SGP 2 FINALS and SGP 3 FINAL NOT ON TV in 2026

[racers and royals]

Following on from last week’s  debacle over the SON 2 non TV coverage, Richard Coleman of Mayfield Sports has issued a statement which appears in this week’s Speedway Star,  out today. There is also a section on the Social media outrage over the meeting.

Would he have said anything if a reporter hadn’t contacted him ? Doubtful in my opinion.

So thousands of Speedway fans worldwide won’t be able to watch the FIM flagship junior Speedway finals, which we are used to seeing. 3 SGP 2 and the SGP 3 final in 3 weeks. The SGP 3 final in recent years has produced some superb Speedway from the youngsters on their 250cc bikes.

If Coleman knew last year that the SON 2 meeting would not be filmed by Mayfield Sports it’s a shame he didn’t have the balls  to tell anyone !!

I think of the streaming we have currently- BSN, Sweden and Denmark 4 live matches per week and of course Poland where many meetings are on TV, or streamed. One such meeting is this afternoon - the Bronze Helmet produced for the live showing on the Motowizja channel by Sabmar TV. Even the FIM have a streaming channel along with their partner Tapes up TV.

So where does that leave the FIM ? I suspect angry and disappointed.

There is i would hope time for the powers that be to sort something out for the SGP 2 finals coverage as the 1st final is not until the 10th July.

[Mr Bee]

5 hours ago, racers and royals said:

Following on from last week’s  debacle over the SON 2 non TV coverage, Richard Coleman of Mayfield Sports has issued a statement which appears in this week’s Speedway Star,  out today. There is also a section on the Social media outrage over the meeting.

Would he have said anything if a reporter hadn’t contacted him ? Doubtful in my opinion.

So thousands of Speedway fans worldwide won’t be able to watch the FIM flagship junior Speedway finals, which we are used to seeing. 3 SGP 2 and the SGP 3 final in 3 weeks. The SGP 3 final in recent years has produced some superb Speedway from the youngsters on their 250cc bikes.

If Coleman knew last year that the SON 2 meeting would not be filmed by Mayfield Sports it’s a shame he didn’t have the balls  to tell anyone !!

I think of the streaming we have currently- BSN, Sweden and Denmark 4 live matches per week and of course Poland where many meetings are on TV, or streamed. One such meeting is this afternoon - the Bronze Helmet produced for the live showing on the Motowizja channel by Sabmar TV. Even the FIM have a streaming channel along with their partner Tapes up TV.

So where does that leave the FIM ? I suspect angry and disappointed.

There is i would hope time for the powers that be to sort something out for the SGP 2 finals coverage as the 1st final is not until the 10th July.

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.

[racers and royals]

16 minutes ago, Mr Bee said:

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.

Thank you for a very reasoned reply.

[London Racer]

A very fair reps

1 hour ago, Mr Bee said:

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.

A very fair response Mr Bee, one thing I may add when they describe the costs involved, surely the production team were already there and cameras etc in place for the following nights GP? Would it have cost much more to do the Friday? Surely there’s a lot of savings made by having 2 meetings at the same venue in 2 nights? 
Also assume after the response that the FIM need to ensure these events are part of the package they sell? Surely they as the governing body would want to have these big events aired to the world

[IainB]

10 minutes ago, London Racer said:

A very fair reps

A very fair response Mr Bee, one thing I may add when they describe the costs involved, surely the production team were already there and cameras etc in place for the following nights GP? Would it have cost much more to do the Friday? Surely there’s a lot of savings made by having 2 meetings at the same venue in 2 nights? 
Also assume after the response that the FIM need to ensure these events are part of the package they sell? Surely they as the governing body would want to have these big events aired to the world

Also... don't be going on about how brilliant it all is on social media while ignoring the fans asking why it's not being televised if it's so good 🤷‍♂️

[Mr Bee]

32 minutes ago, London Racer said:

A very fair reps

A very fair response Mr Bee, one thing I may add when they describe the costs involved, surely the production team were already there and cameras etc in place for the following nights GP? Would it have cost much more to do the Friday? Surely there’s a lot of savings made by having 2 meetings at the same venue in 2 nights? 
Also assume after the response that the FIM need to ensure these events are part of the package they sell? Surely they as the governing body would want to have these big events aired to the world

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. 

[racers and royals]

52 minutes ago, Mr Bee said:

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. 

Let's surmise

WBD signed a 10 year contract with the FIM for ( i assume) promoting

and showing the GP’s SWC, SON SON 2 and SGP 2 and SGP 3 which they did for 5 years before bailing out.

What interests me is what agreement is now in place between them,( FIM) and Mayfield Sports and where does the TV output sit within that contract.

I would doubt that the FIM would have agreed for the SGP’s, SWC and SON only to be shown on TV. 

What we don’t know and probably won’t find out is 

1/ Are Mayfield Sports contracted to provide TV production for SON 2 , SGP 2 and SGP 3.

