Sky Speedway

[Tom Turner]

There are few people or organizations that bring anything of commercial value to speedway.

 

The support and coverage that Sky offer is unrivaled and does a hell of a lot more good than bad.

 

It really annoys me when people say that is bad, or a bad advert for the sport. Nobody can foresee a result. Nobody could say for sure what way that match would of went. If it could of been foreseen then Sky would of perhaps chosen a different match instead. If Sky can give the sport a bad image just by broadcasting a normal league match that could of gone either way then really it is speedway itself that is doomed to fail and no amount of positive coverage could change that.

 

Have you ever introduced a friend to speedway? If I wanted to bring 4 guys from work to speedway then I'd have to convince them to spend £20 just to get in, not to mention a beer and a burger on top of that. If all 5 of us go then we are looking at £120. For those who have never been to speedway or are already of the opinion that "it's just bike's going round in circles" then that is no easy feat.

 

However, I can spend £20 (the price of my ticket alone) on a crate of beers and enough crisps and burgers for 5 people to relax and watch fantastic coverage of elite league speedway with commentary, multiple camera angles and behind the scenes interviews with the riders and management.

 

Sky Sports is an invaluable tool and is just one of many commercial aspects of speedway that modern day promoters don't respect the value of.

 

Speedway needs a drastic overhaul. It's time promoters stopped resting on their laurels and relying on the older generation of die hard fans to keep them afloat. We NEED to introduce a new era of speedway and come up to date with the times. Modern day technology is advancing at a tremendous rate and speedway is a million miles behind. For example, take a look at the website of recent elite league champions the Poole Pirates (click here). The quality is absolutely disgraceful! The design is terrible and completely out of date, the site is messy and unorganized, the content is boring and dull. It is completely deprived of any interesting and interactive content. This is not a good advert for speedway.

 

Wake up everyone. This is 2013. There are currently 82.7 million mobile phone users in the UK. Currently 60% of these mobile phone users have a phone capable of accessing the internet and by 2017 this will leap to over 80%. 75% of those aged 16 to 34 use the internet on their mobile at least once a day. This is staggering. And yet these opportunities are completely missed by promoters.

 

I have had hundreds of ideas for British speedway. I have ran businesses all my life and I know just how important these things will become to British speedway. The time is now.

 

I have approached every promoter in the UK with presentations on modern day payment solutions and how to utilize the internet and this has fallen on deaf ears with only a few promoters choosing to engage in dialogue. I have been met with great feedback from riders and fans alike, but still no luck.

 

I am confident that the real issues we face are down to the hostility and resistance to change from promoters and fans who do not live in the modern age. I am so confident that I would offer my consultancy services to any promoter free of charge. British speedway is a million miles from the great sport it could easily evolve to become with right insight and direction from younger and market savvy entrepreneurs.

Edited September 3, 2013 by Synikalle

[manchesterpaul]

I too have enjoyed Speedway on SKY for years, and yes, their coverage IS fantastic - I have loved it. So I totally agree with you there.

 

100% agree.

 

sky do a good job but do they really push speedway on their channels. its never advertised .you never see trailers for it .on the other side eurosport look like they have really taken it under their motorsport wing and seem to be really pushing the sport out there to a bigger audience.

 

That's one thing i've touched on multiple times over the years. The only time we've seen it on Sky Sports News is at the very end of the 11pm or later programme where they show about one and a half minutes of the night's televised action. Sadly, no matter how much fantastic racing there may have been during the meeting, it nearly always consists of two items the first being an obligatory crash clip and then the end of the last heat even if it was processional.

 

Having said that i do hope that the excellent improvements we have seen this season indicate we could have coverage next season. The 'inside track' feature is superb and alerts non-speedway viewers that there is a lot more involved than simply going round in a circle for four laps. Also, wonder of wonders i've caught sight of a preview of the night's meeting on Sky Sports News!

 

Premier Sports also heavily promote speedway during breaks with prolonged highlights (not just during a speedway broadcast either) and also include it in their 'coming up on Premier Sports' trailers, not often Sky do that in their trailers.

Edited September 3, 2013 by manchesterpaul

[The White Knight]

There are few people or organizations that bring anything of commercial value to speedway.

 

The support and coverage that Sky offer is unrivaled and does a hell of a lot more good than bad.

 

THAT is an opinion - NOT a fact.

