US TV: MotoGP Race To Air Live On Speed At 8AM ET

By David Emmett | Sat, 22/05/2010 - 14:49

Over the past week or so, internet forums and bulletin boards across the US have been ablaze with complaints about the coverage of the French MotoGP Grand Prix at Le Mans. Or rather, the lack of it. For Speed TV - who have the broadcast rights for MotoGP in the USA - had originally planned to show the Le Mans MotoGP race only on Tuesday, two days after the event. Hundreds of emails have flooded into the station's inbox complaining about the lack of live coverage.

Those complaints appear to have helped. The French Grand Prix is now appearing on TV schedules as being shown live on Sunday morning, at 8am Eastern Time. So for anyone based in the US wanting to watch the race live, or record it to watch later, set your DVR to record, and hope the new schedule is correct. After the flood of complaints, a flood of thank you emails to Speed may help ensure that the races are all covered live.

MotoGP
Le Mans, France

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Comments

I'm floored. They have the rights to show every race live (125, Moto2 and MotoGP). I got rid of the expanded cable selection due in some part to the poor offerings from SPEED. I predict that they'll go back to an infomercial or a NASCAR lifestyle program for the next races. Someone needs to get that contract away from SPEED.

Out of curiosity I wonder what was scheduled to air at that time. It had to be an infomercial or something. Why would they get a contract to air MotoGP and choose to air other stuff instead? That makes no sense to me.

When I went online yesterday to confirm their schedule the switch to 8am was already there. They still aren't airing the Moto2 race until Tuesday afternoon, when everyone is at work, and there is an American on the pole in a development class for the first time in 20 years. I suppose that the proliferation of the DVR has something to do with that.

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El Jefe - Chief Editor of MotoRaceReports.com and Dave's biggest fan

While I applaud Speed for putting MotoGP on at all, their coverage still just plain sucks. It seems like there are more commercials than coverage and it totally ruins the continuity of the race. 2 races into the season and I have already pretty well given up on them.
I realize that NASCAR pays the bills but the level which that channel caters to that demographic is nauseating.
I am a hair's breadth away from shelling out for the MotoGP.com video package.

Commercial-free coverage of Free Practice sessions, QP, Warmup, Races, old races, older races, it's totally worth it!
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El Jefe - Chief Editor of MotoRaceReports.com and Dave's biggest fan

It's worth it to skip all the commercials and the added content. Keeping me in on Saturday nights so I can be up at 4:00 to 8:00 am makes the package pay for itself.

No commercials, better more consistant commentating. Every session can be revealed in full. Interviews, updates, videos of the updates.... etc etc. I have given up on speed. Wish all the Motorcycle Race Series offered the same as Motogp online. 'Cause american coverage of motorcycle racing is horrendous. Well worth the money, motogp.com if you are into it and want all that info. If you just want to see the race. Stay with cable.

First, it should be noted that Speed actually responded to the outrage of fans and changed the schedule at the last minute. That says a lot about how far we have come as a market in the US.

Next, my understanding is that the WERA Forums community was central in getting people mobilized.

It should also be noted that Speed will be showing many MotoGP rounds live which they have never done except for the US rounds. That again says something about us as a market.

Lastly, it appears that Jim Liberatore who ran SpeedTV until 2005 (back when they still showed racing) is trying to start a new racing channel. So, go Show your support.

I think the key theme here is that we have a voice and we just need to make sure it is being heard. There are ears out there like never before. Don't let that change for the worse. Perhaps we can do something about the stupid animations with sound that block half the screen and drown out the commentary.

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MotoTheory.com - MotoGP Data & Statistics

For as much as I like to complain, I think NASCAR just needs to have their own dedicated network. They deserve all the success they've achieved. A lot of people are buying their product. I noted my support for the alternative network, but I think a better approach would be to try to purchase secondary live streaming rights and package it to subscribers. I pay the 90 euro for just MotoGP. I'd pay 200 if it included options for live WSBK, national series', World Endurance races. Foreign language commentary would even inspire me to learn new languages! I left a comment that they should look to be the Hulu of streaming motorsports rather than a SpeedTV alternative.

I just think that people looking to them for more than NASCAR would find it easier to stop fooling themselves. When the idea that there already is a channel for motorcycle racing goes away, then alternatives will arise. But as it is, SpeedTV seems like the only customer for Dorna to sell the rights to in the USA.