2/ are WBD ( HBO) contracted to show SON 2, SGP 2 and SGP 3 in addition to the GP’s and SWC/SON.

If either are true then someone is breaking a contract.

Edited 6 hours ago by racers and royals

[therefused]

1 hour ago, Mr Bee said:

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. 

why does rigging a day earlier than planned cost so much more money? the work must be the same no matter what day of the week it takes place

[racers and royals]

The more that comes out the more pathetic the whole thing is.

Tapes up TV are streaming on PPV  2 of the 3 SGP 2 qualifying rounds on Saturday 27th June in Pardubice and Fjelsted. 

[Mr Bee]

29 minutes ago, therefused said:

why does rigging a day earlier than planned cost so much more money? the work must be the same no matter what day of the week it takes place

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

[stewmac]

Whilst I agree with some of the comments highlighting the financial implications of screening these meetings and the fact that clearly Mayfield Sports can't afford, or don't want to spend the necessary sums to show them, there are in my opinion some anomalies in all of this, and indeed in the way the whole series has been promoted over the past few years.

Firstly let's examine WBD, who proclaimed endlessly we were entering a "new era" of speedway. This crowd then gave control of the whole thing to a bunch of people who had very little, if any, knowledge of the sport. Incredibly they created a rolling package whereby considerably more than 100 people (honestly!) were transported around Europe for each SGP. The costs of this must have been enormous! Not only that, but they then tried to "Formula 1ise" the world championship by creating the most ridiculous system of running in front of empty stadiums for what was essentially practice, and made it even more ridiculous by then dishing out world championship points to the riders who got to the final 4 man race of the practice, again in front of empty stadiums. 
You couldn't make this utter nonsense up!!
As if that wasn't enough they introduced drones and steadfastly refused to change this introduction when many fans complained bitterly that it interfered with their TV viewing. TV viewing that was proving to be costly and expensive. 
Their 10 year master plan quickly fell apart and they panicked and pressed the eject button to escape at the half way stage through their get-out clause.
But before we leave them, let's not forget that they also made the whole series harder than ever to access, with difficult to find channels and live events hidden away in expensive pay per view places.

It was an unknown-to-speedway fans company that out of the blue stepped in. Mayfield Sports. Most of us had no idea who they actually were. Now, we are only two SGPs in, so let's give them the benefit of the doubt as to what we are going to experience as we go forward. But the early signs as we have seen are slightly alarming. 
I was pleased to see the drones had gone. Firstly I imagined that was a decision based on customer feedback but now I suspect it's financially based and is a cost cutter. The fact that many SGP events are now 2 day events with meetings the day before suggests another attempt to close down the costs . Nothing actually wrong with that and actually it's sensible when you think about it. 
But, here's where it begins to unravel. This ditching of the screening of SoN2, SGP2 and SGP3 came out of nowhere and has, understandably, left lots of people unhappy. And it seems clear that Mayfield had no intention of telling folk beforehand. Until they were forced to. That's not good business sense. 
There's also been the reduction in prize money for the riders, which did come out pre season. 
So it seems we are now looking at a shoestring production, at least compared to previously. Richard Coleman claims he needs to get the SGP series itself right first, which is commendable, but let's put our hands on our hearts and ask ourselves seriously if you believe he will later extend things to what they were previously? 

And here's where I want to ask the question. Why didn't the FIM think about giving the whole series to Poland to promote? I'm pretty sure OneSport, organisers of the SEC series, have previously wanted to take it on, but were rejected. 

I have to ask the question, why? Poland leads everything in speedway. It's professional in every way at a level that no other country can match. Its weekly televised productions from Canal Sport and previously Eleven Sports are beautifully put together events that run to time, are superbly slick and professional and clearly there is a large pot of money to do things the way they should be done. Now, I completely understand that perhaps no Polish company came forward to promote, but I have to ask, were they actually asked? And if not, why not?
 
To hell with FIM prejudices against the Poles, which clearly exist as Poland has long complained bitterly that they have to fork out more than other nations to stage SGP rounds. The FIM should, in my opinion, be begging OneSport or any other Polish TV company that will, to take this series by the scruff of the neck and promote it PROPERLY. 
Speedway is in a mess. Everyone knows that. Even Polish promoters and owners of clubs I've spoken with over the past couple of years are worried that their product is attracting less young people than previously. 
But, if we want to see our beloved sport,  the sport where racing can be utterly spectacular and beautiful, be able to succeed, we have to market and promote it properly. And that includes promoting and televising the youngest and younger racers at world level too.

If Mayfield Sports don't have the will, or the money to do that properly they should either change their business plan, or get out quick and be replaced by a company from Poland that can do it properly. 

It's the only way I see our world championship events remaining a serious TV proposition.

[IainB]

👆 100% 👍🏻

Edited 1 hour ago by IainB