Why should I continue following TUSCC if cable TV cuts the broadcast?

[JacobP]

IMSA and TUSCC execs: do you really think it's normal that the broadcast of the final and championship-deciding race is cut off by the TV network because of "other commitments"? What a joke this is. If the TV network does not think your series is important enough, then I don't know why I should continue watching your little insignificant series if it can't even secure its TV time. By this metric, even IndyCar is above you. Heck, even Continental Tire series is better because I haven't seen a CTSCS race cut off on TV.

[Matt]

That's because all CTSCC races are tape delayed by at least a week and cut up to fit into a pre-described window.

Anyway, carry on.

[Gingers4Justice]

In answer to your question in the thread title - because you're a fan of a niche sport. If enough people follow it hard enough, cable TV won't cut it.

[Danske]

Originally Posted by Matt

That's because all CTSCC races are tape delayed by at least a week and cut up to fit into a pre-described window.

Also not into prime time on a Saturday, which seems to be more vulnerable to be pre-empted by other live events running long. (Cue Carlin routine about baseball...)

[Lagunaseca_4life]

Originally Posted by Gingers4Justice

In answer to your question in the thread title - because you're a fan of a niche sport. If enough people follow it hard enough, cable TV won't cut it.

This! Way to many people like UFC and there's more money there,and way way wayyy more people like mlb.and when a postseason game goes into extra innings and ends up being the longest game in post season history,you bet it's going to stay on fs1 and the scheduled UFC is going to be moved to fs2! It's just the way it works.if petit had the ratings and tuscc paid more money it would of been live all ten hours on fs1.theres a reason why they cut speed tv.

[Maelochs]

I see JacobP's point, though. The merger was supposed to bring all this NASCAR money and media clout---instead, the series is on a channel getting into fewer household that IndyCar was with Versus at the start, and the FoxSportsGo option isn't carried by most cable companies because it isn't considered worthwhile.

I understand about the finances and the relative crowd sizes ... but TUSC isn't going to expand its popularity by Fox not having a better plan than canceling the end of the event for the vast majority of viewers.

I accept that sports car racing is a niche sport, but FOX and NASCAR are two of the biggest corporations in the sports-related entertainment game. if they are going t5odo a thing, they should use their "one chance to do this right."

Sorry, but think about it: season finale, multiple championships on the line, nine hours of racing ... and cancel the climax. That's the Master Plan? That's the best they could do? No one in the entire Fox corporation could consider that things might need to be shuffled when three live shows, one with a definite start one with a definite end, and one indeterminate, were all possibly going to coincide?

We all saw the reality: Fox doesn't really care about TUSC. No problem understanding that. The problem is that NASCAR didn't use its influence to make sure Fox did care about TUSC.

As JacobP says, if TUSC doesn't care, NASCAR doesn't care, and Fox doesn't care ... why should anyone who isn't already a diehard fan, give two $h!7s? If I had never seen a TUSC race and just happened to catch the final couple hours of Petit, and then was booted just as things were really heating up, I doubt i'd ever give the series a second chance, because that crap is amateurish and idiotic.

I understand why Fox did made this stupid, seemingly inept, fan-killing maneuver, and that doesn't change that it was a stupid, fan-killing maneuver.

[NaBUru38]

Fox Soccer Plus was showing reruns of UEFA Champions League and English Rugby Super League in the evening. They could have moved Petit Le Mans to that channel. Just rename it to Fox Sports 3.

[chernaudi]

Yet Fox showed the WEC race from Austin--oh, yeah, they prempted live coverage because a college football game ran over, though at least they showed the race immediately after the game ended.

I believe that Audi, Toyota and Porsche threw a buncha money at Fox for that one.

[Breitling24]

Thank USCC for signing a contract allowing FUX to do what they've done to the series broadcasts.
Thanks for the stream, though. That was often worthwhile.

[porsche91722]

The worrying thing here is that more people were interested in watching two psychopaths beating the crap out of each other.

