IndyCar suffering through slumping TV ratings

[Turn13]

We've plowed that ground over and over and over and over again, haven't we?

You brought it up.

What would be a "compelling technical package", in your view? How would you arrange for that? What would it cost? How do you know that would make a difference?

How would you go about screening drivers for "a little personality"?

What would you change about the marketing effort? What does it consist of now? What does that cost? What would your improvements cost? How do you know they would work?

Some just would rather not hear it and instead insist that all is well.

Really? See a lot of that here, do ya?

Obviously, by my questions, I want to hear all about it from you. Let's not worry about what others think

I'm always intrigued because we get so many "experts" who complain but can never back it up. I'm hoping you're different.

[HunterG]

I doubt very many people even subscribe to the NBC Sports Channel.

[use2know]

I doubt very many people even subscribe to the NBC Sports Channel.

Over 79 million households do...

[ghost]

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/0...ng-tv-ratings/

What's it going to take? We know that the racing has been good.

I think it's more ovals, and more of a mix of qualified American short track talent.

What do you think? Is it just a lack of promotion on NBC Sports part? I think the quality of their coverage has been very good

[pb]

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/0...ng-tv-ratings/

What's it going to take? We know that the racing has been good.

I think it's more ovals, and more of a mix of qualified American short track talent.

What do you think? Is it just a lack of promotion on NBC Sports part? I think the quality of their coverage has been very good

What I'd like to see is more ovals. What makes sense is, unfortunately, chasing a sanctioning fee check as we're seeing presently. In spite of that, the last two races have been very good and I'm thinking this should be quite an interesting season.

I don't watch NBC Sports during racing season except for Indycar so I can't really speak to whether or not they're promoting enough but I have the nagging thought in the back of my mind that the problem isn't the promotion or the drivers or the tracks. It's a little of all of the above with a heaping helping of folks just not caring anymore.

I guess I've moved through the denial, anger, bargaining and depression stages. Perhaps I'm ready for acceptance of the sport as it is in 2012.

[KevinOneel]

What's it going to take?

1. Time. We're still only a handful of years out of the split. We're in the third year of Randy Bernard's leadership. We're still under a crapball of a TV contract.
2. Exposure. We're starting to get more sponsors running national campaigns. It's going to take more consumer sponsors and less B2B sponsors, as has been prevalent in the IICS.
3. Circumstance. Something positive has to happen in a race to draw interest.... It needs to be something like Simona breaking through and getting a win. Graham or Marco winning a thriller at Indy. A prime time night race on a broadcast network with a thrilling finish.

More ovals would be nice, but unfortunately, circumstance doesn't allow it right now. Someone's got to come up with a way to make money on ovals. Personally, I think the one-day-show is the way to go.

As for American short track talent.... I don't think that bares any weight. I follow IICS just about as closely as anyone can, and I can barely name 5 USAC drivers. I can pretty much tell you people aren't familiar with USAC at all.

I do think one thing that would help Indycar is to have less of an Indy-centric view. That's one thing they could learn from NASCAR. Wanna be a national series? Act like it. Don't lose the importance of your biggest race, but back up that all the other races are just as important.

[Turn13]

It's going to take a lot more fans endorsing the product and a lot fewer dissing it.

[pb]

I've endorsed it to everyone I know who will listen. Every time I've gotten someone who isn't a fan to watch it ends up being a show like the last time they ran at Richmond. What can you do?

[Turn13]

Persist.

[pb]

Persist.

Well, yes. Of course I meant it rhetorically. I'd be a really cruddy evangelist.

It's a lot harder to sell someone on the product on TV in 2012 than it may have been years ago, I think. If there were a race closer to home I know once I got them to the track to experience it live I could close the sale. Anyway, I keep on watching and keep on buying a ticket for the race closest to me.

[numetalbizkit]

And yet their NHL coverage continues to show substaintial growth...

The numbers, as in the actual numbers, approach 1.0 at most. Last years best ratings on Versus were close the average of the regular season NHL games.

I wonder now many folks see the "NBC" part (as in the newspaper sports page listing of the day's sports on tv)
turn on NBC, and never find the racing?

