They do Opening Round (which can vary, though the contract stipulates that it must be in New South Wales), Darwin and the Bathurst 1000.
1 Like
No worries. I also wish that too because it’s only logical that the increase goes hand-in-hand.
1 Like
Ah ok, I thought Bathurst was a street circuit?
Nope, but it is otherwise a public street with a strict 60km/h speed limit and there are hotels/motels/homes on it.
1 Like
Isn’t that the same thing? 
1 Like
I mean, strictly speaking it is. But I would call Bathurst these days more of a race track opened to traffic rather than streets closed off for racing. It races a lot closer to a permanent track compared to something like the Gold Coast or Adelaide.
2 Likes
Don’t think Nine nor Ten stood a chance with ex-Seven favourite Warburton being at the helm again… Like a revolving door. He’ll probably be back at Seven again one day… Then Supercars yet again… And repeat.
2 Likes
Looks like a dud deal that does nothing to grow the sport in any way.
1 Like
Technically it is but you could argue that it’s pretty much a racetrack now that is also a public road. They have done so much work there now, plus on top of that the last few years they have even had track days there.
1 Like
little late to this but…
The street races tend to have significant amounts of government investment and there’s usually an expectation from them that those races appear on free TV.
3 Likes
Pretty poor rights deal. Very limited free to air. This sport is becoming more and more irrelevant.
3 Likes
It’s hard to argue Supercars having 40%+ of their season on FTA (including the Aus GP round airing on 10) gives them ‘very limited’ exposure.
Yes, having one less round shown on FTA than under the current deal isn’t great either for those who don’t have Kayo/Foxtel or from a marketing perspective (saying 50% of the season on FTA is a better sell). However, Supercars FTA exposure is a lot more than some sports get.
1 Like
One weekend between March and October doesn’t sound great
3 Likes
It may be 40% but it fails to be in the consciousness of the public. They’ve got the mix all wrong. I don’t care that much any way, I don’t watch it but they’re not doing themselves any favors. It’s a niche sport.
Taking the finals series in full doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room for the rest of the season
3 Likes
They aren’t even doing that. Sandown will be Fox exclusive the same as this year.
Sure, but how else might they do it without having more races? As soon as you take the opening round, Bathurst, and Adelaide, you aren’t left with a lot of flexibility. It makes sense they take the Gold Coast as the post-Bathurst event race and start of the finals. But if you take Sandown, you have nothing between the opener and Bathurst. Townsville is in about the middle of that gap and makes for the best racing of the circuits they have.
Without paying for more races, this is the reality of the deal.
1 Like
Townsville usually aligns with the afl bye rounds
1 Like
Also good when there’s a Cowboys NRL home game on the Saturday evening, so one could enjoy the races in the afternoon then the footy in the evening, as was the case this year.
Speedcafe also notes that:
Another quirk of the broadcast agreement means that any Friday races next season, likely to happen in Sydney, Townsville and Adelaide, will not be on Seven despite them being FTA rounds, thanks to Foxtel’s Friday exclusivity deal.
1 Like