They must have just changed it a day or two ago, I had checked on Wednesday and they still had some Nazzcar All Star related show on. I'll have to go send them a thank you note, I had sent them a note of displeasure a couple weeks ago.

Me? I'll download the f'n torrent - just like I did for yesterday's FP and today's Qualifying.

SpeedTV- take a lesson from BBC Eurosport 2.

JK
1999 Ducati 900SS
1995 VFR750F

I'm willing to pay to watch the races, but SpeedTV really is the worst case scenario. Here's why I torrent WSBK:

Crap live-coverage, but you can bet Nascar will be 24/7 live
The same 3 Commercials every 2 or 3 laps without fail
To view this, I have to 1) buy a cable package that doesn't directly pay speedtv, but rather my cable company and 2) buy the special cable upgrade package for another $10/mo just to view the speed channel, again this money is not directly going to speedtv. The way I "pay" speedtv is to watch their commercials every few laps, which... I'm here to watch the race, but view a sales pitch for a yamaha rhino golf cart.

If speedtv had an online tv feature where you'd pay a fee to watch races online (and preferably w/o commercial, or at least I might tolerate it if they resumed back to the place they left off in the race) then I'd consider paying for this. I pay Dorna for this who do a really awesome job for MotoGP.

If WSBK.com had an online service like Dorna, I'd gladly pay! But until then, speedtv can go pound stones, I'll just download the races because with their extremely poor business-model, I sincerely doubt speedtv is really losing profit off my non-viewership, anyways.

It is totally beyond me why Speed has the contract to broadcast MotoGP - they are incredibly inept and the on screen guide that I am viewing it is still displaying a Nascar thing. Last night I phoned my satellite TV provider and they told me even though it is incorrectly displayed it will be on. I viewed the last race at 5am and then was going to watch again at 2pm only to find that it was not being shown - instead we got to see them drying the track out at a nascar event!!! They can't even race in the wet!
I am ready to cancel my satellite subscription and get the live feed from Dorna.
Don't know if it possible to record that for viewing again. Any suggestions out there?
Thanks,
Mike

Really the solution that MotoGP.com should look at is Roku. They provide streaming for subscription and PPV content that is normally only available on a PC directly to your TV. I realize a lot of people can do that with their PCs but not everyone can. If it works for MLB and NHL it really should work for MotoGP.

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MotoTheory.com - MotoGP Data & Statistics

So, finally got to watch the race only to have the first 11 minutes given to rider interviews and ads - 2 Americans & 1 Spanish - interesting, but would rather have seem more racing and post race interviews.
What was with not showing Nicki's pass on Pedrosa - instead we get to watch a cheering pit crew. Wow.
Mike

It is frustrating to want to see where the real action is in a race but they cut to the winner crossing the line and sometimes those crew celebrations. In all honesty, the winner and teams deserve to get priority in terms of sponsorship getting a return on investment. The sponsor shouldn't be punished by a rider having a gap at the front to win. they pay to back a winner and the crews work hard to. But I think the video production for the MotoGP feed is a bit off from what the viewer or the English language announcers would prefer. It seems that Gav and Nick always get some odd replay for some unknown reason. I think it's all the same video feed from Dorna and the Spanish language squad must be getting the direction. That or the video director likes to drink a bit too much on Sunday mornings.

I was hoping to log onto MotoGP.com (like I do for every race) and have the race on TV as well. I love the new format MGP has this year, being in HD, and all, but of course I would rather see it on a big screen. I was disappointed to find that Speeds' "live coverage" is about 7 laps off from real time. Needless to say, I ended up watching it on the computer again (I'm not complaining). Oh well, at least Speed made the effort.
For those of you that haven't bought one of the packages offered by MGP, I highly recommend you do. It is by far, IMO, the best way to watch the race.
Hopefully, if Jim Liberatore does start a new channel for racing (I've shown my support), it will show practice and qualification the same way F1 is shown on Speed?

Cheers!
Eddie

Even since I found out you can download the races as a torrent I said to hell with speed! Its been 3yrs and counting and haven't looked back and never will.

Motogp.com on the other hand is well worth it if your a hardcore motorcycle racing nut like some of us here at motomatters.com. Hence that's why we love how David covers all aspects of racing.

and signed up for the MotoGP.com live feed.
In retrospect, I don't know why I waited so long.
For some reason, they even _look_ faster in hi-res and widescreen.
LC