I've considered this too. I think this channel is too obscure and out in the middle of nowhere in programming. I have DirecTV, and in the 590s, it's porn, 603 is NBCSN, and around it are FuelTV, Speed, and the Golf Channel. All niche channels with close to the same ratings as NBCSN relatively speaking. I know some here have other vendors, but relatively speaking, it's something like that on most providers...

[1978]

I know some of you here have an issue with the author of this article but Jenna was hammering NBC on Twitter all weekend about it's lack of promoting Indycar.

[FlatOut]

The numbers, as in the actual numbers, approach 1.0 at most. Last years best ratings on Versus were close the average of the regular season NHL games.

So your saying they get higher ratings on cable compared to what IC can do on Network/ABC....

I've considered this too. I think this channel is too obscure and out in the middle of nowhere in programming. I have DirecTV, and in the 590s, it's porn, 603 is NBCSN, and around it are FuelTV, Speed, and the Golf Channel. All niche channels with close to the same ratings as NBCSN relatively speaking. I know some here have other vendors, but relatively speaking, it's something like that on most providers...

Another excuse. NBCSN is in the 30's here. GA,Supercross and Nationwide are all up in ratings compared to last year on SPEED, ratings for IC are %25 less then last year.

"If you build it, they will come." If anyone wants to find what they are looking for - Nascar, Football, Supercross etc, they'll find it. -%25 aren't bother looking for Indycar this year.

[numetalbizkit]

So your saying they get higher ratings on cable compared to what IC can do on Network/ABC....

I said approaching, meaning .8-.9. IndyCar averages 1.0 on its non Indy races on ABC. They are close, sure, but not higher.

Another excuse. NBCSN is in the 30's here. GA,Supercross and Nationwide are all up in ratings compared to last year on SPEED, ratings for IC are %25 less then last year.

"If you build it, they will come." If anyone wants to find what they are looking for - Nascar, Football, Supercross etc, they'll find it. -%25 aren't bother looking for Indycar this year.

I don't know who your provider is, but it's the same on Dish and Time Warner, as in, it's in the middle of nowhere.

And you're partially saying the entire problem, IndyCar is not as large as any of those sports in mention. It has to expose itself. If I walked around my town and polled 100 people, I'd be lucky to have 10 say they know what IndyCar is. Sad, but true fact. I'm not saying it's all promotion, but it's part product and part promotion that has the series where its it.

[pb]

nmb, this means no pre-IICS yell practice?

[numetalbizkit]

nmb, this means no pre-IICS yell practice?

Hehe, Muster is this week...no need.

[DamonG19]

3. Circumstance. Something positive has to happen in a race to draw interest.... It needs to be something like Simona breaking through and getting a win. Graham or Marco winning a thriller at Indy. A prime time night race on a broadcast network with a thrilling finish.

That happened in 2008 with Graham becoming the youngest driver to win an Indycar race and appearing on Letterman, then Danica becoming the first woman to win an Indycar race, she also made the late night TV rounds that next week (including Letterman) and ultimately wound up on the cover of SI two weeks before the Indy 500.

An interesting Indy 500 (Marco finished 3rd) saw ratings go up 7% and viewership 13% from the 2007 race, then Marco/Graham starting on the front row at Milwaukee the week after Indy and 9 of the first 12 races in 2008 seeing viewership increases from 2007.......what else could you ask for?



http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/D...ification&sc=0

The first IndyCar Series season following the IRL/Champ Car unification saw gains in viewership across ABC/ESPN/ESPN2. For 18 races this season, which includes former Champ Car races at Long Beach and Edmonton, the series averaged 1.6 million viewers across the three Disney-owned nets, up 19.1% from last season when IndyCar averaged 1.4 million viewers for 17 races on the three nets

[Doyouloveit?]

I've endorsed it to everyone I know who will listen. Every time I've gotten someone who isn't a fan to watch it ends up being a show like the last time they ran at Richmond. What can you do?

Every single race can't be the best race ever, some races are just plain boring. Do you think if a NASCAR fan brought over first timers to watch the NASCAR race Saturday @ Texas they would've become new fans? Hell no. That race was an absolute bore.

