laugh.

[FordCosworthPanoz]

Well unless this isn't true (which judging by The Bear's record wouldn't suprise me) then goodbye American Sportscar Racing. Grand Am becomes the boring, predictable Chip Ganassi Series , World Challenge moves to a channel I don't even have, and now this for the American Le Mans Series.

Why should any fan put up with this and support the series next year if this happens? The sad part is from the rumour I've heard the ILMC is going to have a better T.V. deal for American race fans than the ALMS, including Le Mans itself. Well at least this gives me more time to put into series/races I can actually watch, like Formula 1, NASCAR Sprint Cup, GP2, most NASCAR lower divisions, MotoGP, World Superbike, AMA, Superleague Formula, V8 Supercars, Indycar, FIA GT1, BTCC, and others including the 24 Hours of Le Mans and starting next year the ILMC.

[picchiofan]

Originally Posted by FordCosworthPanoz

Well unless this isn't true (which judging by The Bear's record wouldn't suprise me)

Even if it isn't, where's the TV announcement? It's the middle of November, and Atherton & crew haven't annoucned squat. For teams & drivers that have 2-3 months to put together sponsor packages, not having any idea what sort of exposure they'll have TV wise just kills any pitch they can come up with.

Much like Oklahoma city, and what now appears to be Baltimore as well falling off, this whole thing just reaks of amatuer hour.

[Piratedred]

I don't get ESPN3 anywhere near me so I guess ALMS has forced me into watching Grand Am. At least I can still watch live T&S.

[dj4monie]

Originally Posted by Piratedred

I don't get ESPN3 anywhere near me so I guess ALMS has forced me into watching Grand Am. At least I can still watch live T&S.

When people say this are you just saying that or are you actually going to http://espn.go.com/espn3/index and what does it say? Capture the screen and upload the picture (from your clipboard) to Flicker or something and I wanna see what you're seeing.

[Deleted]

Originally Posted by dj4monie

When people say this are you just saying that or are you actually going to http://espn.go.com/espn3/index and what does it say? Capture the screen and upload the picture (from your clipboard) to Flicker or something and I wanna see what you're seeing.

When I click on that link, it just goes to ESPN Player with some basketball and hockey adds (click)

[dj4monie]

Oops I meant NHL not NFL its football season, honest mistake

[Félix]

Whoa, not everybody wants to buy an expensive portable device to watch streaming. And the best-selling (and overhyped) portable devices are from a fruity company that will never make it easy to output a video signal... Laptops do it too and I got myself a - literally - book-sized nettop that does everything and more, including 1080p.

Even with all of those, I'm always watching alone and this is where a conventional TV broadcast is still better to attract people to the series. Falling upon a Vette racing a Ferrari when zapping will get some people just like seeing Tiger Woods concentrating before a putt will. When I was watching the Mid Ohio race on NBC on my parent's living room TV, both my father and my brother joined me and started asking questions about the prototypes and the GT cars. That's why I think the series should still showcase its product out there in the most accessible spot. The docudrama format works really well there. Purists will always complain unless they get full races live with commentary from Hindhaugh so give it to them online; a few thousands will tinker and jump through hoops to get it, me included. I see the solutions in between these two much less ideal because they bring more compromises than benefits.

[dj4monie]

Originally Posted by Félix

Whoa, not everybody wants to buy an expensive portable device to watch streaming. And the best-selling (and overhyped) portable devices are from a fruity company that will never make it easy to output a video signal... Laptops do it too and I got myself a - literally - book-sized nettop that does everything and more, including 1080p.

Even with all of those, I'm always watching alone and this is where a conventional TV broadcast is still better to attract people to the series. Falling upon a Vette racing a Ferrari when zapping will get some people just like seeing Tiger Woods concentrating before a putt will. When I was watching the Mid Ohio race on NBC on my parent's living room TV, both my father and my brother joined me and started asking questions about the prototypes and the GT cars. That's why I think the series should still showcase its product out there in the most accessible spot. The docudrama format works really well there. Purists will always complain unless they get full races live with commentary from Hindhaugh so give it to them online; a few thousands will tinker and jump through hoops to get it, me included. I see the solutions in between these two much less ideal because they bring more compromises than benefits.

Then those people can suffer and not come on Ten-Tenths *****ing. I gave a warning months ago about the possibly of the series turning to streaming only maybe a year or two early.

As for growing the fan base, that has happen despite the coverage. TV ratings have actually gone down as attendance has gone up, don't ask me its just the numbers I have seen.

Quite a few people listen to Hindy's streaming and ALMS has done a poor job promoting it actually. More than 10,000 people listen to Hindy world wide, how come 10,000 slots weren't filled for the streaming?

Speed is available to 80 Million Homes in America. I believe Versus reaches slightly less than that. I don't think it will make much of a difference in overall numbers.

The difference is that Versus I believe is willing to pay for it. Where before Speed and ALMS worked together to get the time on the channel paid for with sponsors. This wouldn't be the first time Versus has approached the ALMS to host its races. That has been confirmed by both Murphy The Bear and Hindy, Versus talked to the ALMS a few years ago.

The four sprint races they'll have is likely a trial run. I don't know if the channel wanted to commit to resources (read:$$$) to longer races without knowing how the ILMC effects Sebring or how a 6 hour race will do in ratings.

If ratings are strong maybe they'll take on the entire series.

[Fogelhund]

Originally Posted by dj4monie

y world wide, how come 10,000 slots weren't filled for the streaming?

Speed is available to 80 Million Homes in America. I believe Versus reaches slightly less than that. I don't think it will make much of a difference in overall numbers.

The difference is that Versus I believe is willing to pay for it. Where before Speed and ALMS worked together to get the time on the channel paid for with sponsors. This wouldn't be the first time Versus has approached the ALMS to host its races. That has been confirmed by both Murphy The Bear and Hindy, Versus talked to the ALMS a few years ago.

The four sprint races they'll have is likely a trial run. I don't know if the channel wanted to commit to resources (read:$$$) to longer races without knowing how the ILMC effects Sebring or how a 6 hour race will do in ratings.

If ratings are strong maybe they'll take on the entire series.

Versus will not be paying. The other difference is that Speed is available in many countries outside of the US. Versus is not. (Including Canada)

[Flyin Ryan]

Originally Posted by Fogelhund

Versus will not be paying. The other difference is that Speed is available in many countries outside of the US. Versus is not. (Including Canada)

Versus is OLN in Canada. Versus changed its name from OLN in the States when they got the NHL contract to go from outdoors channel to sports channel. Obviously you guys don't have the NHL on Versus/OLN there because you have CBC/RDS/TSN with the national NHL contracts in Canada. But you might get these races on OLN. (Who carries Indycar there in Canada?)