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It's Speed's coverage that has so many in NA peeved because it spoiled us. Granted, several races were same day tape or one day tape delay in later years, but Speed used to broadcast all ALMS races in whole live, and even tap delayed races where shown whole.
ESPN has had to show races either one day or same day tape, and edited to fit a two or two in a half hour time slot--the average ALMS race last 2:45. But we have to face facts, that ABC/ESPN isn't any worse than NBC who used to tape delay highlight reels and CBS, who showed edited 2 hour tape delayed races or joined races live in progress after about a 45 minute highlight show.
Unless someone's willing to spend the bucks that NASCAR or F1 does for good network TV coverage (which I think it's the other way around--that the networks pay NASCAR for sure for coverage), sportscar won't get good network coverage in NA, or anywhere, hence the equally as butchered Eurosport coverage. Speed and Motors TV have had good coverage, but were cable networks not available in all areas, and in the case of Speed, features coverage biased towards Fox's NASCAR stuff.
Basically, unless the ACO, FIA, IMSA, teams and sponsors are willing to promote the sport and sell it to the networks, we're all screwed as far as sportscar fans, because the only event that gets decent coverage (like what we were accustomed to circa '08) is Le Mans. But the only thing that the ACO can be blamed on there is focusing on their "own" race in their backyard, almost like the ALMS, LMS/ELMS, and even to an extent the WEC doesn't matter.
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