mickthemuppet Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 Now that it is certain that there will be no GP's live on SKY Sports this year will they survive. With what few sponsers that the GP's have will they continue them with no live meetings. Will the riders still be interested in racing GP's with no TV as this will also affect their sponsors. They surely will not carry on the pittance they get paid. . Will Monster drinks still be interested. Most probably no. Will IMG chuck the whole thing in.and we get back to a proper individual world championship.? Will there be a reshuffle of nights raced in this country. Will teams like Belle Vue and Coventry revert back to Saturday night meetings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 Seems like a small over-reaction.How many riders have british sponsors?I would guess riders like Emil,Gollob and Nicki etc don't have any or many british sponsors,so their markets are fine with coverage in Sweden,Denmark and Poland,plus the European Eurosport coverage.I guess of the riders only Woffinden,Holder and Ward have mainly British sponsors and then Holder and ward might have big polish sponsors(not sure),so won't be affected all that much. It is a blow,but not a fatal one i think.Maybe Phil Rising will tell us or maybe he will put a positive spin on this?lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave_minall Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 Speedway is a world wide sport - Sky simply rent the footage from other providers for every GP bar the British Grand Prix in Cardiff, where they provide the feed. Of course the GPs will survive without Sky, we just won't get to see any. It would be interesting to see how many people will actually go to Cardiff this year, considering the only place we'll be able to see it will be in person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILIPRISING Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 GPS will still be shown live in Australia, Denmark, Poland and Sweden with delayed transmissions and highlights packages going to around 100 other outlets. Loss of Sky coverage - still not 100 per cent certain - will undoubtedly be a blow but certainly not a fatal one. BT Vision remain a distinct possibility but they don't start their UK operation until July. I am still optimistic that GPs will be shown in the UK one way or another and I know from a 'phone call made today that negotiations are continuing. Iris123 is quite correct that most riders' sponsorship comes from outside the UK and they would probably be more alarmed if Poland or Denmark were to stop showing speedway but, given their viewing figures, that is most unlikely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humphrey Appleby Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 Iris123 is quite correct that most riders' sponsorship comes from outside the UK and they would probably be more alarmed if Poland or Denmark were to stop showing speedway but, given their viewing figures, that is most unlikely. Will Monster be so happy to be blacked-out from one of the largest potential markets in Europe? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILIPRISING Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 WHAT from I hear they are not that bothered. They don't do advertising and their thing is a "presence" at the events and seeing their riders on the rostrum, which is why they were so delighted with the 2012 SGP season... all four riders won at least once, one was World Champion and all four contested the final in Torun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Smith Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 WHAT from I hear they are not that bothered. They don't do advertising and their thing is a "presence" at the events and seeing their riders on the rostrum, which is why they were so delighted with the 2012 SGP season... all four riders won at least once, one was World Champion and all four contested the final in Torun. Monster don't need speedway. At the time being they're using it to crack Eastern Europe knowing speedway is massive in Poland. Everywhere else Monster is covered by all other Motorsports. Monster will not as a brand be hampered by no speedway coverage in the UK. It's a very blinkered view if you think no live GP coverage in the UK is damaging the product. The only damage is to us supporters as those that do just watch GP's will be lost to speedway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Know Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 GPS will still be shown live in Australia, Denmark, Poland and Sweden with delayed transmissions and highlights packages going to around 100 other outlets. Loss of Sky coverage - still not 100 per cent certain - will undoubtedly be a blow but certainly not a fatal one. BT Vision remain a distinct possibility but they don't start their UK operation until July. I am still optimistic that GPs will be shown in the UK one way or another and I know from a 'phone call made today that negotiations are continuing. Iris123 is quite correct that most riders' sponsorship comes from outside the UK and they would probably be more alarmed if Poland or Denmark were to stop showing speedway but, given their viewing figures, that is most unlikely. UK speedway is in a bad enough state without the loss of SGP and domestic TV. Yes there is very little sponsorship for the gp from the UK but is that a good thing long term ? Without TV no new large sponsors will come in to SGP and they have very few already. Speedway in poland and sweden is well below what it use to be and with this blinkered veiw what is the future in 10 years from now ? I know the BSI are worried about it as i have had several chats with them