Bt Sport Coverage

[Triple.H.]

I think a way of improving the coverage would be for videos of various races/incidents that have been filmed by the various tracks video teams to be used. The videos that are posted on the BSPA site all seem to be of decent quality.

Every televised meeting have a round up of the previous weeks meetings. Also for the casual viewer who's just channel hopping they may see action from a track close to them that they didn't know existed and pop along to a meeting.

[RobMcCaffery]

shame really they are actually a sports channel seemingly on the cheap ?

Far from it. In the sports that they have contracts for they certainly don't skimp - hiring Gary Lineker to front their Champions' League football coverage is far from a cheap option and there is certainly no skimping on the coverage of rugby or other sports.

 

The difference with speedway is that they seem not to hold the contract and are actually helping speedway out by televising the matches that Sky have already paid for in their contract but don't want to incur the actual additional costs of actually televising them.

 

So, the last-minute speedway 'stand-in' role this season has naturally seen them cut costs to the bone. Hopefully after this test season what they have seen and themselves achieved with limited resources will encourage them to take on the contract for themselves and make a firm financial commitment in future years, at least in terms of coverage costs. I suspect the 'facilities fee' and sponsorship gravy train of the peak Sky days has long derailed for the sport.

 

Don't fall for Sky's propaganda about the 'inadequacies' of BT's coverage of sport - it gets everywhere, and they are clearly running scared of BT.

 

As for Monday's second match, the chances of it being an entertaining, close contest are pretty slim so it's surely wiser to avoid all the overtime costs and just be satisfied with what should be a great first match rather than pay a crew to cover a run of 5-1s between 10 pm and 11 and spoil the memory of the earlier match and those in the series?

 

When you take an objective view of the matches shown on BT so far the sport's managed to behave itself with minimal guests and r/r and matches staged in front of reasonable crowds. I think it's come over well with the disasters thankfully happening well away from the cameras. In fact a casual BT viewer would probably be shocked to see the view of a sport on its deathbed given by the sport's supposed supporters in this forum.

Edited September 3, 2017 by Rob McCaffery

[Theboss]

NINETY-nine per cent likely that there will be no TV money. The best the BSPA can hope for is that BT pay the production costs.

This is surely going to be the key focus in this year's AGM. Talking about fixed race nights is irrelevant as British clubs will not be able to afford any top riders.

 

I would imagine a cap of £70 per point will need to be introduced to try and reduce the risk of clubs going bust mid season. At £70 per point you then have to wonder how many riders will be willing to ride so I would not be surprised to see a shortage of riders.

 

Do you agree that the sport has huge hurdles to overcome if their is no TV money or am I missing something?

[Triple.H.]

I'm going to put my head above the parapet and no doubt get a verbal lynching by many here.

But I think you would be pretty much a perfect fit as an independent top man at the BSPA.

You tried to drag the mostly fuddy-duddies into the modern era and seemed to upset them. The sport is in this country now at a major crossroads and your ideas and input could be it's saviour.

[Baldyman]

From what I've always read, JC talks perfect sense.

[PHILIPRISING]

This is surely going to be the key focus in this year's AGM. Talking about fixed race nights is irrelevant as British clubs will not be able to afford any top riders.

 

I would imagine a cap of £70 per point will need to be introduced to try and reduce the risk of clubs going bust mid season. At £70 per point you then have to wonder how many riders will be willing to ride so I would not be surprised to see a shortage of riders.

 

Do you agree that the sport has huge hurdles to overcome if their is no TV money or am I missing something?

I DO agree to a certain extent ... 10 of the 18 tracks had no TV money anyway. And, as previously stated, the theory behind the fixed race-nights has more to do with unscrambling some of the doubling up clashes than attracting any top riders here.

[Theboss]

I DO agree to a certain extent ... 10 of the 18 tracks had no TV money anyway. And, as previously stated, the theory behind the fixed race-nights has more to do with unscrambling some of the doubling up clashes than attracting any top riders here.

Not correct that 10 clubs have had no money because last I knew they all got a share of the TV money all be it not as large?

 

Also what is the point of unscrambling the problems with double up riders if clubs can not afford to employ top riders.So for example Swindon with no Doyle would be a championship team, so what would then be the difference between them and a championship team? Surely that would mean one league would make more sense.... However we know that can not work because we don't have access to enough riders right?

 

I believe no one, including yourself and your publication, is taking a helicopter view of the problems ahead without Sky TV money and what really needs to be done to rebuild a sport which can thrive in the long term future.

Edited September 3, 2017 by jchapman

[PHILIPRISING]

Not correct that 10 clubs have had no money because last I knew they all got a share of the TV money all be it not as large?

 

Also what is the point of unscrambling the problems with double up riders if clubs can not afford to employ top riders.So for example Swindon with no Doyle would be a championship team, so what would then be the difference between them and a championship team? Surely that would mean one league would make more sense.... However we know that can not work because we don't have access to enough riders right?

 

I believe no one, including yourself and your publication, is taking a helicopter view of the problems ahead without Sky TV money and what really needs to be done to rebuild a sport which can thrive in the long term future.

