A1 GP is great, TV coverage is Poor!

[bocster]

i think the tv will pick up in a season or two. Im pretty sure it was the channels not willing to pay the money rather than A1 not wanting it to go to public

[Hepatic]

maybe a1gp have dropped the ball here. i've just checked out the gp masters website and they too are doing webcasts, but are charging a small fee to do so. £5 for the race live, or £3 for delayed coverage of the whole weekend. if a1gp did something similar they get much better coverage and i'm certainly tempted to watch the gpm that way, although delayed highlights are on the beeb at somepoint...

[sceptic]

I don't think the A1 teams would like that though. The website is controlled by A1, so any revenue from webcasts would go to them, while the TV rights are owned by the competing nations.

Having A1GP on the web would reduce the value of those TV rights, so the nations would lose out.


As for paying to watch GPM on the web, I'd rather watch it for free on Motors.

[Hepatic]

which is fine for those that have sky. i'm gutted that isn't available via freeview or topupTV. nevermind...

[Robert Ryan]

If the concept proves popular, and crowds are being drawn to Brands and Eastern Creek in the numbers suggested
Brand Hatch had a decent crowd, but EC, was very average. Channel 10 had a replay yesterday and you could see the circuit was far from packed.

[sceptic]

There were 45,000 at EC - which is probably the second biggest crowd it's had this year.

And far more than either Lausitz or Estoril had.

[Robert Ryan]

There were 45,000 at EC
Yeah..if there was the 51,000 as claimed over the three days(two were raining) . I wonder where they were?.At the sprint and endurance races, there was a fairly poor crowd about 10,000 all up in the Grandstand and the nearby hill. On the other hills about 1500 scattered. I noticed the car park was not as packed as it would be for a HUGE event, that would attract 51,000 over three days.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by Robert Ryan

There were 45,000 at EC
Yeah..if there was the 51,000 as claimed over the three days(two were raining) . I wonder where they were?.At the sprint and endurance races, there was a fairly poor crowd about 10,000 all up in the Grandstand and the nearby hill. On the other hills about 1500 scattered. I noticed the car park was not as packed as it would be for a HUGE event, that would attract 51,000 over three days.

Over here spreading some more propaganda Robert.

It might have rained early Saturday morning, however I was there from about 10.00-10.30 till 7.00 pm and I sure did not get wet, nor did other spectators.

For a first event the reported crowd of 51,000 over 3 days had the support of A1, NSW government and supporters at the track. What more do you want ?

[Robert Ryan]

Over here spreading some more propaganda Robert
Truth...the beatup on the crowd figures were done by the Media.

[Kicking-back]

Is Robert an A1GP hater?

[SALEEN S7R]

Certainly sounds that way KB. A shame IMO because id be willing to bet a very signifcant ammount of money that the figures quoted by A1 and the NSW goverment are correct.

[Robert Ryan]

Here is my post from another forum:
Couple of comments :
(1) The English announcer said Eastern Creek was like Mid-Ohio!!!!, all the changes in elevation...first time I heard that.
(2) The racing wasnt too bad at all...the 1 hour endurance race being the best.
(3) Crowd numbers...Hmmm for the record , (my estimation) by looking at the camera panning on the Hills around the circuit, very average.
EC is not a good circuit for spectators as the pits block out a good view of the circuit for spectators in the grandstands.
Most EC has ever got, was the first race for the Bike GP, estimated about 50,000-60,000. I know a Drag Racing event for the Winfield Triple Challenge held at Dusk had them packed in along the main straight..but that would have been 30,000 as a Maxinum.
(4) Although a friend works there,AJP not a great fan of EC either.

[bocster]

hehe ..thought this was over by now

okay lets summarise

*A1 is frigin great
*A1 at EC was a great 3 days with lots and lots of people,somewhere between 40,000 and 51,001
*EC is built next to a rubbish tip and has approximately 106 flies per person
*EC has no trees
*having the A1 at EC is like having a supermodel with hair rollers on and dressed in your old mothers nightie.
*EC did however host a successful first A1 GP which by all account was the objective of Mr Sheiky.
*A1 would look alot more sexy in lithgow or a street circuit in homebush
*some people hate the idea of a street circuit in homebush because it would be flat
*frigin Australia lost 1-0 to Uraguay( i say this becuase usually i dont like soccer but becuase its country v country i love it,just like A1)

[johnny yuma]

Originally Posted by Kicking-back

Is Robert an A1GP hater?

no i'd say he's a realist like me who's seen enough big crowds and excellent racing to know **** from clay.yes i was there.for free luckily.