regarding this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humphrey Appleby Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 (edited) Monster don't need speedway. At the time being they're using it to crack Eastern Europe knowing speedway is massive in Poland. I doubt they're turning up to the GPs just for fun, or so that a few spectators in the stadia will be exposed to the brand. And Poland is hardly all of Eastern Europe, or even the majority of it. Monster may not do direct advertising, but they still need the exposure that television coverage brings. Edited February 5, 2013 by Humphrey Appleby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldace Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 UK speedway is in a bad enough state without the loss of SGP and domestic TV. Yes there is very little sponsorship for the gp from the UK but is that a good thing long term ? Without TV no new large sponsors will come in to SGP and they have very few already. Speedway in poland and sweden is well below what it use to be and with this blinkered veiw what is the future in 10 years from now ? I know the BSI are worried about it as i have had several chats with them regarding this. Poland are simply replicating the mistakes Britain did years ago. Paying vast sums to riders and upping admission thus driving fans away and then upping admission some more. Speedway in Poland is on a massive decline that will only continue if they continue paying sill money to riders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humphrey Appleby Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 Speedway is a world wide sport Not really. Speedway is only raced with any seriousness in a handful of countries, and then only as a minority sport. Even in Poland the sport's popularity seems to be pretty regionally based, and I'd wager it's demographic is not ABC either. The claimed geographical coverage of SGP would appear to be the satellite footprint where the SGP highlights are put out as filler material. I've seen little or no substantive evidence as to what the SGP viewership is in most of the non-speedway countries and given that I've been to many of these countries and never seen any evidence of speedway on television, I'd question how much penetration there really is. At the end of the day, the European markets relevant to speedway are the UK, Poland, Scandinavia and maybe Germany. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backless Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 The only damage is to us supporters as those that do just watch GP's will be lost to speedway. So what, unless you sign up Shouty Bollox that fans are generated - in which case, where are they? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 Could it be that anyone(Sky or a.n.other)is willing to go into the season to try and negotiate a rock bottom deal?I mean missing the NZ GP isn't such a big thing for viewing/advertising figures because of the time it is on.They could always show a highlights programme at a later date.But it will make BSI/IMG sweat a bit Some could be jumping to conclusions that it won't be shown somewhere and i still don't think it will have a devastating effect on the GPs.As long as the other tv deals are in place there isn't too much damage done.Of course as someone else pointed out much more critical would be if speedway in Poland implodes.But we do have promised moves to Finland,the US and possibly Russia.Finland and Russia could be important markets for Monster.Saw some winter sport from Russia recently being sponsored by i guess their own brand of energy drink.There are so many now!!!!And they have a fantastic stadium,lots of fans and money to throw around.Saw a report a few days ago about the winter Olympic facilities being built there. There have been for years a small group predicting the downfall of the GPs and it hasn't happned.Only as recently as a year or two ago some here were saying how stale they were.Now we have a great bunch of youngsters coming through.Like the know has stated maybe some of the presentation needs tuning up,but if they get through the semis and final a bit quicker that would help.I honestly still feel the GPs are moving forward rather than standing still.Slowly,but surely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mickthemuppet Posted February 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 Could it be that anyone(Sky or a.n.other)is willing to go into the season to try and negotiate a rock bottom deal?I mean missing the NZ GP isn't such a big thing for viewing/advertising figures because of the time it is on.They could always show a highlights programme at a later date.But it will make BSI/IMG sweat a bit Some could be jumping to conclusions that it won't be shown somewhere and i still don't think it will have a devastating effect on the GPs.As long as the other tv deals are in place there isn't too much damage done.Of course as someone else pointed out much more critical would be if speedway in Poland implodes.But we do have promised moves to Finland,the US and possibly Russia.Finland and Russia could be important markets for Monster.Saw some winter sport from Russia recently being sponsored by i guess their own brand of energy drink.There are so many now!!!!And they have a fantastic stadium,lots of fans and money to throw around.Saw a report a few days ago about the winter Olympic facilities being built there. There have been for years a small group predicting the downfall of the GPs and it hasn't happned.Only as recently as a year or two ago some here were saying how stale they were.Now we have a great bunch of youngsters coming through.Like the know has stated maybe some of the presentation needs tuning up,but