SWINDON might not be anything different than a championship team without Doyle but several of their riders race in the championship and are not always available when either club needs them.

 

You may know than me about the Sky pay-off but if it was split 18 ways out wouldn't amount to a whole lot of beans.

[Haza]

Not correct that 10 clubs have had no money because last I knew they all got a share of the TV money all be it not as large?

Also what is the point of unscrambling the problems with double up riders if clubs can not afford to employ top riders.So for example Swindon with no Doyle would be a championship team, so what would then be the difference between them and a championship team? Surely that would mean one league would make more sense.... However we know that can not work because we don't have access to enough riders right?

I believe no one, including yourself and your publication, is taking a helicopter view of the problems ahead without Sky TV money and what really needs to be done to rebuild a sport which can thrive in the long term future.

how would one league work surely there isn't enough riders for 7 man teams also it would mean less meetings for the riders that now D up wouldn't they be crying they are not getting enough meeting and not earning enough money . One things for sure speedway isn't going to carry on the way it is and it needs someone with some radical ideas to think out side the box I and many more would love to see you back involved again if not at KL but working on ideas for the future of our sport -

[ray c]

I think bt has done a pretty good job this season and with natalie fronting it its been a bonus

[waytogo28]

I'm going to put my head above the parapet and no doubt get a verbal lynching by many here.

But I think you would be pretty much a perfect fit as an independent top man at the BSPA.

You tried to drag the mostly fuddy-duddies into the modern era and seemed to upset them. The sport is in this country now at a major crossroads and your ideas and input could be it's saviour.

Sadly the faddy duddies continue to run the sport and their head in the sand approach to what fans want, need and expect will take more than even someone as up to date and competent as jchapman to turn it around or make significant progress.

[Barrow Boy 2]

how would one league work surely there isn't enough riders for 7 man teams also it would mean less meetings for the riders that now D up wouldn't they be crying they are not getting enough meeting and not earning enough money . One things for sure speedway isn't going to carry on the way it is and it needs someone with some radical ideas to think out side the box I and many more would love to see you back involved again if not at KL but working on ideas for the future of our sport -

 

As I've said before. There are enough riders to fill say 18 teams if the better BNL riders are used. Yes, the overall team strengths would be reduced but it would be the same for all. We could then do without Double Uppers & Double Downers. Another possible solution to any rider shortage would be to allow each team to use 6 riders and operate RR on 4 occasions per match by using any 4 different riders to take the rides.

[A ORLOV]

 

As I've said before. There are enough riders to fill say 18 teams if the better BNL riders are used. Yes, the overall team strengths would be reduced but it would be the same for all. We could then do without Double Uppers & Double Downers. Another possible solution to any rider shortage would be to allow each team to use 6 riders and operate RR on 4 occasions per match by using any 4 different riders to take the rides.

Any solution can be dreamt up but when you have the combined brainpower of the bspa do not expect them to come up with a workable solution.

[spanner47]

Sorry if this has been mentioned earlier, but I've brought it up on various threads and never got an answer.

If you google "Sky TV deal" it states a 5 year deal signed in 2014, this would mean the clubs still have got one more year of the cash to come, or was there a clause that they could bail out after 4 years?

[A ORLOV]

Sorry if this has been mentioned earlier, but I've brought it up on various threads and never got an answer.

If you google "Sky TV deal" it states a 5 year deal signed in 2014, this would mean the clubs still have got one more year of the cash to come, or was there a clause that they could bail out after 4 years?

It appears that they have paid BT or someone the contracted money and BT have picked up the broadcasting rights this year who pay the filming and broadcasting costs, not sure about 2018.

[PHILIPRISING]

It appears that they have paid BT or someone the contracted money and BT have picked up the broadcasting rights this year who pay the filming and broadcasting costs, not sure about 2018.

SKY paid the BSPA to cut short their contract. The BSPA to the best of my knowledge have part-funded BT's production costs this year. The best the BSPA can hope for in 2018 is for BT to pay the production costs in full.

[A ORLOV]

SKY paid the BSPA to cut short their contract. The BSPA to the best of my knowledge have part-funded BT's production costs this year. The best the BSPA can hope for in 2018 is for BT to pay the production costs in full.

Is that because the bspa have not planned ahead and have spent all the money. No wonder they can afford having their conference abroad again this year, this lot could not run a p#ss up in a brewery.

[PHILIPRISING]

Is that because the bspa have not planned ahead and have spent all the money. No wonder they can afford having their conference abroad again this year, this lot could not run a p#ss up in a brewery.

THE BSPA divvy the money up between the tracks and they spend it on riders' wages ... just like Premiership football only on a much, much smaller scale.

[KIRKYLANE]

Well if btsports aren't willing to pay for the production costs next year it looks like goodbye league speedway on tv

[spanner47]

This is the problem when the sport is run by those who were going to gain out of the deal.

Other sports that got TV deals spent some of the money on improving their product, and insisted that some of the money given to the clubs had to be spent on youth development and stadia improvements.

Such a shame that most of the money ended up in the bank accounts of foreign riders and some of it wasn't put aside to help our youngsters improve, as we witnessed over the weekend, our boys need some help.

Edited September 4, 2017 by spanner47