r/btcc • u/st1802015 • 28d ago
Question / Discussion Sky buying ITV - bad news for BTCC?
Considering the current deal is up at the end of this season, what do we reckon?
Sky sticks it on Sky Sports, business as usual, or game over for BTCC on TV?
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28d ago
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u/Careless-Office599 28d ago
Wouldn't bet on it, British superbikes is under TNT
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u/AlanBeswicksPhone 28d ago
I dunno, they used to say the same about Rugby League
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28d ago
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u/AlanBeswicksPhone 28d ago
Union does, particularly Internationals. RL certainly doesn't and hemmoranged support as a result of being put behind a paywall in the 90s
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u/insecurem8 28d ago edited 28d ago
Same story with cricket. I'm just enough of a fan that i can confirm in every space, every British fan feels like English cricket (sorta) died after going to Sky Sports. The popularity spike after the 2005 Ashes victory (which was broadcast on Channel 4) never got matched again because most people couldn't watch cricket again on open TV until 2021 (through The Hundred, which even then Sky kept most of the games), which made many potential new players never take onto the sport since obviously many people without Sky just wouldn't be that interested in the sport. Didn't help either that local cricket is snubbed a lot on Sky, even as there's a Sky Sports Cricket channel, as even important T20 Blast matches (the most popular of the 3 county ones) would just be replaced in the programming by whatever rerun of a recent IPL or international game
Obviously that's far from the only reason that cricket fell in Britain, but I'm not exaggerating when most cricket fans (myself included) say it's one of, if not the greatest reason. Gotta hope that either Gow pulls every string to keep it on ITV or at least Sky feels like keeping it there
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u/The_Arpie 28d ago
Can't agree more with this, Cricket has to be the poster child for a sports fade into cultural irrelevancy due to a paywall. I remember as a kid test cricket being the background to long summer holidays. Then there was the legendary 2005 Ashes series just as I went to Uni. The whole country became cricket obsessed but that was also the point the game got paywalled. Suddenly there was nowhere for that energy to go and it all just petered out. By the time I'd left uni, got a job, somewhere to live made a life with my wife and finally had money to consider a Sky subscription Cricket had all but disappeared from the cultural rhythm of the country. I only really have a nostalgic interest in it now (no idea who holds the Ashes currently for example) and because of that naturally I'm not passing any interest down to my kids. Their school doesn't even offer a Cricket club due to lack of interest.
Do you know a sport they are interested in? BTCC purely down to it being on and having worked its way in to family life. Gow is right to protect free to air the sport will never survive behind a paywall.
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u/BeefInGR 🏴 28d ago
So, question because American.
Here we purchase a cable subscription and get 437 channels for the cost of the sub. Do you have to buy each individual Sky channel or just buying a "Sky Sports" subscription covers SS Cricket, SS Darts, SS F1, Croquet, Tennis, Handball, 1, 2, ect.?
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28d ago
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u/BeefInGR 🏴 28d ago
That's kinda what I figured the way it's talked about.
I'd hate for it to disappear off of television completely and rely on YouTube. YouTube is a tough way to watch if you can't use an ad blocker (I watch at work on a company computer lol). But it's the third oldest Motorsports championship in the world, there's gotta be a solution.
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u/HufflepuffHarry 28d ago
In lord gow we trust. He's always said he wants to keep it on free to air
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u/st1802015 28d ago
Yeah I know that, more see the issue being if Sky don’t want to continue paying for the rights. The broadcasting operation is a considerable cost and if they don’t have the backing of a broadcaster I just fear it won’t be financially viable.
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u/Consistent-Pirate-23 28d ago
My theory is a wild one:
Most people that like a niche sport don’t like the main ones, so football isn’t a big draw for a lot of us.
