Bt Sport Coverage

[g13webb]

I had the opportunity to have a good catch up with some former colleagues yesterday after a trade event at the Oval in London they gave me the latest as far they are aware from the BT side.

 

Deal has been offered to BSPA which is that BT will cover all production costs and each staging club will get a £3000 meeting fee.

 

In return BT want minimum of 7 GP riders in the league, a minimum of 10 meetings to televise, All TV meetings apart from finals to be £10 or complimentary and full co operation of all clubs with regards to fixtures so the best meetings can be broadcast.

 

Now some promotors are refusing to sign the deal as they feel they are being undervalued and that they are looking for more money per meeting and want some payment towards rights.

 

It has to be all clubs or none that's the deal I just hope the No brigade can be convinced soon to save the deal.

 

Whilst it is imperative that we get TV covering our sport, I can understand why the BSPA are questioning BT's offer. (assuming the above is correct). It would appear from the conditions, that BT have issued, the SGP riders are more important than the sport itself. The negotiators, in stipulating, a minimum of 7 GP riders, obviously believe the sport is only worth watching when these top riders are involved, and therefore have scant regard for the basic excitement, for what the sport is all about.

 

I am pleased the BSPA haven't sold this sport down the river. It appears the BT want to pull all the strings with little or no cost to themselves. Apart from the GP riders, they are dictating the admission costs, with little regard for problems this would create for the Promoter, They will be picking their meetings to broadcast, and all for a measly £3k a time.

 

No, we want a TV contract that will benefit the sport, One that would give vital opportunity for non- followers to watch, hoping it generates an interest. One that would get more Sponsors on board giving them more air time, One that would work with our sport to make it great again.. What we don't want is a contract that is all take and no give.....

[mikebv]

Agree with the sentiments GRW, but unfortunately 'Beggers cannot be chooses'...

 

You get to advertise yourself on TV and get paid for the privilege, even if its considered a meagre amount by those who feel they are worth more than that...

 

British Speedway sadly now finds itself exactly where the last 20 years or so 'head in the sand' operating models and buisness plans have led it to be...

 

This is a Sport don't forget that has to try and negotiate TV deals with an operating model not even ratified until an AGM!

 

What sort of negotiation starting point is that with a potential client in business? What can you bring to the table when you basically have no details of what you can provide for your investors?

 

Imagine dealing with British Speedway after being used to doing TV deals with the Premier League, Uefa, The RFU and the TCCB?.

 

Amazed BT have offered so much.....😩

Edited December 1, 2017 by mikebv

[Haza]

Personally I think BT need speedway as the summer live sports schedule is very weak .

[dontforgetthefueltapsbruv]

The TV deal itself seems as good as you will get to me.

 

What is really needed now is to secure a coverage sponsor that would bridge any financial gap.

[ouch]

Who are the 7 GP riders?

[racers and royals]

Who are the 7 GP riders?

Cook,Harris, Nicholls,Holder,Batchelor,Bjerre,Andersen.

[hyderd]

My minimum 7 GP riders are.The top 5 should be nailed on with Vaculik already putting pen to paper, fixed nights is already done,scraping the 9 point rule will help entice the final 2 riders

J Doyle, he is a priority

F Lindgren

C Cook

C Holder

M Vaculik

M Zagar (Possible)

M Janowski,(can M Ford tempt him)

[Pirates Of Poole]

Magic is a no go because of rules at Poole.

[hyderd]

Magic is a no go because of rules at Poole.

What rules at Poole.

[Steve Shovlar]

What rules at Poole.

Think what POP meant was we already have a one over 8 rider so therefore all the negotiations were a waste of time.

[hyderd]

Think what POP meant was we already have a one over 8 rider so therefore all the negotiations were a waste of time.

 

I mentioned MJ without knowing his last UK average, as that is the average we should be using if we are to move forward in getting GP rider back.

[flagrag]

It has to remembered that BT are not doing this for nothing they are offering to cover all the production costs which will be over 18k a meeting and BT are keen to assist BSPA getting sponsorship so have offered to allow centre green ads like Poland and give promotions list of regular advertisers during speedway broadcasts.

 

In my personal opinion British Speedway is lucky this deal is on the table as they could be like some sports like Netball,Rowing, and Greyhounds that pay the broadcaster to show their sport

[Steve Shovlar]

Greyhounds would not exist but for gambling. Its not really a sport. No one goes along to support a dog.

