Does UK speedway need a new televised product?

[Skidder1 7,637]

Are Eurosport unhappy with theirBritish League coverage and audience? They already have the SGP format, why would a similar British,Individual tournament fare better and generate more viewers and a different audience?

Comparisons with Ice Hockey could be irrelevant as far as TV audiences are concerned, aside from the fact that you're comparing an indoor sport with an outdoor one and does ice hockey get any better media coverage than speedway in the general populas?

[Deano 1,318]

Could there be something based the way formula one works. Say sixteen riders, two per team. Each team races a machine made and tuned by a different pit crew. Maybe have a round at each track in the U.K. 

[truthsayer 234]

7 minutes ago, Skidder1 said:

Are Eurosport unhappy with theirBritish League coverage and audience? They already have the SGP format, why would a similar British,Individual tournament fare better and generate more viewers and a different audience?

Interesting.

Eurosport have world superbikes and British superbikes.

As far as I am aware, British superbikes is more popular. A big part of the reason is that it is more accessible. The riders are on the large part more accessible and they can go along to races once or twice a year.

Eurosport don't need to attract a different audience, the same one will do. Difference between world championships is that the images can be broadcast in more regions but I got to admit I think British speedway feels a bit out of place in their portfolio.

[orion 7,615]

2 minutes ago, truthsayer said:

We're talking about different things here. You're talking about the legacy audience attending meetings. I am talking about an audience watching on TV.

Maybe you are right, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe we're both wrong... but I am pretty sure there needs to be a new 'product' and if it's not individual racing, what is it? You say nothing to do with league speedway, so what? At least I'm trying!

Current league speedway has little credibility. There are not enough riders, it is contrived and a result is often a foregone conclusion. There's no trophy ceremony, big cheque or rider driving off in a new car he just won. There's no 147 or nine-dart moment. There are no heroes, just a bunch of journeymen. A national audience doesn't care about Poole, or King's Lynn, or Peterborough or any other provincial town team. Genuinely, they might be your team but the world don't care.

Speedway can take many formats: amateur racing where competitors pay, carnie racing, like WWE, bangers and pantomine, with goodies and baddies playing to an audience looking for a fun night out, pairs, team racing and serious individual meetings which are (in my opinion) the purest form of motorsports.

But the stubborn insistence that team racing is the only way will be the death of the sport in the UK. It's not a pro sport and can't sustain itself on gate revenue.

What team sport has a trophy etc after every  match etc.. Does Football the popular sport in  world ? Of course not its not how team sport works.. Poland is  packed with fans watching league racing with big tv rateings . I could find about 20 examples..Speedway in the uk is in trouble because its been poorly ran and terrible choices it's taken over a number of years. .

[Falcon1983 557]

No point pitching new ideas on a forum, many fans blame riders or the promoters for ruining the sport but most aren't open to new ideas themselves, all have some part of the blame for how poor the sport is now and will be in the future 

[noaksey 345]

1 hour ago, Skidder1 said:

Are Eurosport unhappy with theirBritish League coverage and audience? They already have the SGP format, why would a similar British,Individual tournament fare better and generate more viewers and a different audience?

Comparisons with Ice Hockey could be irrelevant as far as TV audiences are concerned, aside from the fact that you're comparing an indoor sport with an outdoor one and does ice hockey get any better media coverage than speedway in the general populas?

I've absolutely no idea but I'd personally be surprised if Eurosport would be interested in renewing the domestic TV contract when it expires, when is that?

This seasons coverage seems to have consisted of the bare minimum with costs having been cut.

Edited August 29, 2023 by noaksey

[Baldyman 6,243]

You are wasting your time with ideas,,,, most people on here or any speedway page can't see past the end of their nose,,,to set in their ways,,,,,, I've been sitting in this spot for 60 years,,, you know the type 

[Najjer 2,890]

1 hour ago, orion said:

What team sport has a trophy etc after every  match etc.. Does Football the popular sport in  world ? Of course not its not how team sport works.. Poland is  packed with fans watching league racing with big tv rateings . I could find about 20 examples..Speedway in the uk is in trouble because its been poorly ran and terrible choices it's taken over a number of years. .

In addition to what you have said, even the Poles don’t support individual events other than the main Polish Championship.

Anything that isnt their team they aren’t interested. I watched one of the events at Poznan earlier this year and Buxton probably got bigger crowds than that one.

[mikebv 10,277]

Test Matches might get some interest..?

When Speedway was in its halcyon period the success of the 'England" team and iders were the reason so many attended domestic Speedway. .

Hardly any domestic Speedway was shown but fans knew of the sport via what they watched on TV on Saturdays... 

Individual meetings and WTC..

The RFU and ECB grew their domestic sport by centralised contracts ensuring that the top players prioritised the national team. 

They knew that whatever success Leicester, Saracens, Lancashire and Yorkshire cricket etc etc etc had, it would have little impact overall, and not grow the sport...  

Maybe an "elite" Test Match series could help generate domestic interest the same for Speedway? 

It could definitely get more wider media coverage, and maybe a decent sponsor.?  