 

I don't agree with you - the Sport has changed out of all recognition since the advent of SKY - and NOT for the better in my humble opinion.

[Tom Turner]

sky do a good job but do they really push speedway on their channels. its never advertised .you never see trailers for it .on the other side eurosport look like they have really taken it under their motorsport wing and seem to be really pushing the sport out there to a bigger audience.

 

It is not Sky's job to promote speedway. It is the job of the promoters. Sky Sports generates it's income from 2 main sources; subscribers and advertising. Sky spend time and money working out just what their subscribers want to watch and until promoters work together to bring speedway into the modern era then the percentage of subscribers interested in speedway will continue to fall. Sky Sports also makes a lot of it's money through advertising. Advertisers are only interested in gaining as much coverage as possible for their money and won't want to invest their money in advertising on lower volume television slots such as speedway.

 

If the viewers aren't watching it then the advertisers won't pay for it. If the advertisers won't pay for it then you no longer have a show.

 

The responsibility does not lie with Sky but with the dire promotion of British speedway in general.

 

THAT is an opinion - NOT a fact.

 

I don't agree with you - the Sport has changed out of all recognition since the advent of SKY - and NOT for the better in my humble opinion.

 

May I ask how old you are if you wouldn't mind telling me? I don't need to know exactly but a rough age range would be most helpful.

Edited September 3, 2013 by Synikalle

[The White Knight]

It is not Sky's job to promote speedway. It is the job of the promoters. Sky Sports generates it's income from 2 main sources; subscribers and advertising. Sky spend time and money working out just what their subscribers want to watch and until promoters work together to bring speedway into the modern era then the percentage of subscribers interested in speedway will continue to fall. Sky Sports also makes a lot of it's money through advertising. Advertisers are only interested in gaining as much coverage as possible for their money and won't want to invest their money in advertising on lower volume television slots such as speedway.

 

If the viewers aren't watching it then the advertisers won't pay for it. If the advertisers won't pay for it then you no longer have a show.

 

The responsibility does not lie with Sky but with the dire promotion of British speedway in general.

 

 

 

May I ask how old you are if you wouldn't mind telling me? I don't need to know exactly but a rough age range would be most helpful.

 

It no doubt will NOT surprise you that I am 68 years old.

 

Now you will tell me I need to move with the times I suppose.

 

Well I have watched Speedway for nearly 50 years (next year). I know what I watched then - and - I know what I watch now. For all the so-called progress in Bikes, Rules/Regulations, Riders etc. the Sport is not a patch on Speedway as I used to view it.

 

Just my opinion of course - BUT - a hell of a lot of people feel the same.

 

Have you looked at crowd levels lately.

Edited September 3, 2013 by The White Knight

[Tom Turner]

It no doubt will NOT surprise you that I am 68 years old.

 

Now you will tell me I need to move with the times I suppose.

 

Well I have watched Speedway for nearly 50 years (next year). I know what I watched then - and - I know what I watch now. For all the so-called progress in Bikes, Rules/Regulations, Riders etc. the Sport is not a patch on Speedway as I used to view it.

 

Just my opinion of course - BUT - a hell of a lot of people feel the same.

 

Have you looked at crowd levels lately.

 

No sir, I would not tell you to move with the times, however you are in the age range I had suspected you were.

 

I in fact have utmost respect for you, and thank you and all other long standing fans unreservedly for your loyal support that has driven speedway for many years and has given me the wonderful opportunity to be a part of it all.

 

It is however inevitable that times will change and promoters will need to evolve with the times to allow the sport to develop and grow once more. Some of the changes you have mentioned to bikes, rules and riders may not have been for the best and these issues are just the kind that would need to be addressed in a complete overhaul of modern day speedway but I don't think much if any of this can be directly attributed to Sky Sports but instead promoters making uninformed decisions in an attempt to save a sport that is heading in the wrong direction.

 

Would I be right in saying you don't own or perhaps make use of an internet enabled mobile phone? I have no gripes with that but it is an accurate statistic that 75% of 16 to 34 year old's do use the internet on their mobile. So why is it that the majority of promoters do not have a modern and mobile friendly website or app? Why are millions of potential viewers being completely excluded? It is no surprise that the majority of attending fans are of an older generation.

