Left to right; Bryce, Erik (Hall of Fame), Norris (Hall of Fame), Todd, Mike, James, Tim (Hall of Fame) and Wally
Usually every year the various media members bemoan the declining state of newspaper and magazines, suggesting that companies need to sponsor all manner of racing teams or series to spread success onto new generations of fans. The accelerating loss of mainstream media continues but it did not take up much time with the panel, they instead talked about the move to streaming on every manner of platforms - away from major networks or standard cable tv packages. A lot of sports, motorsports included, have a niche market where viewers will have to seek out viewing options and pay extra for the pleasure of watching their favourite series - if they are even available. Wally Nesbitt acknowledge that Inside Track Motorsports News is also available online as a digital copy and some of their features, like race standings, are only posted online.
Todd Lewis noted that broadcasters have to know of a demand and suggests that people provide feedback about their viewing requirements to their carriers. Due to these type of contacts Sportsnet has agreed to stream the first IndyCar race for free (Firestone Grand Prix of St Petersburg which Josef Newgarden won followed by Scott Dixon and Will Power).
The future of television really is the future of streaming. Costs will increase as the bulk purchasing power through many eyeballs is diluted by the power of the internet and we have to buy more niche programming. While it seems that sports is a sure bet for niche marketing, it will also fall to normal television programming as markets are fragmented. Time to use Neflix, Apple TV, Crave TV, etc in place of a single cable tv package. It will be interesting to see if we will get into pay-per-view for each race, or series we want to watch as opposed to a yearly or monthly subscription fee. But we will be able to watch what we want, when we want and on the devices we want.
Bryce Turner pointed out that several drivers are coming back to full time racing due to sponsors stepping up to get the teams back on the track. Two recent examples are Jason Hathaway and Mark Dilley who will join the field in the upcoming NASCAR Pinty's Series stockcar 2019 racing season.
Some other topics of interest included the following.
1. Importance of eSports and virtual racing. Viewers will be able to see actual races from the drivers viewpoint and through online gaming.
2. Canada now has an F1 team with driver Lance Stroll.
3. NASCAR Pinty's Series will have a new tire starting this year from General Tire replacing Goodyear tires.
4. The move to hybrid and electric race cars away from the combustion engines (20 plus years).
And don't forget all the great vehicles taking part in Motorama 2019! See more of the cars (and the model) after the jump.
Batman under the hood
Checking out the modified cars in the Spring Fever hall
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