[Robert Ryan]

no i'd say he's a realist like me who's seen enough big crowds and excellent racing to know **** from clay
Thanks ....that is basically where I am coming from. The series has been panned so far by lack of crowds. Not that is a big deal in an extablishment year, it is what happens in the years to come will determine where A1GP is going.

[D.R.T.]

Originally Posted by bocster

*A1 is frigin great
*A1 at EC was a great 3 days with lots and lots of people,somewhere between 40,000 and 51,001

I was attended both Saturday and Sunday and would much agree with that statement.

Year 1 has been hailed a success (by A1, NSW Gov, fans)

Year 2 will have to improve. However that is an objective of any event, so I dont understand this make or break mentality for 2006.

Can't wait for the next race and event down here at Eastern Creek.

[Robert Ryan]

DRT very much disagree on the crowd numbers...but we will have to see what happens next year. I know Laurtiz and Estoril will be dropped..what will they add to improve crowd numbers AKA like Brands Hatch?

[bocster]

lets put it into perspective.parratmatta stadium holds 25,000. youd be suprised how small 25,000 can look. spread that around a 3-4 km track and it would look bare. iwas was their all 3 days and i think offical estimates were fine

[Robert Ryan]

Bocster I have been there too when it was more packed and it had less people...Official extimates are out of the window.
Parramatta Does not hold 25,000..wish it could though. Gary Rush's push for a Speedway and Automotive complex at EC(very overdue in my opinion) may rectify that.

[bocster]

yeh your correct, it now has a capacity of 20,000 but i was more talking before the seats were put in on the hills. record at parra is 27,000 and ive seen it at 25,000.but back to the subject.
crowd numbers arent that important when yah talk about the diff between 40 and 50 thousand.we all know that it wasnt advertised and most people hadnt even heard of A1 after 3 races let alone know how good it was.I paid full price and loved it,money well spent.like ive said before ,EC to me wasnt as good as i would have liked but for the first race did an excellent job.

there is alot of cheap stuff that could be done to EC to improve it for spectators and stuff and i hope they eventually fix it up a bit

main thing is is that nearly all the people ive spoken to loved it. some said it was the best racing they had ever seen and didnt mind EC.

just so people understand, i have grand visions for A1( could be right could be wrong) and love it in Sydney. So when i talk about EC and its drawbacks , its because their is so many other ways that they could showcase this event and Sydney that would have a greater and more positive impact

frig i babble on sometimes, ill shutup now

[MRJUCY]

Originally Posted by Robert Ryan

Parramatta Does not hold 25,000..wish it could though.

It did before they ruined the place by getting rid of the hills.

It was supposed to be able to fit 30,000 but the record was just shy of 28,000 but it is now 20,000 all seated

[Scimitar]

QUOTE=Nismo]Im a big fan of A1GP, and its a series with a lot of promise... but they really need to put it on terrestrail TV so those of us who dont have sky can watch it!

Its annoying that to watch the races I`d have to buy sky and them pay 30-40 odd quid per month to have the sports channels...

Are there any FTA channels on any of europes satellites that show it?[/QUOTE]

My budget doesnt run to paying Sky a large sum for the privilege of watching
A1GP throughout the winter months.
I am not interested in other sports that they portray.(Motors TV apart)

I would be perfectly happy to watch it on a delayed basis similar to the
Channel 3 & 4 ITV early morning items on terrestial TV.
I would be prepared to view it on CD/DVD at a later date but I would just
like to be able to SEE it.

A recent reputable survey conducted in the UK revealed that 63% of the
viewing population are resistant to Pay TV.(Above & beyond the necessary
BBC).
This would suggest to me that there is a large catchment area available for
exploration of a niche market of (what is arguably a minority sport) some
form of satisfaction for the many frustrated potential viewers.

The thought of having to wait for an unspecified number of years whilst
promotion contracts are formulated, doesnt fill me with confidence..or joy.


Scimitar

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by Scimitar

A recent reputable survey conducted in the UK revealed that 63% of the
viewing population are resistant to Pay TV.(Above & beyond the necessary
BBC).

Isn't it funny that 55% of the viewing population already has pay TV then...

[Bluewolf]

I watched it free on my computer on the A1 site - didnt look great but the price was right - I believe it may be coming to the USA on ESPN next year.

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by Bluewolf

I watched it free on my computer on the A1 site - didnt look great but the price was right - I believe it may be coming to the USA on ESPN next year.

I thought the deal with Setanta was for three years? Unless it's a non-exclusive deal, ESPN won't be allowed near it until 2008.