NASCAR Rejects Local TV Blackout
Written by Ben Bomberger · January 23, 2009
NASCAR has rejected the idea of Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chairman Bruton Smith to follow the National Football League’s lead to blackout events on local television when tracks are not sold out.
“That’s exatly what should happen,” Smith said. “It worked for the NFL, so you have a forerunner there who has done it successfully.” (ThatsRacin.com)
The practice is common in the NFL and was most recently used to sell out stadiums in the 2009 NFL playoffs for the San Diego Chargers and Minnesota Vikings. Both teams had to request extension, but managed to sell the remaining tickets prior to kick off.
Smith said he was unsure of how broad the blackout should be, but that he felt it would only benefit the local tracks.
“I think it would be beneficial to speedways,” Smith said. “If it’s blacked out and people who live close by say they’re going to sit home and watch it, they wouldn’t get to see it.” (ThatsRacin.com)
On Wednesday, Paul Brooks, NASCAR senior vice president who oversees the sports broadcasting efforts said it would only create more problems.
“Event attendance is a priority for NASCAR and our television partners,” Brooks said. “However, there are many significant issues, unique to NASCAR, that arise around the concept of local TV blackouts.
“TV partners, advertisers, ratings, team and event sponsors would all be negatively impacted. However, the most significant issue is the negative effect this move would have for our fans.
“We need to continue to find ways to bring our fans even more television, Internet, radio and new-media coverage and continue to remind fans that the ultimate NASCAR experience will always be sitting in the grandstands watching that race live.” (ThatsRacin.com)
ESPN (who owns the rights to the final half of the season, as well as the Chase), agreed with Brooks.
“We all want to see growth in both attendance and television ratings,” McNeilly said. “We will continue to work with NASCAR and race tracks to find mutually beneficial solutions that do not involve blacking out our telecasts,” said George McNeilly, senior director for communications for ESPN. (ThatsRacin.com)
The idea is impossible to think for an already struggling sport. NASCAR has seen many of its tracks not be able to fill the stands in recent seasons.
That brings the question of two things: Are the fans simply not able to pay for it? Or, do they just not want to go?
With Jimmie Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports dominating the last three seasons, the changes the sport has undergone, such as the Chase and the Car of Tomorrow, many of the old school fans have opted to either sit at home and watch the race, or simply turned the channel to the NFL.
Another problem the sport has is the growing number of stands at each track. It’s becoming more and more difficult to fill 100,000+ seats every weekend. Most of the tracks on the circuit are mile andhalfers, with six digit seats available.
NASCAR fans tend to be blue-collar hard working people who simply cannot afford $75 or more for a seat at the track.
Instead of blacking out the local television, how about the sanctioning body consider lowering the prices, so the every day fan can afford a seat.
B-Blog
Comments
4 Responses to “NASCAR Rejects Local TV Blackout”
Got something to say?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Nascar needs to take the lead on this episode and be the leader in the sports field and reduce the ticket prices to make it more affordable to their fans. Nascar should not forget where they got the money to build those race tracks and all the toys , houses, etc. that they have now, THE FANS!!!!!!!!!
Their first idea to the lagging ticket sales was to try screw the fan again, not to help by making them more affordable. Quote”NASCAR has rejected the idea of Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chairman Bruton Smith to follow the National Football League’s lead to blackout events on local television when tracks are not sold out.”
It’s obvious that track owners are losing (or making less then they expect) money due to empty seats.
Does NASCAR control the ticket prices at each venue, or is it the track owner? If NASCAR reduced their sanctioning fee is there any guarantee that track owners would pass on the savings to the fans??
Then would TV contract holders like ESPN do the same if viewership drops??
It’s a slippery slope that we are all on in one way or another.
Lowering prices to the track fan is always desirable if attendance is expected. If GM can drop the price of their cars to reduce inventory, so can NASCAR reduce ticket prices to put fannies in the seats.
I assume it’s somehow regulated… because the tickets are just about the same across the board?
Either way, the ticket prices have got to come down to get people in the seats… To me, it’s kind of like how Wal-Mart gets away with charging so much less for food:
If Wal-Mart only makes 10 cents per item they sell, but they sell 1 million… they come out a lot better than another store that makes 50 cents off an item, but only sells 100,000.
If NASCAR was willing to only make XX amount of dollars, but sell the venues out, they are better in the long run. The problem is that the sport has tried made itself out of the reach of the normal every day fan (like myself).
I believe that NASCAR is/has fallen guilty to some of the things that have hurt some of the big college football programs. So many tickets have been reserved and bought by corporations that it really makes it difficult for the common fan to afford the ticket prices, and now that the corporations are pulling away a little, NASCAR’s left wondering why their races aren’t selling out.