Mr Bee

Oh yeah, I’d forgotten about that disaster. I actually went on the Saturday but missed the Sunday because we were heading off on holiday the next day. You're spot on though, that was an absolute shambles. Even so, in my opinion the crowds were visibly dropping well in the lead-up to that 2022 meeting, you could see the empty seats growing year on year before that weekend happened. The poor track presentation definitely didn't help endear people to the place towards the end, but the decline was already well underway.

Do I miss Cardiff? Absolutely. I miss the whole experience of the day. Cardiff felt like a genuine event. The atmosphere in the city, the build-up, and the sheer scale of it made it a massive occasion on the calendar. We all know the track itself wasn't always brilliant, and if we are talking purely about the racing, Belle Vue is leagues ahead. NSS is a phenomenal racetrack, probably the best in the world right now, but the location is the big letdown. There is very little to do around the stadium compared to a city centre venue. If Cardiff was an 'event' day, Belle Vue relies purely on the track action, which I suppose for Speedway is really what you want. For a GP to really work there long-term, the Fan Zone is going to have to be incredibly special. We need proper entertainment and engagement, not just a rider doing a back-wheel burnout on a stage. Being realistic about why Cardiff ended, you could actively see the crowds falling away year on year. It perfectly mirrored the decline of British Speedway and the closure of so many of traditional tracks over the last couple of decades. The fan base shrunk, and the event sadly lost its momentum. I don't see the need for a double-header weekend at BV. Just keep it to a single GP on the Saturday night. I'd like to see Glasgow get one as well. Looking at the current meeting thread, almost all the talk is about the weather forecast. That just highlights one of the biggest perks of the Principality Stadium, we never had that worry at Cardiff. Rain or shine, you knew the meeting was ON. We just had to wait and see what sort of track they served up.

No idea I'm afraid, just quoting what he said. I'm guessing because its another days work they would be adding on.

RC did address the Friday point and has said that "yes, the cameras are there on a Friday but that is our Rigging day. To broadcast live on a Friday, Rigging would have to be the day before and that would be another 60,000 - 80,000 Euro". They simply don't have the money.

Looking at this strictly from a business point of view, rather than just as a Speedway fan, the situation seems clear to me from the inetrview. I'll admit that last week I completely misjudged the support that you personally had on here, and I was wrong to try and find the humour in you ranting to HBO. You are passionate about the sport. But looking at the situation now, Richard Coleman's interview sums it all up perfectly. I’m not going to argue that the communication wasn't poor, it was and it should have been common knowledge that these events are not being broadcast. It may have affected people’s decision to subscribe and is no different from me holding back information to purchasers in my business life, but the rest of peoples outrage is completely detached from commercial reality in my opinion. Coleman is just stating the blunt facts of a balance sheet. Television production companies aren't charities run for the benefit of our hobby; they are businesses driven by viewing figures. The hard truth is that outside of Poland, Speedway is just not a popular sport anymore. "Thousands of fans worldwide" phoning HBO on Facebook or wherever else they post and spend their life rather than doing other things and enjoying themselves, doesn't pay for an outside broadcast unit, satellite uplinks, and a full production crew. It takes millions of viewers to make that viable, and the numbers simply aren't there at the moment. As he says, his job has been to "sort the SGP out, first and foremost, as the previous promoter was losing millions". As for the Streaming argument, you cannot sell an exclusive rights package which he has done and then decide to broadcast a rogue stream because people are complaining on a forum. Me agreeing with the interview is just me trying to understand how their business works. Demanding a full television production without the viewership to back it up is pure fantasy. That being said, from a corporate perspective, it would certainly be interesting to hear what the FIM actually think about the situation and where it leaves the commercial value of their flagship junior events.

I pay for TNT on HBO Max via EE as an add on, I'm just not that bothered that it's not on. It isn't a national tragedy. I can see the massive wave of support you have on here though, so keep going. Clearly, you’re the hero they all needed. 😜

I agree, you could put these posts down to that today. Heaven forbid anyone sees the humorous side in you giving an HBO customer service supervisor a proper talking to over their schedule. A lot of your replies to people are short and snappy, but believe it or not, there actually is a whole world outside of watching every single Speedway meeting that is televised anywhere on Earth.

Quick, someone provide a link or Google and NBC customer service are going to get a call next!

Trust me, "mate", I’m perfectly relaxed. I'll save the panic for when something that actually matters happens.

My apologies, I thought you were just talking about the UK shambles, not a global emergency. My mistake for forgetting that Sweden and Denmark were depending on your phone call to the HBO supervisor. As for what planet I’m from? Planet Earth. It’s a nice place where people don’t lose their minds over a U21 TV schedule.

You’ve practically got a case for the High Court here. And calling it "thousands" of people might be a bit of a stretch given the crowd levels, but if you want to spend your Friday treating a corporate copy-and-paste email like a legally binding treaty, you go for it.

That’s a very fair comment. Hopefully you get some good news.

Oh, absolutely. You caught me. I’m currently pacing the room, tearing my hair out, and staring at the blank TV screen in absolute agony because I care so much. Or - crazy thought - maybe I just think tracking down international contacts in Poland over SON2 is a bit over the top.

Exactly.

What does this even mean? Look, I'm not bothered if it's on or not, but ringing HBO and complaining is a bit extreme. They can put whatever they want on. There are much bigger sports than Speedway for them to show with bigger audiences.