TCR Australia 2022

[Alan52]

Originally Posted by 2 litre Touring Car Star

2 litre cars are coming back home to C9. All those years ago when super touring was shown 6:30 the following Saturday in 94, then after the F1 broadcast in 95.

It's interesting to note this from a business point of view (Which some of you seem to be most interested in). TCR goes from not existing, to paying for live coverage on SBS, to paying for live coverage on C7, and now is getting paid for it by C9? To me, it seems to me from a business perspective that the trajectory is going upwards?

I would anticipate the coverage being similar on C7 last year, with all day live coverage on 7plus, but limited live coverage on the channel.

Personally, I hope what gets screens on C9 is a slightly delayed coverage. There
s too many dead periods that need padding with the time necessary to conduct a race meeting.

I think you are being very very optimistic with the amount of coverage on 9 if in fact there is any at all.It seems pretty clear that the only live,or close to live coverage will be on Stan available to the 7% of Australian households that can access Stan Sport.
I don’t think Stan/9( maybe) is actually paying for anything but they mightn’t be charging ARG to air it.From some of the stories flying around 30 minutes at 6.30 in the morning 7 days after the meeting on 9 might be as much as can be hoped for in the other 93% of households.

[bathurst77]

Originally Posted by Alan52

It seems pretty clear that the only live,or close to live coverage will be on Stan available to the 7% of Australian households that can access Stan Sport.

Why only 7%? pretty well everyone has nbn by now, so can access stan.

Unless you mean 7% that chooses to have stan, which is a different story.
The reason Stan have bought the rights is to increase that 7% by a lot they hope.

[Alan52]

Originally Posted by bathurst77

Why only 7%? pretty well everyone has nbn by now, so can access stan.

Unless you mean 7% that chooses to have stan, which is a different story.
The reason Stan have bought the rights is to increase that 7% by a lot they hope.

7% is the number of households that have Stan Sport.Overseas racing categories that had tiny viewer numbers on Foxtel or ARG aren’t going to shift the dial.
There is a reason Foxtel have just paid $40million/year for the extension of their F1 contract and made no effort to keep Indycar,WEC let alone make a play for ARG.They have 30 years of experience knowing what attracts paying subscribers and what doesn’t.That’s why they also made no effort to keep Rugby Union or A League.
Even the jewel in Stan Sport’s line up -the Champions League-was a complete bust for Bein when they had it as a streaming only product before they linked up with Foxtel.
Stan’s shareholders sold off in a major way last year in a protest about what they had paid for sporting rights and that’s why they don’t bid for anything significant.For all their big talk at the time they got Champions League rights that they were going to go after the EPL they didn’t even put in a bid.

[2 litre Touring Car Star]

Originally Posted by Alan52

I think you are being very very optimistic with the amount of coverage on 9 if in fact there is any at all.It seems pretty clear that the only live,or close to live coverage will be on Stan available to the 7% of Australian households that can access Stan Sport.

I'm only speculating. I'd anticipate that there'd be some live or slightly delayed coverage, on the affiliate channels at least. Which is fine.

Originally Posted by Alan52

I don’t think Stan/9( maybe) is actually paying for anything but they mightn’t be charging ARG to air it.From some of the stories flying around 30 minutes at 6.30 in the morning 7 days after the meeting on 9 might be as much as can be hoped for in the other 93% of households.

If ARG is not paying for it, when they did with C7, then in a business sense that is still an upward trajectory. The way things are going, next year there'll be a big move to C10 of $5mil!

TCR on its own would not get me to Stan/C9. But when I wasn't going to get it despite getting the Champion's League and then pinching Indycar, this might get me over the line. So it looks like I have to hurry up and watch want I want from Netflix, prime/paramount+ as quickly as I can before cancelling my subscriptions.

There would have to be some coverage on C9? TCR on its own is not getting people to subscribe to Stan. Even if it's something that people like, they'd have to be exposed to it and a central point like FTA TV is where they'd advertise it?

Stan/C9 is not getting a speculative series. They're getting something that already got off the ground and they don't have to do as much of the donkey work SBS/C7 did. I would assume they'd carry it on from there?

edit: It also has a Bathurst race it ca flog off as well.

[cavvy]

Originally Posted by one five five

Except that there was a story put out a month or so ago with documents saying that within the next year RACE take ownership of ARG.