 

Netball is no more than a jolly school sportfor girls and again rowing nothing more than an elite sport which only has passing interest when the olympics take place.

 

Speedway for all its sins has a proper league structure snd a fanbase. It has clubs which are connected to towns.

 

The bspa are right to ask for more than 3k. The 18k it costs to broadcast is irrelevant. Bt need live sports and a repeat of the 1993 cricket Gillette cup semi final will hardly have good viewing figures.

 

3k is seriously a joke of an offer and an insult. I spend that on my business almost daily.

Edited December 1, 2017 by Steve Shovlar

[MattK]

3k is seriously a joke of an offer and an insult. I spend that on my business almost daily.

 

£3,000 does seem less than what it would cost clubs to offer £10 entry.

[Haza]

Greyhounds would not exist but for gambling. Its not really a sport. No one goes along to support a dog.

 

Netball is no more than a jolly school sportfor girls and again rowing nothing more than an elite sport which only has passing interest when the olympics take place.

 

Speedway for all its sins has a proper league structure snd a fanbase. It has clubs which are connected to towns.

 

The bspa are right to ask for more than 3k. The 18k it costs to broadcast is irrelevant. Bt need live sports and a repeat of the 1993 cricket Gillette cup semi final will hardly have good viewing figures.

 

3k is seriously a joke of an offer and an insult. I spend that on my business almost daily.

I agree with what you say there summer schedule is very poor once the football and rugby seasons end there is endless repeats of past football world cups past Euro Championship- they certainly havent enough sports for 3 channels let alone live sport - BT needs Speedway I think as one of its few live sports in the summer .

[stevebrum]

My minimum 7 GP riders are.The top 5 should be nailed on with Vaculik already putting pen to paper, fixed nights is already done,scraping the 9 point rule will help entice the final 2 riders

J Doyle, he is a priority

F Lindgren

C Cook

C Holder

M Vaculik

M Zagar (Possible)

M Janowski,(can M Ford tempt him)

Zagar unlikely because of the Polish rule and 9 point reassessment.

Janowski is a no go now that Brady has signed.

[A ORLOV]

 

£3,000 does seem less than what it would cost clubs to offer £10 entry.

Agreed, nor does it cover the other requirements of BT.

It is likely that it does not cover the number who would stay at home and watch the meeting on tv.

If the need for GP riders are part of the deal, what are they going to cost the clubs, bearing in mind any GP rider will want paying all season and not just for one meeting.

So £3000 does not cover the club costs.

Now that the bspa have stipulated only one rider over an average of 8, they have killed the inclusion of GP riders

[Grand Central]

All the arguments in favour of ANY deal to get the sport on TV are as valid as always, especially for the long term position of the sport ...

 

BUT

 

The specific terms set out by BT look as if they are just impossible for any promoter to sign up for when they considered their costs for 2018.

 

No one can realistically expect them to be able to deliver on a guaranteed 7 GP men.

The costs would be immensely greater than anything that could be recouped from sponsorship or gate receipts.

 

£3000 would not come close to the costs of putting on a TV meeting AND reducing admission to £10.

Especially when you were committed in the contract to giving all the 'plum' meetings to that arrangement.

 

I have always thought, and said here, that BT would be able to offer a poor 'take it or leave it' deal.

Which they so definitely have.

And I had been of the opinion that 'taking it' would turn out to be the correct move

 

But if Flagrag is correct with the extra commitments being demanded of the promoters.

They are just asking the impossible.

 

So 'leaving it' will be the only POSSIBLE decision the Promoters can make,

I don't think BT have left them with much choice, I'm afraid.

Edited December 1, 2017 by Grand Central

[hyderd]

Zagar unlikely because of the Polish rule and 9 point reassessment.

Janowski is a no go now that Brady has signed.

care to put your 7 together without getting shut of the reassessed averages, I have already stated I didn't know what MJ last UK average was

[Hamish McRaker]

Is BT serious? It makes you wonder if anyone doing the negotiations on their side has a clue about Speedway.

So would they, for example, be happy with 7 GP riders plus 49 NL/development level riders making up the teams?

Its sounding like the Brexit negotiations. If both sides can drop their silly games, and that means the BSPA stop persecuting GP riders, they could have a chance.

Somebody has said it's a team sport. Well, it's now up to the BSPA to go out and win a main sponsor to bring in the finance. BT would be providing the advertising space. But it doesn't help their cause by pratting about with rules like the 1 over 8 and now this business about assessed averages.