ESPN times

[none]

I accessed the link and submitted a positive message (During 2014 we certainly enjoyed...) and a request to continue the coverage. Got an autoreply e-mail right away ("Thank you for contacting ESPN Customer Care. We will respond to your email promptly...") and hope enough folks contact them (all y'all and more!) to convince them.

 

[vegasnitro]

We can email them (and I certainly have), but they have the stats. They know how often every Friday night show and every Sunday show was accessed on ESPN3 and for how long. The data says it's not a viable proposition for them. OR, this is a negotiation ploy with NHRA to get them to pay more money, in which case NHRA would ask to see the stats ...

I guess I am going to have to develop an actual social life rather than sit on the computer watching ESPN3 by myself on Friday nights LOL.

 

[Randy]

Holy Crap! Alan Reinhart is on line, I thought he was banned.......
AR

Who's Alan Reinhart?

 

[J]

Its prob some dipshit move to try up the ratings for espn2

 

[HEMI6point1]

Its prob some dipshit move to try up the ratings for espn2

Yep, as pissed as I am about this, it's probably to save the ratings for the ESPN2 show. But to "save the ratings" by making people feel they have no other option is going to hurt them in the long run IMO.

 

[justafan]

I guess I am going to have to develop an actual social life rather than sit on the computer watching ESPN3 by myself on Friday nights LOL.

Exactly, in addition to spending my entire Sunday afternoon in front of my computer too.

 

[vegasnitro]

Exactly, in addition to spending my entire Sunday afternoon in front of my computer too.

Yup ... I would watch on Sunday so I could see alcohol and pro mod.

 

[d'kid]

And Sometimes... It's all you have left... Thank You ESPN... Guess I need to go and find a cheap pistol...

is that all there is? why keep dancing?

 

[MHayes]

Friday gone, but Sunday will continue.....

http://www.competitionplus.com/drag-racing/news/29827-nhra-to-discontinue-friday-espn3-com-broadcast

 

[Powell8]

"The Sunday ESPN3.com broadcast will continue." Hope that is true, it is still not listed on the site for Sunday.

 

[Percboy]

Friday gone, but Sunday will continue.....

http://www.competitionplus.com/drag-racing/news/29827-nhra-to-discontinue-friday-espn3-com-broadcast

I think our " requests" made a difference, still going to miss Fridays.
The quote about not covering Fridays ..."shuffle the cost of the show into other areas", makes no sense. All they need to do is stream the camera feed that is already taping (sans announcers , etc) . I.E no additional costs.

 

[turbo ken]

I think our " requests" made a difference, still going to miss Fridays.
The quote about not covering Fridays ..."shuffle the cost of the show into other areas", makes no sense. All they need to do is stream the camera feed that is already taping (sans announcers , etc) . I.E no additional costs.

Good idea but the NHRA won't use it because it's a good idea.

 

[HEMI6point1]

That is good that the Sunday stream will live on. Indifferent on the Friday stream as I never got a chance to watch it anyway.

 

[vegasnitro]

I think our " requests" made a difference, still going to miss Fridays.
The quote about not covering Fridays ..."shuffle the cost of the show into other areas", makes no sense. All they need to do is stream the camera feed that is already taping (sans announcers , etc) . I.E no additional costs.

The announcers don't usually announce the Friday sessions, they are presented as a highlight package on the Saturday Qualifying TV show. So they are doing extra work with the talent and production teams (on screen graphics, replays, etc). Then there is the issue of infrastructure on ESPN's website and the bandwidth requirements of the users streaming the show, not to mention the bandwidth requirements on site at the track to upload it to ESPN so we can stream it. If this is done via their satellite uplink (the way TV is done) rather than some sort of land based connection, the costs can be quite prohibitive, not to mention that locks out a channel on the satellite that can be used for no other purposes during that time.

