Flying Finn

WTF?!?!

All I can see is some 2 hr thing on Sunday?

Seriously?! Is this that live internet stream bull**** again?
For Heaven's sake, this is probably the 2nd most prestige motor race in existence and 60th anniversary and it's not show on the only Motorsport channel in US!
Is endurance racing's popularity really this low here?

Nizer

It's too hard to understand and there aren't enough cool crashes, plus there are a lot drivers with weird foreign sounding names - basically it's not NASCAR.

Streak

Worst media package ever. Atherton should be canned and the Intersport Media Group that brokered the deal should be inundated with flaming bags of poo.

I can't even get the stream because I'm on Directv. Dish and Directv are about 40 MILLION households and they CAN'T get espn3 to watch the live stream. Pretty fvcking stupid.

Even if I could get the stream my internet, like many not living in the city, is horrible. I get 1.5 up/down. Not 15, 1.5! It literally takes me 5 minutes to watch a 3 minute video. It is in a constant state of buffering.

There really should be another option for those that don't get espn3. Why would you artificially limit your audience? Make the alms.com feed accessible and in SD or HD. Simple solution but they signed a 3 year contract and it sucks. I'll bet when it's up for renewal they'll do it again. By coming back to TV they would admit their huge media blunder so we're screwed forever.

It makes me wonder if the media package had something to do with Risi leaving. They were pissed about it and if the race isn't on TV how do you sell a sponsorship package?

They do put it up on alms.com later but by then who cares?

NaroEscape

My understanding is that Nascar - owner of Grand Am - leaned heavily on Speed (or should we call it Nascar TV) to NOT renew with ALMS. So they were out. At the time, VS. network had the deal with IRL, so they really didn't want ALMS, and any other network that made any sense wanted to charge ALMS way too much to carry it (technically, so did VS. but they weren't really interested). It would be nice if the new Velocity Network (former HD Theater) would take it, or ANYBODY.

I watched the Sebring Sunday highlight package thing last year and it was horrible. The action they showed was fine, but you couldn't follow the race....they go to commercial, and it's now 3 hours later and dark.

Unfortunately, it's really all about money - it's never about the fans...

David in Chicago

But ..... wait ..... they say it's "all for the fans," don't they?

Seriously, ALMS has entered the third circle of commercial TV hell.

In the first circle, you can sell your product to TV (ie: get shown on TV at the expense of the TV network). Obviously, this is ideal - NASCAR got so much from FOX in its last deal that it almost bankrupted FOX (just at the moment FOX was turning into the Goliath it now is).

In the second circle, you pay TV networks to carry your racing. I think this is what IRL is having to do to stay on TV and it's what ALMS used to do. In other words, the series is paying to be on TV so sponsors will be attracted to the teams - the sanctioning body is indirectly subsidizing the teams.

And in the third circle, where ALMS currently finds itself, you can't even come up with the scratch to buy your way on to TV. As a result, you invent the story line about moving to "new media" in an effort to shield your public shame at offering a product which, while technically superior, no one wants to watch.

These are dark times.

93 FireHawk 968

I believe 2011 wasn't televised either. Tough to grow a sport when potential and existing fans can't view the product.

Doc GTO

It's a bunch if BS . . .

stuttgart46

Or their sponsors.

JoeMag

...what channel is the two hour Sunday thing on?

The Brewmeister

I've heard that the entry list is pretty lame. Only 2 LMP1 cars entered.

wanna911

The entry list is fine (for now) with all of the European teams here. But after Sebring, it will be pathetic. Will look like a superfast DE.

NaroEscape

Obviously it would be wonderful - but will never happen - if there was only 1 Series, like the combining of IRL and CART. Then you could have 4 classes:

P1 - current ALMS Prototype cars. Come up with a spec somewhere between LMP1 and LMP2, or some variant of that forumla
P2 - Grand Am DP ish cars, or we'll call them 'lesser' prototypes that are more affordable - somewhere between DP and LMPC....
GT1 - ALMS GT class cars (RSR and such)
GT2 - Grand AM GT - more the modified cup cars, which is KINDA what GTC is...

One series, 4 classes, covering Daytona, Sebring, Petit, Laguna, Watkins Glen, Mosport, Mid Ohio, Road America, Miller, VIR, Sears Point, Limerock, etc. and a few street circuits (Long Beach, etc).

Now THAT would be a great series to watch...

Nizer

ABC

http://www.americanlemans.com/races/...-hours-sebring

uscarrera

Was at Sebring yesterday 12 hour field looked very strong, some good cars and interesting prototypes. Will be back on Saturday for the full race will report back on field and fan base. When I went to 24hr of Daytona this year the fans in attendance was the largest I had seen in years. It was the 50th anniversity at the 24 hr race but it is the 60th year of Sebring so we will see if crowd size fiollows. The Cup car race yesterday was great a real strong field and some interesting action at our viewing location turn 7.
Rich

fjpdds

I have Charter and ESPN3 is a no go. No Sebring for me. ALMS....what a crap media package.