Tag: Fox

Next year’s Indycar series schedule is the same, yet different. There are no new venues, but there is one less oval race. Several events have been moved, and just slightly.

Milwaukee lost one of its races. I am glad it is still on the schedule, but I am not thrilled with the second race’s replacement, The Thermal Club. If you drop an oval, replace it with an oval. I will give the points paying version of Thermal Club a chance to see if it works, but replacing an oval with flat road course which appears to have very little personality doesn’t seem to be a great trade off.

World Wide Technology Raceway moving to June will allow for slightly improved weather conditions, but coming right before Road America may hurt attendance at both places. Some fans may have to choose between the two. I do like having an oval race closer to the Indianapolis 500.

While Laguna Seca will have its third date in three years, going to Portland afterwards makes sense with a week to travel in between.

I like ending the season with two ovals. Ovals are a fairer way to decide the championship.

The worst thing about the schedule is the August 31 end date. Take a bit of a ratings hit and run through September. Saturday races are fine with me. Fox could promote the races on their football broadcasts.

It’s not the best schedule I’ve ever seen, but it’s not the worst either. I think this early end date will be a thing as long as Fox holds the contract.

Indycar finally got some positive news yesterday with the announcement of the new television partnership with Fox. Overall, this is the best television package I have ever seen for Indycar There are many good things in this package, and at the same time some concerns remain, and not small ones either. While there are many good things in this package, and at the same time some concerns remain, and not small ones either.

Having every race on a main broadcast channel is a dream come true. There will be no more hunting for USA, Peacock, or (shudder) CNBC again. Viewers will know where to find the Indycar series. This part is something I did not expect.

Indy NXT now has a semi-permanent home on FS1 with an occasional appearance on FS2. Getting off streaming exclusively and getting over the air exposure can only help the drivers and teams in that series. Maybe even the Indycar owners will start noticing and not run to F2 so quickly.

My understanding is that Fox is paying a huge sum of money for this deal. Rights fees have always been an issue with Indycar media deals.

Doubts Still Linger

Still, despite the best news the series has had since that spectacular Indianapolis 500, there are still questions.

Who will be the announcers? Fox has a whole tends to seek mediocre talent as their top lev el. If you have ever watched a World Sereies game or a Big East basketball game, you know what I’m talking about. I hope they hire as much of the NBC crew as is available.

Production Values

I don’t like the way sports events are presented on Fox. They seem to spend too much time trying not showing the game in progress so they can interview someone who is supposed to be focusing on the game. Talking to managers during baseball games, pulling coaches from time out huddles, or a flashback to when two opponents met 15 years ago when they each played for different teams all detract from the game going on right now.

I haven’t watched a NASCAR race on Fox, but I have heard some comments that give me pause.

Television Windows– Flexibility Required

Each race has been allotted a two and a half hour window, except for the 500 which has a five hour window. That might work for some sports, but racing needs some more flexibility. If we have a situation next year such as we had at the 500 this year, does the 500 end up on FS2? Will they stay with a race that runs long?

Is five hours really long enough for a three hour race/ It sounds as if the pre race will be rushed, and the post race could possiblybe cut off mid ceremony.

I agree Indycar took the best package and got virtually everything they wanted. I’m excited to see what it looks like. The ball is in Fox’s court to produce.