Every new race fan that I've got hooked on Indycar racing has started at one place.....16th and Georgetown.

[skypigeon]

We can't force people to like it.

We can only like it ourselves and let people see that.

Eventually they'll get curious why we like it so much, check it out, and maybe like it too.

We don't have to be pollyannas, but we DO have to stop talking like it's a lost cause.

If FANS talk like their sport is a lost cause, then as far as everyone else is concerned, they're right.

It's not quantum mechanics, folks.

[Todd Gack]

We can't force people to like it.

Which has been the IC mantra for how long now?

[MoparsRule]

HaHa!! Tells me all I need to know.

[ForzaFerrari]

The numbers, as in the actual numbers, approach 1.0 at most. Last years best ratings on Versus were close the average of the regular season NHL games.

I've considered this too. I think this channel is too obscure and out in the middle of nowhere in programming. I have DirecTV, and in the 590s, it's porn, 603 is NBCSN, and around it are FuelTV, Speed, and the Golf Channel. All niche channels with close to the same ratings as NBCSN relatively speaking. I know some here have other vendors, but relatively speaking, it's something like that on most providers...

To be honest, I don't know how Americans find anything on their cable boxes. I know I couldn't the last time I was there.

We use the same system as Sky in the UK. You press a button and a menu comes up with all the different categories:



Click on one and then all the channels under that category show up. So as sport is number 5, all the sport channels will be 501, 502, 503, etc, etc. Movies are 401, 402, etc. Entertainment are 101, 102, etc.

I remember trying to watch something last year in the US. No submenus or categories, and just one massive list of channels that all seem to be in random order. Unless you could memorise your favourite channels I don't see how you could know what is going on.

I like being able to just click on SPORT and be able to see all the channels, no matter how new, what is on now and what is on next.

[numetalbizkit]

We use the same system as Sky in the UK. You press a button and a menu comes up with all the different categories:

Click on one and then all the channels under that category show up. So as sport is number 5, all the sport channels will be 501, 502, 503, etc, etc. Movies are 401, 402, etc. Entertainment are 101, 102, etc.

I remember trying to watch something last year in the US. No submenus or categories, and just one massive list of channels that all seem to be in random order. Unless you could memorise your favourite channels I don't see how you could know what is going on.

I like being able to just click on SPORT and be able to see all the channels, no matter how new, what is on now and what is on next.

That would be so useful and helpful, but yes, exactly, it's a bunch of random stuff. The channels are vaguely ordered by content on DirecTV. Our ratings are partially as bad as they are because of where the channel is and it's viewership count, regardless of what anybody else says on here. NBCSN is completely unknown basically at this point.

[TimmyZ1]

We can't force people to like it.

We can only like it ourselves and let people see that.

Eventually they'll get curious why we like it so much, check it out, and maybe like it too.

We don't have to be pollyannas, but we DO have to stop talking like it's a lost cause.

If FANS talk like their sport is a lost cause, then as far as everyone else is concerned, they're right.

It's not quantum mechanics, folks.

What's it going to take?

1. Time. We're still only a handful of years out of the split. We're in the third year of Randy Bernard's leadership. We're still under a crapball of a TV contract.
2. Exposure. We're starting to get more sponsors running national campaigns. It's going to take more consumer sponsors and less B2B sponsors, as has been prevalent in the IICS.
3. Circumstance. Something positive has to happen in a race to draw interest.... It needs to be something like Simona breaking through and getting a win. Graham or Marco winning a thriller at Indy. A prime time night race on a broadcast network with a thrilling finish.

More ovals would be nice, but unfortunately, circumstance doesn't allow it right now. Someone's got to come up with a way to make money on ovals. Personally, I think the one-day-show is the way to go.

As for American short track talent.... I don't think that bares any weight. I follow IICS just about as closely as anyone can, and I can barely name 5 USAC drivers. I can pretty much tell you people aren't familiar with USAC at all.

I do think one thing that would help Indycar is to have less of an Indy-centric view. That's one thing they could learn from NASCAR. Wanna be a national series? Act like it. Don't lose the importance of your biggest race, but back up that all the other races are just as important.