I am referring to what is today, not what might be sometime when.

Do you have a link to the story you refer to?

[2 litre Touring Car Star]

Originally Posted by benny41

The bit that frustrates me with tcr is that there were promises that it was going to be different to supercars and aimed at a younger audience , yet the product that was wheeled out is exactly the same minus the noise and depth of entries. The race formats are almost the same , the production of the telecasts is the same
There is nothing in the promotion of the class that says anything differnt.

That's because there are unwritten factors that affect a racing series that can't be overcome by a marketing/business degree. These factors are there whether or not you acknowledge them or know they exist.

[Mixer]

Wording of today's press release seems to be Stan Sport exclusive for live, full races.

Delayed highlights package on GEM.

Can't see that being good. Witness the sponsor difficulty after Supercars was partly Foxtel exclusive.

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[Tourer]

Originally Posted by Mixer

Wording of today's press release seems to be Stan Sport exclusive for live, full races.

Delayed highlights package on GEM.

Can't see that being good. Witness the sponsor difficulty after Supercars was partly Foxtel exclusive.

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Story here.
It gets harder with all the different streaming services. I have Kayo and have Stan's regular service, need to work out whether to add the Stan sport stream or not. No doubt there are many in the same boat.

[E.B]

Originally Posted by Tourer

Story here.
It gets harder with all the different streaming services. I have Kayo and have Stan's regular service, need to work out whether to add the Stan sport stream or not. No doubt there are many in the same boat.

Read separately that Coulthard is down to drive the Stan Sport backed car at the opening round, in what will be his TCR debut. A one-off at this stage
https://www.speedcafe.com/2022/02/03...stralia-debut/,

[Mixer]

Originally Posted by Tourer

Story here.

It gets harder with all the different streaming services. I have Kayo and have Stan's regular service, need to work out whether to add the Stan sport stream or not. No doubt there are many in the same boat.

When you are supposed to be in a building phase with a competition that never got off the ground, taking away eyes from your sponsors doesn't seem like a great idea.

Note the figure Stan have paid for these rights has not been mentioned. That means only one thing.

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[bortall]

Originally Posted by Mixer

Wording of today's press release seems to be Stan Sport exclusive for live, full races.

Delayed highlights package on GEM.

Can't see that being good. Witness the sponsor difficulty after Supercars was partly Foxtel exclusive.

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NO THANKS, I won't be getting Stan & a week later highlights can go and get stuffed.

[cavvy]

Originally Posted by Mixer

When you are supposed to be in a building phase with a competition that never got off the ground, taking away eyes from your sponsors doesn't seem like a great idea.

Note the figure Stan have paid for these rights has not been mentioned. That means only one thing.

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https://www.stan.com.au/motorsport

I'll give it a go via the free trial.

[Mixer]

It's not just TCR either all these categories including the 6hr. Competitors NOT happy that this is announced AFTER entries close.

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[cavvy]

Better late than never ?

[Sandgroper]

Stan was is is the worst buffering streaming service we have ever had.

And NO mine doesnt buffer on Netflix or Fox.

So I will watch on 9 maybe ? If I get an urge !

[Alan52]

Originally Posted by Sandgroper

Stan was is is the worst buffering streaming service we have ever had.

And NO mine doesnt buffer on Netflix or Fox.

So I will watch on 9 maybe ? If I get an urge !

Breaking down a 2 hour 9 highlights package
-25 minutes of ads
-20 minutes minimum of talking heads,track guides and “human interest” stories
That leaves 70-75 minutes of actual racing to cover,in a typical ARG program 3 TCR,3 S5000,4 TCM,3 TransAm and 2 GT.That works out 4-5 minutes a race unless some of those core ARG categories are going to get completely shafted for coverage.
As someone posted above this is commercial suicide.The kindest take is that vaulting ambition has met commercial reality.However this solution is about the worst they could have come up with.Betting by 2024 at the latest ARG meetings will be no more.

[Mixer]

Competitors pointing out that no Fox Sports means no sports bar viewing either.

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[bathurst77]

Originally Posted by Sandgroper

Stan was is is the worst buffering streaming service we have ever had.

And NO mine doesnt buffer on Netflix or Fox.

So I will watch on 9 maybe ? If I get an urge !