 

It may not be your way of life, or a way of life that you are familiar with but for millions it is, and it's not going to go away. This is just one example of speedway failing to move fast enough to keep up with modern times. Until promoters harness the immense power of modern day communication methods then numbers will continue to show a sharp decline as there will be a distinct lack of younger generation fans to replace the existing older generations.

 

I have looked at the crowd levels recently, every week in fact, and I believe the lack of forwarding thinking from promoters of an older and more resistive generation is directly responsible for this.

Edited September 3, 2013 by Synikalle

[SCB]

There are few people or organizations that bring anything of commercial value to speedway.

 

The support and coverage that Sky offer is unrivaled and does a hell of a lot more good than bad.

 

It really annoys me when people say that is bad, or a bad advert for the sport. Nobody can foresee a result. Nobody could say for sure what way that match would of went. If it could of been foreseen then Sky would of perhaps chosen a different match instead. If Sky can give the sport a bad image just by broadcasting a normal league match that could of gone either way then really it is speedway itself that is doomed to fail and no amount of positive coverage could change that.

 

Have you ever introduced a friend to speedway? If I wanted to bring 4 guys from work to speedway then I'd have to convince them to spend £20 just to get in, not to mention a beer and a burger on top of that. If all 5 of us go then we are looking at £120. For those who have never been to speedway or are already of the opinion that "it's just bike's going round in circles" then that is no easy feat.

 

However, I can spend £20 (the price of my ticket alone) on a crate of beers and enough crisps and burgers for 5 people to relax and watch fantastic coverage of elite league speedway with commentary, multiple camera angles and behind the scenes interviews with the riders and management.

 

Sky Sports is an invaluable tool and is just one of many commercial aspects of speedway that modern day promoters don't respect the value of.

 

Speedway needs a drastic overhaul. It's time promoters stopped resting on their laurels and relying on the older generation of die hard fans to keep them afloat. We NEED to introduce a new era of speedway and come up to date with the times. Modern day technology is advancing at a tremendous rate and speedway is a million miles behind. For example, take a look at the website of recent elite league champions the Poole Pirates (click here). The quality is absolutely disgraceful! The design is terrible and completely out of date, the site is messy and unorganized, the content is boring and dull. It is completely deprived of any interesting and interactive content. This is not a good advert for speedway.

 

Wake up everyone. This is 2013. There are currently 82.7 million mobile phone users in the UK. Currently 60% of these mobile phone users have a phone capable of accessing the internet and by 2017 this will leap to over 80%. 75% of those aged 16 to 34 use the internet on their mobile at least once a day. This is staggering. And yet these opportunities are completely missed by promoters.

 

I have had hundreds of ideas for British speedway. I have ran businesses all my life and I know just how important these things will become to British speedway. The time is now.

 

I have approached every promoter in the UK with presentations on modern day payment solutions and how to utilize the internet and this has fallen on deaf ears with only a few promoters choosing to engage in dialogue. I have been met with great feedback from riders and fans alike, but still no luck.

 

I am confident that the real issues we face are down to the hostility and resistance to change from promoters and fans who do not live in the modern age. I am so confident that I would offer my consultancy services to any promoter free of charge. British speedway is a million miles from the great sport it could easily evolve to become with right insight and direction from younger and market savvy entrepreneurs.

You're not meant to quote a whole post like this without adding much but IMO it's that good it's worth repeating.

 

Speedway websites are pretty crap and I don't think any clubs embraces facebook, twitter and all that sort of stuff anywhere near as much as they could and should. Snapchat is the "cool" kids giving you there account for you to spam them! The who concept is you swap photos, well you send them an image of speedway bikes every week to remind them there's a meeting for FFS, it couldn't be easier. Does any club have an official snapchat account? I know a few use twitter and facebook.

 

It's a while since I went searching speedway websites but frankly, most are boring and dated. I thought speedway was fast, loud, wild, high adrenaline?! You'd not know look at most clubs websites.

 

And the sport is made for vine (or whatever the latest video sharing app is now! Even I cant keep up). 10 second videos, that's enough to show a crash, a pass, a wheelie. Use it!!

Edited September 3, 2013 by SCB

[Tom Turner]

You're not meant to quote a whole post like this without adding much but IMO it's that good it's worth repeating.

 

Speedway websites are pretty crap and I don't think any clubs embraces facebook, twitter and all that sort of stuff anywhere near as much as they could and should. Snapchat is the "cool" kids giving you there account for you to spam them! The who concept is you swap photos, well you send them an image of speedway bikes every week to remind them there's a meeting for FFS, it couldn't be easier. Does any club have an official snapchat account? I know a few use twitter and facebook.