So it makes sense to keep the Sunday feed up all day on ESPN3 if they are using satellite links back to ESPN, because you would not want to bring the link up and down after every session and risk not getting it back -or- losing your "spot" on the satellite. At least we still get to watch alcohol and pro mods on Sunday!

 

[Percboy]

The announcers don't usually announce the Friday sessions, they are presented as a highlight package on the Saturday Qualifying TV show. So they are doing extra work with the talent and production teams (on screen graphics, replays, etc). Then there is the issue of infrastructure on ESPN's website and the bandwidth requirements of the users streaming the show, not to mention the bandwidth requirements on site at the track to upload it to ESPN so we can stream it. If this is done via their satellite uplink (the way TV is done) rather than some sort of land based connection, the costs can be quite prohibitive, not to mention that locks out a channel on the satellite that can be used for no other purposes during that time.

So it makes sense to keep the Sunday feed up all day on ESPN3 if they are using satellite links back to ESPN, because you would not want to bring the link up and down after every session and risk not getting it back -or- losing your "spot" on the satellite. At least we still get to watch alcohol and pro mods on Sunday!

I was talking about leaving Dunn and the others out of the Friday show (they did commentary and top-end interviews ) to save costs .
As far as bandwidth , this Friday at 7 we have a basketball game with Canisius vs. Manhattan.
We also have Missouri vs. Buffalo (Wrestling) or another feed, Eastern Michigan vs. Northern Illinois (Wrestling), or how about Northern Illinois vs. Central Michigan (W Gymnastics) this Friday at 7.
How much do you think they are spending on bandwidth if they can offer this much programming that has to amount to a handful of viewers ? They wouldnt want to "lock out a channel on the satellite" with drag racing to preempt quality shows like these.
It cant be that cost prohibitive if you are seeing this many shows with these kinds of "ratings" .

 

[none]

This just in from ESPN, 120 million viewers watched the Superbowl on sunday evening, There were fewer complaints from viewers than they receive on a normal Sunday night NHRA drag race.

 

[bdt]

i am just glad they still do it ! we sure got spoiled were great days, but i remember wide world of sports 15 mins of heaven when i was a kid.

 

[vegasnitro]

I was talking about leaving Dunn and the others out of the Friday show (they did commentary and top-end interviews ) to save costs .
As far as bandwidth , this Friday at 7 we have a basketball game with Canisius vs. Manhattan.
We also have Missouri vs. Buffalo (Wrestling) or another feed, Eastern Michigan vs. Northern Illinois (Wrestling), or how about Northern Illinois vs. Central Michigan (W Gymnastics) this Friday at 7.
How much do you think they are spending on bandwidth if they can offer this much programming that has to amount to a handful of viewers ? They wouldnt want to "lock out a channel on the satellite" with drag racing to preempt quality shows like these.
It cant be that cost prohibitive if you are seeing this many shows with these kinds of "ratings" .

The wrestling stuff is buried in the Football TV contracts that conferences have with ESPN (as is lacrosse, swimming, etc). Any women's sport on ESPN3 is a Title IX consideration and/or contractural obligations.

 

[Powell8]

Repeat posting from the other thread:

Hey everybody, ESPN3 is now listing the live feed for 2:00 pm EST!!!! Yes, time to plan a party in spite of the ice and snow here on Long Island!!

 

[Bob]

This subject is probably a little more complicated than some folks realize. I don't know how much TV sports related programming by any network is what is known as "time buy", what the NHRA deal with ESPN is (and is not identified as paid programming like infomercials are), and how much programming time is the result of the network paying for the broadcast rights of an event, league or series. Sometimes networks make money paying for broadcast rights, and sometimes they lose money paying for broadcast rights. Selling "time buy" makes sense to a network when they don't see a potential profit from adding that programming under any other circumstances. That's where buying time gets tricky. You have to line up sponsorships and/or enough dedicated advertisers to cover both the broadcast time and production costs to try to at least break even. No business is in business to lose money.