Variations on Coverage
Since I am on a small island in the Caribbean and my local cable monopoly doesn't carry any of the channels that cover multi-class endurance racing, I am dependent on online coverage of those sporting events. This year there have been changes in the online media coverage of the Tudor United Sports Car Championship, the World Endurance Championship and the European Le Mans Series. I discuss the online coverage offerings from my own island perspective, those in Europe and elsewhere may have a wider selection of options for following their sport.
ELMS - Best bargain in multi-class endurance racing.
The online coverage of the ELMS rounds in 2014 are the same as last year: free full streaming coverage via Dailymotion.com of the race with Radio Le Mans commentary plus live timing and scoring on their website. As always, audio commentary with live forum participation was available on the Radiolemans.com website. Folks complain that they can't see the race in HD, and there are occasional net congestion glitches, but overall a good online package. Luckily for me, the live stream is available through the Dailymotion.com channel on my Roku 3 TV set-top box, making it very simple to watch the race on the larger screen. The ELMS does not publicly archive the full race videos, which is a shame, only short clips of various aspects of the race. Without a U.S. TV package, the ELMS does a good job for their online fans that would otherwise not be able to see races without going to the track. If they would add online Archives to the mix, it could attract an even wider audience.
WEC - You get what you pay for.
Last year the WEC rounds (other than Le Mans) were pretty much the same as the ELMS online coverage. For 2014, the WEC decided to charge a subscription fee for all rounds (other than Le Mans). This was a last minute surprise for those of us dependent on online coverage and at first even the live timing and scoring would require subscription. At the last minute T&S was made freely available. Like the ELMS, Radiolemans.com provided full live audio commentary of the WEC (including Le Mans) from their website. I bit the bullet and paid the 19.99€ price for the streaming coverage; it was similar in quality to that provided free by the ELMS with Radiolemans.com commentary and standard definition video. While I watched the race on my desktop computer, there are also FIAWEC "apps" for Android and iPad as well (subscription required). Like the ELMS, there is no public archive of the full race videos. Personally I don't mind paying the nominal fee for video, it beats paying a cable TV provider monthly for a bundle of channels I don't want at a much higher fee just to watch the races I want, even if that were an option (which for me it isn't). While not free, offering streaming video with excellent commentary is a key element in growing the fan base. About that commentary: there are some changes coming, so I will probably supplement the streaming video with a separate Radiolemans.com audio stream.
TUSCC - How to lose fans and (negatively) influence people.
For the first three rounds of the TUSC Championship there was free full live video streaming with commentary by Fox Sports, echoing the Fox Sports TV coverage in the U.S. combined with timing and scoring on the IMSA website. It came as quite a surprise to find out that live video of the TV broadcast of the Laguna Seca rounds were not available to me at all. The only live video I could get were from several on-board cameras with nothing but the ambient sounds in the cars. Live timing and scoring was available on the IMSA website, and audio commentary could be had on the MRN.com website. In previous years the ALMS worked with ESPN/ABC television in the U.S. and in addition provided free, full-race live streaming video with commentary supplied partially by John Hindhaugh and Jeremy Shaw (who are normally heard on Radiolemans.com). The switch to Fox Sports (in the U.S) meant that fewer people could actually watch the race on TV (Fox Sports is less available in cable packages), and with the elimination of free live streaming even fewer fans can watch live than last year in the ALMS (Grand-Am never had live online streaming). This loss of online streaming can't do anything but discourage the fan base; it is another example of TUSCC shooting itself in the foot. The elimination from North American endurance racing of the excellent audio coverage provided in the past by Radiolemans.com compounds this error. The only good thing in the TUSCC online coverage package is that full races and qualifying sessions are publicly archived on the IMSA website and on YouTube. My Roku 3 TV set-top box has a YouTube channel, so I can watch full races on the larger screen, once they are posted (1-2 days after the race), but it's better than listening to MRN live. Oh yes, and the archives are available in 720p HD. BTW, the ALMS and Grand-Am channels on YouTube have those complete races archived there too.
Final Thoughts
The ELMS and WEC should really archive their race videos. If the WEC need to protect their subscription revenue, they could post them long after the race is run, or at the end of the season. Those archives are an historical record and could serve to grow their fan base. Charging a subscription fee, especially on coverage that was previously available for free, is tricky. On the one hand the revenue can be used to improve coverage and delivery, on the other you may price yourself out of favor with your existing fans and you will be restricing your contact with potential new fans. Personally I don't mind paying a nominal fee, it is far better than what TUSCC has done with their live online coverage. What TUSCC has done right is providing archives of full races and qualifying sessions (with commercials edited out!) for on-demand viewing. I would like to see live race streams available as channels for TV set-top boxes (e.g. Roku, AppleTV, Chromecast etc.) preferably for free, but as a paid channel as a last resort. This would make the viewing experience easier for those who can't follow these races on broadcast/cable TV or afford going to the track. All three series need to do a better job of publicizing their online offerings. The last minute and un-announced changes are really not on; there is no excuse for them. There should be a well-designed web page that concisely describes the online coverage that should include answers to questions like: Will there be a live video stream? Is their a separate audio-only stream? Will it be free? Will it be geoblocked? Is their and app or TV set-top channel? What devices are supported? What time and dates are the races? Will qualifying be covered? How about timing and scoring? Will the videos be archived? You can find most of this information on the current websites, but not always in one place, and sometimes not in a timely manner. There is a need to make this information more timely, complete, clear and concise, and easily navigated.
Useful Links
ELMS Live Stream on Dailymotion:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xpl59v_european-le-mans-series-2014-live_auto
TUSCC Channel on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC58em84jwiyM20qR-iqBDZw