 

It's a while since I went searching speedway websites but frankly, most are boring and dated. I thought speedway was fast, loud, wild, high adrenaline?! You'd not know look at most clubs websites.

 

And the sport is made for vine (or whatever the latest video sharing app is now! Even I cant keep up). 10 second videos, that's enough to show a crash, a pass, a wheelie. Use it!!

 

Spot on SCB. That is exactly the kind of thing I am talking about. FREE advertising to the thousands! It sounds too good to be true and I think this is one of the many reasons why it is missed by promoters. Services like Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, vines and more are just waiting to be utilized but as of yet I have not seen a single promoter using these tools properly. A score update on twitter is not nearly enough.

 

It is not a difficult or expensive task. It is so so easy to implement but will never happen for as long as promoters continue to resist and reject modern day options, even when presented to them directly.

 

Has anybody heard of Ken Block? He is a rally car driver from the United States. His videos on YouTube have nearly 300 million views. The reason why is simple, his videos are exciting. They are cool, cutting edge, different and overall simply exciting. When you see it you want to share it! (Just take a look at this one for example:

)

 

I know it is a completely different sport, but it is just an example. It makes you want to SHARE. Speedway is cool! I want to share it with everyone but I don't have anything worth sharing. Short videos just SCB said of a wheelie, a crash, a great overtake would suddenly put speedway on my mind, and could easily be the deciding factor for a fan attending on race night.

 

It's not a temporary change. It needs a determined and committed effort. But I and many other tech savvy fans would happily contribute to this effort. The first step needs to be from the promoters. And I would be happy to work with any promoter who wants to make this happen for their club. These changes need to happen now. It will be much harder to take these initiatives when it is too late and the fans have already disappeared.

Edited September 3, 2013 by Synikalle

[The White Knight]

 

Would I be right in saying you don't own or perhaps make use of an internet enabled mobile phone? I have no gripes with that but it is an accurate statistic that 75% of 16 to 34 year old's do use the internet on their mobile. So why is it that the majority of promoters do not have a modern and mobile friendly website or app? Why are millions of potential viewers being completely excluded? It is no surprise that the majority of attending fans are of an older generation.

 

An EXCELLENT Post Synikalle. :approve:

 

Actually to answer your Mobile 'Phone question. I DO have an Internet enabled 'Phone with which I struggle manfully.

 

In my day 'Phones were just for 'ringing people up'. :blink:

[stratton]

 

 

Spot on SCB. That is exactly the kind of thing I am talking about. FREE advertising to the thousands! It sounds too good to be true and I think this is one of the many reasons why it is missed by promoters. Services like Snapchat, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, vines and more are just waiting to be utilized but as of yet I have not seen a single promoter using these tools properly. A score update on twitter is not nearly enough.

 

It is not a difficult or expensive task. It is so so easy to implement but will never happen for as long as promoters continue to resist and reject modern day options, even when presented to them directly.

 

Has anybody heard of Ken Block? He is a rally car driver from the United States. His videos on YouTube have nearly 300 million views. The reason why is simple, his videos are exciting. They are cool, cutting edge, different and overall simply exciting. When you see it you want to share it! (Just take a look at this one for example:

)

 

I know it is a completely different sport, but it is just an example. It makes you want to SHARE. Speedway is cool! I want to share it with everyone but I don't have anything worth sharing. Short videos just SCB said of a wheelie, a crash, a great overtake would suddenly put speedway on my mind, and could easily be the deciding factor for a fan attending on race night.

 

It's not a temporary change. It needs a determined and committed effort. But I and many other tech savvy fans would happily contribute to this effort. The first step needs to be from the promoters. And I would be happy to work with any promoter who wants to make this happen for their club. These changes need to happen now. It will be much harder to take these initiatives when it is too late and the fans have already disappeared.

No doubt about it this is a great post maybe some promoters might take note.? Edited September 3, 2013 by sidney

[Tom Turner]

No doubt about it this is a great post maybe some promoters might take note.?

 

I am somewhat doubtful that any promoter will take note, but like I have said before (like many fan's I expect) I am more than happy to offer my help free of charge. The sport is in need of an urgent refreshment.

