Off-Season Priority: Online Streaming Of SiriusXM Channel 128

After the television disaster that was the 2009 Chase for the Championship, it's very clear that solutions for bringing fans back to the sport in 2010 have to include more options than just TV.

Click here to view a copy of the press release announcing the extension of exclusive online rights to NASCAR content. It was January of 2008 when Paul Brooks, the president of the NASCAR Media Group, chose to continue down this road.

All online NASCAR content was licensed to an outside group. That one decision has brought all kinds of interesting consequences where the sport's worldwide Internet exposure is concerned. While this rights deal also includes video distribution, our topic here today is an audio issue.

"Time to get Sirius NASCAR content online" was the title of a TDP column in early August. It was clear at that time that all three of the major NASCAR series had problems. One simple change would have meant more exposure for the sponsors, drivers and the sport in general. Unfortunately, it never happened.

Currently, SiriusXM Satellite radio has a streaming option that is easily available. For a fee, users are allowed to stream content on desktops and laptops through a simple player. Due to the online contract referenced above, NASCAR content is not allowed.

"No Sirius NASCAR channel on iPhones" was a TDP column from June of this year. A new app for iPhones that streamed SiriusXM was rolled out but received bad reviews. It was not for the technology, but for the programming that was not included. NASCAR was right at the top of the list.

SiriusXM works best when installed in vehicles. The portable receivers work only when attached to a designated satellite antenna. The signal does not penetrate buildings and has proven to be impossible to monitor live even when walking through the rooms of a normal house. Like DirecTV, the SiriusXM signal is from a satellite. This technology is not going to change.

SiriusXM was recently saved from bankruptcy by a third-party investor who arrived at the last possible moment. The hazy subscriber numbers are possibly slightly less than the 19 million quoted by Yahoo! Finance. True subscriber numbers are impossible to obtain.

The weekday NASCAR programs on SiriusXM Channel 128 are produced in a studio right up the road from the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. Most of the on-air and production staff are affiliated with NASCAR's own MRN Radio Network, which gets paid to provide the programming.

That shows just how murky and interconnected the NASCAR media world really is behind the scenes. Basically, SiriusXM Channel 128 is not streamed online because NASCAR sold its own Internet rights for profit. Now, the company that holds those rights wants money to allow that to happen.

Click here for a November blog post from Bruce Simmons that references this topic. SiriusXM veteran Dave Moody has often had to recite this answer to angry callers.

The only person who can solve this problem is the man who created it, Paul Brooks. Regardless of how a solution occurs, not having the SiriusXM NASCAR channel available online in 2010 would be a strategic loss for the entire sport at a critical time. A very critical time.

The line-up of NASCAR and media personalities who flow through SiriusXM on the weekdays is unmatched by any TV series or website. Events that happen at the racetrack are discussed by fans, reporters and the personalities who were actually involved. It's not uncommon to have a NASCAR personality hear something on SiriusXM and call-in to address it directly.

Don't try to make the argument that fans should go and buy a SiriusXM receiver. NASCAR fans are interested in only one channel. Whether Channel 128 is streamed online at NASCAR.com or the Sirius.com website makes no difference. Races may not be included and that is understood. NASCAR.com has its own agenda on race day.

Let's focus on just one thing. Getting this done. Brooks has to lead a task force that will get everyone to the table with the single agenda of sorting this out. Revenue sharing from subscription fees, NASCAR lessening rights payments or making NASCAR.com the only source for the service are three topics that have already been suggested as the pathway to a solution.

If this does not happen before the Daytona Speedweeks, the sport will have missed out on a key opportunity to extend a valuable weekday service to what appears to be a rapidly shrinking fan base.

TDP welcomes your opinion on this topic. To add your comment, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thank you for taking the time to stop by The Daly Planet.

Live Blogging The Kyle Busch Press Conference (2PM ET - SPEED)

Here we go with another special from SPEED. This time it is Sprint Cup Series driver Kyle Busch who is making the announcements.

Busch will be live on SPEED and streamed on the SPEEDtv.com website at 2PM ET. He will be revealing the details of his new Camping World Truck Series team. The telecast will be hosted by SPEED's Rick Allen.

This is important to SPEED because the CWTS is the only major NASCAR series on SPEED. The network had solid success this season and actually experienced a slight rise in the TV ratings.

This post will serve to host your comments about the live press conference on both SPEED and the SPEEDtv.com website. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for taking the time to stop by.

Day Two: Is Showtime Right For NASCAR TV?

Over the past several years, we have all watched the amount of long-form NASCAR TV programming during the weekdays dwindle. While we have welcomed NASCAR Now and Race Hub, those TV series are primarily geared at news and daily events.

There was a time when NASCAR had a lot more diverse TV programming. Historical races, behind the scenes programs and shows that featured the kind of high-end glossy editing that has been the trademark of the NASCAR Media Group.

Tuesday, NASCAR.com offered the following press release:

Showtime Sports has signed a multi-year deal with NASCAR to produce and televise premium television's first weekly highlights and analysis show dedicated to auto racing. Inside NASCAR will premiere on at 10 p.m. ET Feb. 10, 2010, on Showtime immediately following the season finale of Inside The NFL, and will consist of 38 one-hour episodes corresponding with the Sprint Cup Series' 38-week season.

Produced in conjunction with the Emmy Award-winning NASCAR Media Group, Inside NASCAR will be taped at the new, state-of-the-art production facility at NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C. The host and analysts for Inside NASCAR are to be announced in the coming weeks.

You can click here to read the entire article directly from the NASCAR.com website.

As the news of a major new TV series started to creep through the NASCAR fan base, the emails and Twitter messages began to have a familiar theme. While the idea of a new mid-week series was welcomed, the network location was not.

Showtime is owned by the CBS Corporation and also operates the FLIX and Movie Channel franchises. There are about ten different versions of the Showtime brand, including HD and family channels. The total subscriber base is about 13 million homes. Compare that to 75 million for SPEED or 98 million for ESPN2.

Getting Showtime for cable television users means buying an extended package that is usually centered around what used to be called movie channels. Now, the cable companies package them together but there is an additional monthly charge. Showtime is referred to as a premium network.

Last year, NASCAR also began a multi-year relationship with the Comcast-owned VERSUS cable network. Quest for the Cup was a September to November show that focused on the Chase for the Championship. VERSUS brings 64 million homes to the table, but that short series has come and gone. A big mid-week series like Inside NASCAR on VERSUS would have been a huge boost to the sport.

Currently, fans are waiting to see if SPEED renews This Week in NASCAR. This is the only weekday primetime NASCAR show on for the entire season. ESPN2's NASCAR Now Monday program airs at 5PM ET and then repeats after midnight.

Fundamentally, it kind of rubs me the wrong way that the first major series produced by The NASCAR Media Group from the new Hall of Fame studios is going to a premium movie channel. As with many of those who spoke up on this topic, I do not have any movie channels because my viewing centers around sports and news. Subscribing to Showtime for a one-hour weekly show would be an issue.

How do you feel about NASCAR putting all this time and effort into a major TV series only to have it appear only on Showtime? Are you going to subscribe to the service to see this program next season? Let us know how you feel.

To add your opinion on this topic, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting. Thanks for taking the time to drop by The Daly Planet and express your opinion.