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 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.

[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.

[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.

[Jacques Rabbit]

It makes you wonder if all those encouraging media research stats were complete B.S.; otherwise, they're just miserable at pitching them. Maybe both. Or "100% increase in the 18-34 market" meant "1 viewer to 2 viewers." Hmm.

You know your TV schedule blows walrus nuts when the VERSUS part is the most tolerable one. You take Long Beach and Road America, the two best races of the season, and decide to not show them? Both have historically had the best on-track action, so they'll focus on everything but that on those broadcasts! Good call! A racing series that refuses to market racing.

And ESPN3? That's not even television; that's a website. So you don't even put Sebring on TV...

Gosh, I hope someone's misinformed, because that's just brutally bad.

[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

[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.

[FordCosworthPanoz]

Originally Posted by picchiofan

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.

Unfortunatly, I agree with you, what a diservice this is doing to the teams and drivers looking for sponsors, It's almost seems like it's Atherton's and the rest of the management's goal to screw up the series as much as possible. Other than GT2, things are looking pretty dark for 2011. As I say, If this T.V. deal does happens, It's over for me, ALMS, there are plenty of other racing series to watch.

As for Baltimore, both Indycar and ALMS better hope that happens or they're going to be screwed schedule-wise.

[dj4monie]

Wow, I gave you ALL a WARNING this was going to happen but what did you say - http://tentenths.com/forum/showthread.php?t=124171

I told you ALMS was greasing your booty up for expanded docu-drama format races. No outrage and this is what you get.

ESPN3 is high quality streaming with no lag time and plenty of bandwith, it was proven very reliable during the World Cup. To get the highest quality stream you need something other than the slowest DSL connection.

They should make the docu-dramas available for downloading as well by torrent, Itunes or any of many streaming/downloading legal content sites, even RacefansTV.

Long Beach being in Docu-Drama format makes no sense. Its the shortest race of the year and Versus is already there with a TV compound/trucks, it would cost them nothing extra to do the ALMS race on Saturday after Indy Car qualifying.

However it might be cheaper than to tape-delay it and maybe stream it.

But I thought before that streaming would become a bigger part of getting the races to the fans. As I said before, the ALMS touts its upper-income fan base, unless you could care less about the internet (I highly doubt that if you'e posting here) then you have broadband internet in your home. Are their fringe fans affected by such decisions? Absolutely! But are they the majority of the fan base, no.

I also believe Hindy's eyes were opened by him doing the FIA GT3 races from Zolder and he said as much. As being the voice of the ALMS on-site and on Radio Le Mans. This can be a bare-bones operation, with all the announcing and pit reporting handled by Radio Show Limited (Radio Le Mans) and the streaming handled by onsite infrastructure.

As I have said before, FIA GT1 Championship is not hard to find, but not properly reported to the services that handle programing the electronic guides in your TV system. This means for time-shifting or recording it can't be set by the guide listings, it has to be done manually. But its streamed on Bloomberg.com as well as FIA GT1/GT3 web site.

I also don't mind the move to Versus if they'll coddle it and promote it. I think they will to a nauseating level. They do it with the NFL and NCAA College Football. They also do it with Tour De France and Indy Car as well.

If the rumor is true the races on Versus are -

• Lime Rock
• Mosport
• Mid-Ohio
• Baltimore

The Docu-dramas will be all the longer events 4-12 hours all on ABC, save for Long Beach but as I said that makes little sense unless they are going to tie-it into the build up to Le Mans.

Speaking of Le Mans and I'm surprised nobody else even bought this up, but there's no concern about where Le Mans is going to be shown? For Fox (Speed) they did it as affordable as they could with live flag to flag coverage, six hours of it streaming online. Even making the commentators do it from North Carolina and not on-site.

I have a feeling Versus will be handling this with Radio Le Mans doing the audio track side and the ALMS will not hire an additional team to do the races.

Frankly, I can't stand the docu-dramas terrible idea. As long as its streamed flag to flag, I don't care.

For those less tech savvy have basically one of two choices -

Google TV or buying a affordable laptop with HDMI out. Cost for either is about the same ($299) I paid $299 for this HP Laptop I'm typing on last BF (Black Friday 2010) and it has HDMI out and 15.6 16:9 display.

Either way it will put a Browser on your TV, don't knock it, especially Google TV.

[Speed-King]

Originally Posted by picchiofan

Even if it isn't, where's the TV announcement? It's the middle of November, and Atherton & crew haven't annoucned squat.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Grand Am has announced a TV-package either at this point.

[dj4monie]

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

[dj4monie]

Originally Posted by Speed-King

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think Grand Am has announced a TV-package either at this point.

True but I think we KNOW where Grand Am is going to be. Though with its tiny fan base they could just put it on Speed2 and expand Speed2 to out to the majority of cable systems and sat providers.

[porsche91722]

Originally Posted by dj4monie

...............with all the announcing and pit reporting handled by Radio Show Limited (Radio Le Mans) and the streaming handled by onsite infrastructure.

As long as its streamed flag to flag, I don't care.

Speaking as a fan from outside the U.S., this would be a best case scenario. If the ALMS can deliver the excellent live streams we got earlier this year, I would be happy. I am seriously over the way that the big media organisations run everything. As far as event coverage to the fans is concerned, sports car racing is a niche sport, and as such, should be marketed and streamed to the dedicated fans and followers. I'd be prepared to pay per view if it came to that.

[NaBUru38]

Originally Posted by dj4monie

Long Beach being in Docu-Drama format makes no sense. Its the shortest race of the year and Versus is already there with a TV compound/trucks, it would cost them nothing extra to do the ALMS race on Saturday after Indy Car qualifying.

Totally agree. Actually, showing all Long Beach's glamour is good, so doing both would be perfect.

Anyway, here in Uruguay, Speed (it broadcasts all Nascar stuff including major 3 races) costs extra money and the leading announcer is awful.