Future Rally Media Coverage

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Originally Posted by BDunnell

The trouble is that if the sport regains popularity, the obvious response is then to take advantage by starting to charge for access to the stream — and then you run the risk of turning your new-found viewers away, as people simply aren't willing to pay yet.

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There's some cases like that, indeed. But free streaming is a common practice to help raise popularity and that's the major goal... it's something that can be run for a year/season with some sponsor support and then dropped off for the year after that if the sport is becoming more successful or if there's no sponsor to pay for it.
If they start to charge for it after a while, well, it's not impossible but I'm not sure if that would happen... the most possible thing can be the locking of a lot of the media and charge it on their website, like MotoGP... but I think it would require a lot more popularity than I think is reachable in next few years. Although unfortunately it makes more sense for them to charge WRC fans for that, since rally it's usually free to go and see, and circuit races tickets are charged... meaning that fans don't contribute so much for the sport revenues. I hope those business practices stay away from WRC, but we never know...
But then again, there are so many people taking photos and videos right there on the side of the roads, that charging for such things would be useless. Only charging for those live streams would make a bit of sense, if the quality, stages and action could worth it and many fans accepted to pay, which I doubt it...

In German speaking countries it looks good for 2013 according to:
http://www.rallye-magazin.de/rallyes...elt/index.html

Servus-TV: preview + daily highlights (30 min) + summary (60 min)

Sport-1: daily highlights (30 min) + summary on final day (60 min)

NTV: daily highlights + summary

RTL: news progammes and summary during F1 races

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Originally Posted by hari

In German speaking countries it looks good for 2013 according to:
Schöne neue Fernsehwelt*:: rallye-magazin.de

Servus-TV: preview + daily highlights (30 min) + summary (60 min)

Sport-1: daily highlights (30 min) + summary on final day (60 min)

NTV: daily highlights + summary

RTL: news progammes and summary during F1 races

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That's very impressive! From the comments I read on that site though only the summary's are programmed on Servus and N-TV. :confused:

Also in Italy, RAI SPORT (Italian national public-service TV) has bought the tv-rights for 2013 season!

According to iRally, Aljazeera also will be showing 2013 season in the middle east region, but not sure how they will cover it.

From the launch of the Fiesta in Autosport International, Malcolm Wilson indeed confirms that the promoter deal is not signed yet.... Hopefully they sort it out soon, so they can get on with developing the promotion of the sport. FIA seems to be very slow when doing these deals. Probably this is a lesson they learned from the failure of NOS.

M-Sport WRC 2013 reveal - AUTOSPORT International - YouTube
@ 11:25 of video

I was going to say you couldn't make it up - but it's the WRC, so anything is possible. Unbelievable - it was announced in September.......1 week to the Monte....and still not signed??

This morning I recieved this, which is nothing ground breaking, apart from the fact that they claim they will try and listen to what we want!

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Hello Alastair,

I managed to get some more information on this overnight from WRC Digital Media.
Please find the information below:

As new WRC promoter starting in 2013 Red Bull Media House together with the Sportsman Group
are, among other things, busy organizing the upcoming production and distribution of WRC content.
The worldwide tv and media coverage is still in negotiations and will be updated on wrc.com as soon
as possible.

Beside this we´re planning to design further innovative media products (e.g. live program) and restructure
the website, first changes are already visible. Also we´ll work over the social media platforms to bring more
up to date rally content to the WRC fans.

Please remain patient and keep on sending in constructive input - for this purpose we will provide an
extra e-mail address shortly. We´re looking forward to the WRC season 2013 and hope to keep you on board.


I hope this information helps for now.

Kind regards,
Kordula

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I'm pretty sure live coverage will happen at some point. Eurosport have been pioneers in this, but they admitted that the Red Bull offer for WRC promoter was "simply better".

The question is what channels will take it and where.

Good to know they are giving attention to the website and live program(we'll see what's that all about)... at least it shows they are on the move to shake things up.