[Matt]

Originally Posted by porsche91722

The worrying thing here is that more people were interested in watching two psychopaths beating the crap out of each other.

Welcome to the least common denominator, "bro" culture.

[divxx]

I hesitated to check out this thread figuring it would be a rehash of the usual "everything IMSA does is wrong... it's all NA$CRAP's fault" commentary. Pleasantly surprised to see some very good points. Maelochs' post in particular eloquently articulates the growing frustration in trying to give a damn about this series as the year goes on.

But I'll probably forget and eagerly line up for more next year.

[Gulf]

Why should you continue following TUSCC at all?

[divxx]

Well, earlier, I was going to post that after trying to watch Petit for ~2 hours this year and feeling like it was a chore, that I was done with this BS. But who am I kidding, several months will pass by, I'll forget most of this year and the cycle starts again.

Also, I try to follow every racing series everywhere. I'll merely be spending less time and attention North American endurance racing, which has been the trend since 2009.

[schmidder]

I would imagine the fox decision just came down to contract logistics or maybe potential eyeballs. I have never and probably never will watch ufc. .but I know tons of folks that do..25 to 1 or more in terms of ufc to sports car racing fans easy.

And any kind of football or baseball surely has much more significant contract related to it...

[Rcz]

Gulf, I watch because of the GT cars, PWC is too short and has no pit stop strategies.

And the racing from the Protos isn't too bad either.

It's fun for me to watch.

Just because it's not a ELMS or AsLMS clones dosen't mean it's horrible.

But the series dose need proper investment to thrive.

[Gingers4Justice]

I'm still struggling to see what the series can do here. Again - this is a niche sport, fighting its way onto a schedule across two channels which have contracts for many more popular sports.

Just take UFC for example. If I went into my city centre here in Britain and asked who had heard of it, I reckon about 50% would. If I asked anyone what TUSCC was or even WEC, I'd probably be there all week.

If cable TV cuts the broadcast, it's because whatever they're cutting to will gain more viewers. The wrong question is being asked here. Why does the series not have enough viewers to justified its allotted time on the schedule?

[Maelochs]

Mr. Gingers: Your points are valid, sound, even obvious.

Short Answer: dump the replay of the soccer game form Fox Soccer and keep the race on TV, Live, on a Fox affiliate. A taped replay can be squeezed back in somewhere, and most of the money has already been made during the initial live broadcast. Live events need to take precedent over taped re-airings.

Longer answer: your points are valid, but incomplete.

The unstated point is that Fox, TUSC, MLB, and UFC officials all knew this was a potential conflict. Everyone understands that baseball can go into extra innings, and that a live event starts when it actually starts—and another ends when it actually ends.

I have seen NBCSN in a similar situation when races ran over and they had contract obligation—they through the race to CNBC or some other NBC affiliate so fans could watch the race On Television. In order to do that, the NBCSN folks would need to have planned ahead and made sure they could still meet contractual obligations without angering a lot of fans. They Had a Plan.

Fox didn't. Someone threw them the ball and they were looking somewhere else.

Sure, the race was online, but for most folks, watching TV is not related to an Internet stream. For most folks, their PCs aren't plugged into their TVs, and sitting on the couch watching racing ion their flat screen is not related to sitting in their offices working on their laptops.

For most new fans (if there were any) getting booted from the climax of the race was a real kick in the nuts. It amounted to being told, "The network and the series don't care about the race or the idiots who watch it." I wouldn't call that a strong PR move.

Someone at Fox should have rubbed his or her two brain cells together and realized what every sports fan already knew: some sports can run long. Make a plan, be ready. If the plan is to broadcast reruns of a soccer program instead of the final hour of the final race of a year-long series, then the plan is idiotic. If the plan is to boot the race entirely off TV, the plan is pathetic.

If Fox and TUSC simply don't care ... well, it sure looks that way to me.