Edited September 4, 2013 by Synikalle

[manchesterpaul]

Premier Sports also heavily promote speedway during breaks with prolonged highlights (not just during a speedway broadcast either) and also include it in their 'coming up on Premier Sports' trailers, not often Sky do that in their trailers.

 

Ok not for September they aren't having just seen their current trailer lol.

[Mad Potter 2]

An EXCELLENT Post Synikalle. :approve:

 

Actually to answer your Mobile 'Phone question. I DO have an Internet enabled 'Phone with which I struggle manfully.

 

In my day 'Phones were just for 'ringing people up'. :blink:

 

So TWK you can look at the Updates to see how your modern team is doing well 2 of your own team + 4 guest + rider replacement. Also if they have had to use the Joker ups sorry Tactical Ride.

[A ORLOV]

So TWK you can look at the Updates to see how your modern team is doing well 2 of your own team + 4 guest + rider replacement. Also if they have had to use the Joker ups sorry Tactical Ride.

Look up updates on it, you are joking. TWK has only just worked out how to use the phone. Same here Ian. I do like the sound of the new ideas for the younger and those older fans who are technically minded, I will continue to use the phone for ringing people up and the computer for the internet . Edited September 3, 2013 by A ORLOV

[Mad Potter 2]

Look up updates on it, you are joking. TWK has only just worked out how to use the phone. Same here Ian. I do like the sound of the new ideas for the younger and those older fans who are technically minded, I will continue to use the phone for ringing people up and the computer for the internet .

 

Only 4 years younger than TWK myself & I use mine most days.

[SteveLyric2]

Shame that all these good modern ideas are on a Sky Speedway thread!!? Certainly worth an eye-catching headline thread of its own!

 

Maybe if Sky are no longer involved it will be easier for clubs to utilise their own footage on social media sites, as I understand the current agreement with Sky does not 'encourage' promoters or fans from using their own 'unofficial' footage either on their own sites or on social media. That's why there are a few 'unofficial' fan sites/forums/podcasts etc around.

 

I'm not saying its right but if its a contractual agreement with the Piper, then its the Piper that gets to play the tune!!

[Tom Turner]

Shame that all these good modern ideas are on a Sky Speedway thread!!? Certainly worth an eye-catching headline thread of its own!

 

Maybe if Sky are no longer involved it will be easier for clubs to utilise their own footage on social media sites, as I understand the current agreement with Sky does not 'encourage' promoters or fans from using their own 'unofficial' footage either on their own sites or on social media. That's why there are a few 'unofficial' fan sites/forums/podcasts etc around.

 

I'm not saying its right but if its a contractual agreement with the Piper, then its the Piper that gets to play the tune!!

 

What is a good way of getting attention from promoters? Is there any channels for feedback?

[The White Knight]

What is a good way of getting attention from promoters? Is there any channels for feedback?

 

Yes - go up and have a word. That is the only Feedback channel of which I am aware.

[manchesterpaul]

It is not Sky's job to promote speedway.

 

Just touching on that particular point, it is their job to promote the programmes that they show, and they do indeed heavily promote most of their sports with trailers and pre and post event coverage on Sky Sports News. Speedway has always seemed to be an invisible dirty kept secret to their promotional team lol. Yet if has frequently occupied a slot in their main sports live sports channel during the prime time viewing hours which makes it a very strange state of affairs.

 

It's like the impenetrable fortress that the newspaper sports editors had even when speedway was drawing great crowds and outdrawing their local football teams in some places, speedway had practically zero coverage and it was very hard to find results. Don't know if the results issue has changed as i haven't bought a printed newspaper for many years.

[The White Knight]

Just touching on that particular point, it is their job to promote the programmes that they show, and they do indeed heavily promote most of their sports with trailers and pre and post event coverage on Sky Sports News. Speedway has always seemed to be an invisible dirty kept secret to their promotional team lol. Yet if has frequently occupied a slot in their main sports live sports channel during the prime time viewing hours which makes it a very strange state of affairs.

 

It's like the impenetrable fortress that the newspaper sports editors had even when speedway was drawing great crowds and outdrawing their local football teams in some places, speedway had practically zero coverage and it was very hard to find results. Don't know if the results issue has changed as i haven't bought a printed newspaper for many years.

 

It hasn't.

 

I have written to my Daily Paper (the 'i') a couple of times requesting thay they put Speedway in the Results Section. No joy at the moment I'm afraid.