+1 and +1 Excellent right on the money comments.

[Rossfeld]

If you are selling a product at a cost far above its market value, which is the easier number to change; the cost or the value?

[red5champ]

I think the best thing you can do is go ask all the fans that used to pack Indy on pole day, pack Michigan for the Marlboro/us 500, you know those races well into the split still had high attendances on the ovals, so where have these fans gone and why indy car no longer interests them. You only have to look at the IRL in the early '00s, they had good attendances at some races such as Kansas, Texas etc.

Now as one of those fans as most of us are that followed before, during and after the split we know how we feel.

Before the split I loved the product. I loved the fact it was mainly all American, we had the legends such as the Andrettis, Al Unser Jr, Rahal etc. I loved Indianapolis. I loved the short ovals such as Pheonix, Milwaukee, Loudon, Nazareth. I loved the superspeedway and racing at Michigan. I loved the street circuits such as Long Beach and Toronto and the best road courses in the US such as Road America, Mid-ohio and Laguna Seca.

As CART started to grow in all areas from chassis rivalry; from 2 up to 5. With it's engine war between Ford, Honda and Merecdes being very close. The big bucks came in and so did the speed. I think CARTs biggest attributes were also its bigger flaws. The cars after the split were getting much faster due to this competitive and exciting war. And as part of this so came the european drivers.

Now in 1996 it was still the same for me we just didn't have Indianapolis. 1997 They couldn't use the name Indycars but the season was very competitive and I loved seeing the stars such as Zanardi, Moore and Blundell this kept me there...... but I was like; really, is there another year we're not at Indy? and the IRL has just got its new cars, how long is this going to go on for...

1998 the cars got more faster, the field got more international and we had a new race in Japan. But more importantly the series name became the Fed Ex championship series, and cars known as Championship cars. Hell the series in my mind was the most competitive in 1998 with all its drivers & entries. But the point is the series was now losing it idenitity and although the fans were still turning up and filling the stand, but since 1997 the tv ratings were going down.

I think by then CART had started to become irrelevant, and a Formula 1 type rival series based in the states and no longer 'the Indy car championship'.

CART grew further but by 2000 I think the series then felt the effects of not being at Indy as the sponsors went so did the engines, teams and then the drivers and I think by then the fans, other than motorsport fans were all gone.

For me the series was starting to lose its identity before the split, the split and TG just helped it.

Now if you look at the championship today its virtually the same. Now the field is extremely competitive, but mainly international. It maybe called Indy cars, just 1 series and race at Indy and everywhere but its left with the remains of what CART/IRL had and unfortunately they were both failed products and its going to take atleast 10 years IMO before a new identity can be there.

RB is doing well but its a long and painfull task that I hope he can do.

TG had the right idea by creating a series that was more affordable and more basic like what we had seen up untill the mid '90s to some extent but went about it the wrong way big time.

Get all these new Americans in race seats, stay in North America, make the these short ovals work, and build from there.

[skypigeon]

red5champ--thanks for that sane post.

[red5champ]

thanks man, respect that coming from a long standing member. Was just thinking the other day among what the series became and how to try and get these terrible tv ratings on the up as the racing is exciting with the new car and engines.

I think you only have to look at NASCAR as every race is a big event. Las Vegas 2011 had that feel to it and I must admit leading up to the race I hadn't felt that way about a indy car race since the '90s.

Danica winning more would have helped and the young American drivers that aren't winning enough and then becoming new stars and house hold names like they were in the '80s would also help.

But this is going to take years of building these races on the sked. I sure don't want Randy's job, but he's the right guy for the job.

[Rossfeld]

We'd need to know how many tickets Marlboro were buying, for a start.

[Ajax]

Do hockey fans have an ongoing issue like the echoes of the Split turning fans into anti-fans?

Well if it wasn't for the greedy CART owners and smelly foreigners who keep pushing road racing and street parades we'd have USAC still running the show and would be prime time on NBC with ratings that rival I-Carly!

I hate Indycar and I hate everything - WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!