I watch stan most nights. no buffering

Kayo is a b-tch for buffering tho
I find Kayo buffers if you try and watch slightly timed delayed (ie you tune in to the start when the race is still half way live). I generally give up do something else then wait til the whole event is finished and then watch it.
Its like their servers have trouble reading and writing simultaneously or something.

My thought is if you already have stan, then its $10 bucks more a month for 10 months, $100 a year for every event all sessions (hopefully) live and ad free.
If I went to one event at the track, paid entry, food, drink petrol etc. Its going to cost more, especially if its a group or family.
If you dont have stan well... its $240 a year for the burger with the lot, yes thats a cost you have to balance, but there is a lot of good stuff to watch other days on stan so your mrs anf=d kids will say "you da man"

You get nothing good for free, you pay to watch, subscription, entry fee, tax or ads. Its your choice
You can have economy class... delayed highlights with ads for free or pay your money and get the 1st class service.

footnote i dont work for stan, arg/tcr or any company even vaguely linked to them

I have no skin in the game
But I have opinions about EVERYTHING!

[racer69]

Stan & Stan Sport themselves are great. I watched the Monte Carlo Rally two weeks ago and the service worked perfectly, so ARG have no worries in that department.

I’m not sold personally on why this deal, on the surface, appeared to be more favourable. Is $5 million a year worth the loss of potential eyeballs? And where does that money now go?

One thing that does amuse me is the amount of complaints on social media saying that the coverage should have gone to Foxtel because they already have it for the Supercars and don’t want to fork out more for Stan…..yet these are the same people who criticise anyone saying the Supercars should be on FTA as tight and saying PayTV costs are fine…..

[one five five]

So it’s safe to assume Chaz won’t be defending his title? He’s surely have been part of this ridiculous STAN announcement?

[Mixer]

Originally Posted by racer69

One thing that does amuse me is the amount of complaints on social media saying that the coverage should have gone to Foxtel because they already have it for the Supercars and don’t want to fork out more for Stan…..yet these are the same people who criticise anyone saying the Supercars should be on FTA as tight and saying PayTV costs are fine…..

I think the argument about the categories other than TCR, is that they were on FTA & also on Fox Sports - whether you like it or not, there's lots of people who can watch your category on Fox Sports, plus you get LOTS of pubs who might put it on.

In other "that's not a good look" news.

Honda's leading light Tony D'Alberto on the Parked Up podcast, right off the back of ditching Honda for DJR's Bathurst entry, was discussing the Dubai 24hr that the Groves competed in. Grant Rowley mentioned there were TCR cars in the field, and Tony scoffed as if driving a TCR car for 24 hours would be really boring....

[Umai Naa]

He hasn't been competitive since round 1, 2019.

[Alan52]

Originally Posted by racer69

Stan & Stan Sport themselves are great. I watched the Monte Carlo Rally two weeks ago and the service worked perfectly, so ARG have no worries in that department.

I’m not sold personally on why this deal, on the surface, appeared to be more favourable. Is $5 million a year worth the loss of potential eyeballs? And where does that money now go?

One thing that does amuse me is the amount of complaints on social media saying that the coverage should have gone to Foxtel because they already have it for the Supercars and don’t want to fork out more for Stan…..yet these are the same people who criticise anyone saying the Supercars should be on FTA as tight and saying PayTV costs are fine…..

I doubt there the “same people”.More likely is their unwillingness to pay for multiple platforms to watch motor racing.Given that Foxtel has the big 3-F1,Moto GP and Supercars-tied up for the next 5 years Stan is stuck with niche categories rather than anything that drives significant subscription numbers.They made a play for F1 rights last year but came up short.
Also in terms of reach Stan sports has only 20% of the audience numbers of Fox Sports/Kayo.7% of households is no market penetration.
ARG didnt find it sustainable to pay 7 $4mill/year to show their meetings but I can’t see how this deal is anything else but signing their own death warrant.

[Umai Naa]

Well it was fun while it lasted.

The likes of strong TCR championships such as TCR Europe, have no issue attracting a large number of full season entries, with just TCR TV streaming to their own website, YouTube and Facebook. TCR Italy are the same, and they're not even interested in English commentary (I've offered to do it for free!).

[Mixer]

Originally Posted by Umai Naa

He hasn't been competitive since round 1, 2019.

That doesn't preclude him from being a good ambassador for a really good manufacturer that has him as the effective leader of a "factory backed" race outfit.

This isn't the kind of thing TCR needs.