Bomber couldn't represent Australia or Poland though if he didn't get picked for GB. 

GB v Poland at the NSS, Poole and Glasgow for example, would deliver the best crowds in years I would suggest, and paint the sport in a very positive light via the TV. ..

 

 

[cowboy cookie returns? 747]

The biggest issue with league speedway is the way it’s ran. The operating model isn’t fit for purpose & is massively contrived.

The issues stem from years of poor management & no real desire to grow the product. 

The golden ticket was during the first sky contract, a tv partner who wanted to invest & paid a very good sum for the broadcast rights. That came at a time when the majority of the worlds best still rode here & the gp came to Cardiff. I still remember Mark Loram being featured on the back page of the sun newspaper on a Saturday.

But instead of investing the promoters at the time spent the money on propping up what they had been doing for years,

With no hope of a return on the investment or  any signs of progress the money Sky have slowly declined until they binned it of altogether.

To have a meaningful league structure that allows emotional buy in guesting & doubling has to stop & it has to be ran properly. Now that’s where the issue is it’s now to late to save not enough venues not enough riders & far to few spectators.

[cowboy cookie returns? 747]

3 hours ago, mikebv said:

Test Matches might get some interest..?

When Speedway was in its halcyon period the success of the 'England" team and iders were the reason so many attended domestic Speedway. .

Hardly any domestic Speedway was shown but fans knew of the sport via what they watched on TV on Saturdays... 

Individual meetings and WTC..

The RFU and ECB grew their domestic sport by centralised contracts ensuring that the top players prioritised the national team. 

They knew that whatever success Leicester, Saracens, Lancashire and Yorkshire cricket etc etc etc had, it would have little impact overall, and not grow the sport...  

Maybe an "elite" Test Match series could help generate domestic interest the same for Speedway? 

It could definitely get more wider media coverage, and maybe a decent sponsor.?  

Bomber couldn't represent Australia or Poland though if he didn't get picked for GB. 

GB v Poland at the NSS, Poole and Glasgow for example, would deliver the best crowds in years I would suggest, and paint the sport in a very positive light via the TV. ..

 

 

I fully agree test speedway would be a massive boost & paint the sport in a completely different light.

one series a summer on a cycle just like cricket.

 

[Ben91 1,743]

9 hours ago, Falcon1983 said:

No point pitching new ideas on a forum, many fans blame riders or the promoters for ruining the sport but most aren't open to new ideas themselves, all have some part of the blame for how poor the sport is now and will be in the future 

Promoters are to blame solely. But they have put a system in place that gives riders far too much power to the detriment of the sport overall. Namely excessive doubling up.

It really can’t be overstated how Mickey Mouse it is for a rider to be riding for two clubs in one country.

It’s not the only evil in the sport here but it’s a bloody big problem. Maybe even the first one that needs eradicating. But it will never happen. 

[Skidder1 7,637]

39 minutes ago, cowboy cookie returns? said:

I fully agree test speedway would be a massive boost & paint the sport in a completely different light.

one series a summer on a cycle just like cricket.

 

Quick question. How much do you think a club would have to charge for admission to say a GB v Poland test match? I ask because a few years ago there was a proposal for a 'European League' involving teams from the top countries. One of the reasons it did not progress was down to cost of paying Polish riders!

[truthsayer 234]

2 minutes ago, Ben91 said:

Promoters are to blame solely. But they have put a system in place that gives riders far too much power to the detriment of the sport overall. Namely excessive doubling up.

It really can’t be overstated how Mickey Mouse it is for a rider to be riding for two clubs in one country.

It’s not the only evil in the sport here but it’s a bloody big problem. Maybe even the first one that needs eradicating. But it will never happen. 

While I don't really disagree with you, I would add that the promoter's job is to run their own business to make it profitable. 'Doubling up' (I don't really have a problem with it TBH) is cheaper than importing or developing new riders, so it's hard to blame them for that. Personally I have more problems with guesting, where riders can ride for a dozen clubs in a year.

The lack of riders coming through is a core problem and that's caused by a mixture of things, but comes back to my age old gripe that speedway does nothing for people who want to access the sport as competitors.

Riders have power as there is a shortage of supply and have to make a living. The biggest issue is that these things can't be fixed overnight. Time is not on speedway's side, so five year plans are not really an option when surviving the next five days is often not guaranteed. The structure of the sport is mad. There's no direction, because it's not run by someone with a vision but by a committee of stakeholders.

[truthsayer 234]

8 minutes ago, Skidder1 said:

Quick question. How much do you think a club would have to charge for admission to say a GB v Poland test match? I ask because a few years ago there was a proposal for a 'European League' involving teams from the top countries. One of the reasons it did not progress was down to cost of paying Polish riders!

A Euro league would be the perfect 'made for TV' product but with the same riders racing in each country it's just not viable.

But what you say is the dilemma speedway faces. Any good 'product' requires paying the money, so it's a bigger gamble because you have to gain more income through gate receipts, TV income and sponsorship.

But (and I understand why) we're going the other way, with costs being cut to try and balance the books. It's understandable, but the product suffers and it's only going to end one way.