if they get through the semis and final a bit quicker that would help.I honestly still feel the GPs are moving forward rather than standing still.Slowly,but surely Not borne out by viewing figures though is it. The same could be said for attendences at the track either. They have been going done regularly as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 (edited) Not borne out by viewing figures though is it. The same could be said for attendences at the track either. They have been going done regularly as well. Viewing figures?Are you talking overall or just in the UK?As for attendances.Isn't that partly due to dropping/losing a few well supported venues and adding less well supported ones for the time being?Temporary really.If Vojens manages to gain support from the local council and come back then you automatically get an attendance boost again.Like i say if Russia came in then that stadium would be full as well and dropping Italy would give the average attendance another boost.That is one big question mark on the GP series.Why have an Italian GP?I honestly don't know the anwer to that one Edited February 5, 2013 by iris123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grand Central Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 (edited) Could it be that anyone(Sky or a.n.other)is willing to go into the season to try and negotiate a rock bottom deal?I mean missing the NZ GP isn't such a big thing for viewing/advertising figures because of the time it is on.They could always show a highlights programme at a later date.But it will make BSI/IMG sweat a bit This could be a very good negotiating position for Sky to take, I would have thought. The NZ GP is quite dislocated from the European series that starts several weeks later and can only be shown live at an ungodly hour in Europe; so it could be easily missed by Sky and no one in Isleworth would shed a tear. But I bet a deal would be done for the rest of the series at a rock bottom rate then. It would all depend whether there really were any serious rivals willing to pay anything at all. My guess is that the possible alternatives of Eurosport or BT would only be interested in Poundland deal. Edited February 5, 2013 by Grand Central Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Humphrey Appleby Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 (edited) .Like i say if Russia came in then that stadium would be full as well and dropping Italy would give the average attendance another boost. I think Russia is wishful thinking. It's a nightmare to organise anything in Russia without the right fixers, and speedway isn't the World Cup or Champions League. If it was going to happen then I imagine it already would have. Edited February 5, 2013 by Humphrey Appleby Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PHILIPRISING Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 IF BSI were to let SKY have the series at a knockdown rate then as sure as night follows day the TV companies in Denmark, Poland and Sweden would expect the same. A GP in Russia remains very much on the table. IMG have an office in Moscow, which helps, but Togliatti is probably more likely than the Russian capital at this moment in time. Humphrey is right, however, that staging events in Russia is a logistical nightmare although I understand it is getting easier as far as visas, etc, is concerned. Ensuring payment is made might be the biggest concern. The next move outside of continental Europe is most likely the USA. Two stadiums - the Veterans in Long Beach which hosted the 1985 and 1988 World Cup finals and the Home Depot, home to LA Galaxy - have been viewed and are suitable although the cost of putting in a track at the latter (which doesn't have a roof and despite the various songs it does rain in sunny Southern California) is significant. However, there are definite signs of a mini-revival in speedway interest in that neck of the woods, Billy Hamill is doing a great job, Bruce Penhall is being approached to provide some PR and the biggest cheese at Monster Energy is a long-time and huge speedway fan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Science Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 Viewing figures?Are you talking overall or just in the UK?As for attendances.Isn't that partly due to dropping/losing a few well supported venues and adding less well supported ones for the time being?Temporary really.If Vojens manages to gain support from the local council and come back then you automatically get an attendance boost again.Like i say if Russia came in then that stadium would be full as well and dropping Italy would give the average attendance another boost.That is one big question mark on the GP series.Why have an Italian GP?I honestly don't know the anwer to that one There is an Italian GP because they are prepared to pay for it ! if your prepared to put up the readies you can have one where you want ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iris123 Posted February 5, 2013 Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 (edited) There is an Italian GP because they are prepared to pay for it ! if your prepared to put up the readies you can have one where you want ! That is of course true up to a point.That point being you can only host a certain amount of GPs per season.If one or wto of the mooted venues come up with the readies something has to give.I imagine Italy would be high on the list to go But this does point to the GPs being relatively healthy if there is a list of venues wanting to host a GP longer than the calendar can fit into a season Edited February 5, 2013 by iris123 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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