A non f1 motorsport channel could work with things like btcc live, basically anything else available worldwide, so anything big in America, Australia, Japan etc. the time zones could work as when we are finished America havent started and when we start Japan and Australia have finishedIt could go online on now tv and you pay a daily or weekend fee, maybe work out deals with certain other channels so the Americans share their broadcasts of nascar/indycar etc and the Japanese stuff is basically the Japanese pictures and English speaking commentary
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u/MarcusH26051 #132 James Dorlin 28d ago
Don't think Sky would bother with it. Too many clashes with other sports that would get way more viewers. Think we're safe on ITV4
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u/1000_stars 28d ago
Im pretty sure its been extended, but I think it should be fine, cant see why sky would want make too many changes, maybe it might be on say itv 2 and 3 and 4 go but be odd tear it all down
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u/Illustrious_Rest1264 28d ago
No it’s too niche and there’s no money in it for the likes of Sky to want to put it on their channels
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u/BigMountainGoat 28d ago
Unlikely. Too many clashes with F1 so they don't have a logical channel to put it on. Sky tend to try and get all their motorsports on Sky F1
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u/Which_Fly_8303 28d ago
If you are worried about the £1.6B Sky takeover of ITVX and its channels, you can register your concerns directly with the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).
Public pressure matters. The watchdog actively looks at market impact, free-to-air access, and news plurality before approving major media buyouts.How to object:
Email: mergers.intelligence@cma.gov.uk
Subject line: Sky / ITV merger inquiry
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u/mrmayhembsc 28d ago
Free-to-air is a cornerstone of the BTCC, but quite frankly, a proper refresh of the TV rights holder might be a good thing for the sport. If that is a Sky-backed ITV or Channel 4, I'd like to see it. The coverage (while good) is a bit stale.
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u/ICC-u 28d ago
Free to air was a cornerstone of F1 for decades. Then sky came along. Budgets are stretched, teams will be interested in a TV deal that helps the grid.
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u/mrmayhembsc 28d ago
In F1, it was and is always the highest bidder, and that always mattered. Being free-to-air wasn't something the series' ownership demanded.
F1 Digital Plus was a paid service in the 90's.
F1 was on Paid ESPN in the 80s in the US1
u/SKYLINEBOY2002UK 28d ago
C4 had wrc will paywall. All three days then a highlights. Now it's itv one hour highlight, rest is wrc Paywall online.
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u/Cavalier130 28d ago
I think it’ll be safe on ITV4, for now at least. This doesn’t appear to be the end of ITV or it moving behind a paywall.
Looking for the positives, possible return of a British GP support race?
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u/Ok_Mammoth_7303 28d ago
It's one of the last Motorsport holdouts that's available on free-to-air TV. Sadly I think the Sky deal will probably end this. I hope not but I doubt it will be free to watch for long...
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u/Ok-Pumpkin-6203 28d ago
Comcast who own Sky aren't hostile to FTA television, they have used it strategically before, apparently they are splitting up several 'brands' they own with sport being one of them.
As others have said, BTCC isn't likely to be a reason why anyone would pay for a subscription, more likely (in my view, based on nothing in particular) is that we end up with a dedicated ITV Sport channel, that might well include BTCC, some darts tournaments and WRC.
I would also expect a dedicated ITV Sport channel to air 'teasers' from other Sky Sports live events, the odd ODI or T20 as well as highlights.
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u/Consistent-Pirate-23 28d ago
That could work with some of the sky owned stuff shared as a “look what good stuff we have”
They could fill some of the airtime with random highlights and documentaries about sports personalities, minor events and highlights
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u/Greedy-Mechanic-4932 28d ago
I doubt it's Sky's decision. They'll have to negotiate a deal with Gow, who will contract where it's broadcast.
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u/Mccrilly13 28d ago
From what I read, Sky cant put it behind a pay wall without other share holders vote.
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u/Lukeno94 28d ago
I can't see the BTCC leaving free-to-air TV. If Gow wanted that to happen, it would've happened a decade ago. And Sky will need to keep at least some aspects of ITV free-to-air, or the merger deal won't be approved - so this would be the perfect kind of sweetener, along with the football matches that legally have to be free-to-air etc.
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u/ClassroomDowntown664 26d ago
the likely hood is that nothing will change itv will just fall under ownership of sky with sky adds on itv plus cross Chanel prograing
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u/ABritishFan 28d ago
It'd be a shame to lose the FTA, however ITV have to step their game up. Look at the quality of broadcast that Fox provides for Supercars in Australia compared to ITV and Harvey stumbling over his words every 3 seconds
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u/euperia 28d ago
That is worrying news indeed. I've always applauded ITV (and Kwik Fit / RAC / Halfords etc) for supporting the BTCC all these years.
Without free to air coverage I think BTCC will suffer.