Thursday, March 10, 2011

New Faces But Same Issues For Showtime


Update: Got some email this week from fans who had just watched "Inside NASCAR" on Showtime. They were upset that profanity from the team radios was used. In fact, that uncensored radio traffic is a centerpiece of the show and something that Showtime promotes on a regular basis. It's only one of the issues associated with this TV series. Here is our column previewing the 2011 version of the show originally published February 9.

Last year NASCAR trumpeted a multi-year agreement for a new weekly TV series that would be produced from the downtown Charlotte, NC studios of the NASCAR Media Group for 2010. Inside NASCAR was going to be a flagship mid-week show with a twist.

Showtime would offer the series to its universe of subscribers and then make the show available online through both the Internet and cell phone streaming technology. It was Sports Business Journal reporter Michael Smith who offered the following information back in 2010 before the series began.

Showtime's new weekly Inside NASCAR show will be available via the Internet and mobile phone, which required clearance from NASCAR's rights holders in that space.

NASCAR Media Group, which manages those multimedia rights, had to clear the broadcast of Inside NASCAR with its TV, web and mobile partners before giving final approval for the new show.


Unfortunately after the studio set was built, the announcers were signed and money changed hands the other shoe dropped. Click here to review "Showtime Throws NASCAR a Curveball" from TDP last January.

The powers that be at Showtime contradicted the NASCAR Media Group and told us they never intended the series to be distributed outside of the Showtime universe. You want to see it, subscribe they said.

The upshot is that a very good NASCAR TV show is only seen by a very small group of fans. That was the worry going in when the deal was announced. Healthy national cable TV networks may have 90 million homes or more across the country. Showtime is available to less than 19 million subscribers and something big is looming on the horizon.

"Netflix streaming added 3.1 million subscriptions during the fourth quarter of 2010 and now has more than 20 million subscribers," said Gary Kim of IPCarrier. "That's more than the total subscribers of premium channels Starz and Showtime, which have 17.3 million and 18.2 million subscribers, respectively. What that means is that Netflix is competing with the premium cable TV channels."

Once you shake-out the Showtime viewers who are there only for the original entertainment shows and movies, the remaining number of viewers for a sports series like Inside NASCAR is tiny. This season, there are also other things that are getting smaller.

Despite adding Kyle Petty as a panelist, Inside NASCAR is downsizing from one-hour to 30 minutes in length. Chris Myers hosts the show with Randy Pemberton, Michael Waltrip and Brad Daugherty as the original panel members.

The Showtime folks are entertainment-oriented and it shows. The big feature of the series is the re-airing of the profanity-laced team radio traffic without editing. The Showtime PR folks refer to this as uncensored scanner audio and boast it is a Showtime exclusive.

“The show aims to bring NASCAR fans deeper inside the sport than ever before,” said Ken Hershman, General Manager of Showtime Sports. “We delivered precisely that in season one. Now, with the new half-hour format, Inside NASCAR will become the fastest show on television.”

If Inside NASCAR has a challenge this season, it will be to provide commentary from four panelists, weekend race highlights and the infamous uncensored scanner audio in a 30 minute format. It has not gone unnoticed that two of the panelists participating in this shorter program are named Waltrip and Petty.

Our original suggestion was to make the show available online at the NASCAR.com website on Fridays, two days later than the 9PM ET Wednesday original air date. Online viewers would get to see what Showtime can do with NASCAR content while Showtime subscribers would still have an exclusive two day window for viewing re-airs.

Perhaps as the Showtime universe of subscribers continues to be affected by Netflix, offering this one series online will become a smart business and public relations decision. After all, that was the original idea when Inside NASCAR was created.

We invite your comments on this topic. To add your opinion, 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.

A Stroll Down Memory Lane


The content below was originally posted on January 1 as a reminder of some key issues that would be present in the sport in 2011. On this Sprint Cup Series off-week, it's interesting to take a peek at what we knew then and what we know now. The comments section is open.

Just click on the title to read the story:

SPEED Will Not Be The NASCAR Network - The new shows for next season have been announced and NASCAR is not well represented. More lifestyle and enthusiast series with none of them about NASCAR. So much for the rumor that it was going to be all NASCAR in 2011.

Can A Video Game Save NASCAR? - The new "NASCAR 2011: The Game" is headed our way in February and the sport has a lot riding on the reception. The designers say the game is off the charts, but some folks are wondering if COT's will excite younger fans.

With Howard Stern Deal Done It's NASCAR Time - Sirius made it official, re-signing Howard Stern and making his show available online as well. Recently, Sirius made a new deal with the NFL that also allows for online streaming. The only major piece of the puzzle missing is NASCAR. It needs to happen now.

The Ethanol Time Bomb - Mainstream media is silent as Ford, Chevy and Toyota sue the EPA to prevent E15 gasoline from being distributed nationally. This is the same E15 that NASCAR just signed as a key sponsor and will run in all three national series in 2011. Good move for NASCAR or worst decision in history of the sport?

Can ESPN Save The NASCAR Hall Of Fame? - There are lots of suggestions on how to increase attendance at this attraction. Why not enlist NASCAR's biggest TV partner and let TV save the day? It makes a lot of sense.

Does The Sprint Cup Series Banquet Belong On TV? - Even with the move to Las Vegas the post-season function has no zip on TV. Does NASCAR need to tailor this event to please the fans or should this be a night for sponsors and teams?

NASCAR Fans About To Be Rebranded - 2011 will bring a new approach to dealing with the public, the media and the fan base. NASCAR is leaning on a group of brand marketers to revamp the sport's public image. These guys talk the talk, but now they have to walk the walk. It's showtime!

Hail To The Chief - NASCAR Chairman Brian France says everything is fine in TV land, the Chase is the best format and nothing major needs to change for 2011. I'll have some of what he's having please!

Thanks for stopping by The Daly Planet . 2011 is our fifth season of talking about NASCAR TV and media topics. It never would have worked without your participation. Thank you.

We invite your comments. To add your opinion, just click on the comments button below. This is a family-friendly website, please keep that in mind when posting.