[WRC] News & rumours (part III)

[car]

This might be a bit of an optimistic and over-idealistic way of seeing the service. I would agree that rallying would likely attract more people if WRC+ were a free service, but the consequences of it being free would be hard not to spot. I can see both positives and negatives coming from this.

First of all there would be advertising during live stages (and probably highlight shows as well). This would be the only realistic way of WRC Promoter earning some cash while they're at it. Also, when you and I pay 39.99 € annually (which isn't much) for our subscription, we're contributing to WRC Promoter to make the service better. This allows for more cameras, more renowned colour commentators (Luis Moya, Craig Breen etc.) and better equipment in general. We help fund these broadcasts through our annual payment.

I do however agree to quite an extent with what you're writing. I just propose a different way of doing it. It's quite baffling to me that you cannot test WRC+ for an extended period of time before purchasing it. The best WRC Promoter has offered all season is "Try one month for 1 € if you sign up for our newsletter". Despite 1 € not being much, it's still hardly a bargain as just one month isn't a long time. You only have about one rally to make up your mind.

The first full year should be free to all. Full stop. Also, they should target new fans of the sport. Why not give schools and other institutions codes to pass onto their students? This could be sort of a "save 50-75% on your subscription for as long as you're in school". This would not only bring in more young fans (and seeing that your friends are enjoying rallying could make you jump on board as well) and let's face it, the youth is the future of the sport. Let's get kids interested in rallying - and schools being able to offer big savings on a subscription (or perhaps even being able to make it free for their students) would be a massive boost to WRC+ as well as our sport in general. This would also (hopefully) secure these fans for the future, where they'd be paying subscribers for a long, long time after they've finished school.

Thanks for the reply. A lot of what you say makes sense, but I can't see past the fact that the WRC seems to think it has such a fantastic product to offer that it is worth paying for... I don't think it is at all. The WRC+ coverage is poor and, more importantly, the WRC itself is in a crap state.
I can open my computer and watch a whole afternoon of World Rallycross just by clicking a link. I wouldn't watch Rallycross if I couldn't do this, hence, they have gained another viewer... job done.
WRC needs to provide a good, free, digital service (and yes, like you said, it could be paid for through advertising) so it can start to build a fan-base again, which in turn will generate more manufacturer interest.

[car]

Loeb has left Citroen for good and gone to Peugeot. They won't bring him back again.... or will they?

Who knows? Do you have some more 'inside' information again?

[dodge33cymru]

Loeb has left Citroen for good and gone to Peugeot. They won't bring him back again.... or will they?

That's like leaving Pepsi for Mountain Dew, it's the same office with a different brand.

[rallyace]

Thanks for the reply. A lot of what you say makes sense, but I can't see past the fact that the WRC seems to think it has such a fantastic product to offer that it is worth paying for... I don't think it is at all. The WRC+ coverage is poor and, more importantly, the WRC itself is in a crap state.
I can open my computer and watch a whole afternoon of World Rallycross just by clicking a link. I wouldn't watch Rallycross if I couldn't do this, hence, they have gained another viewer... job done.
WRC needs to provide a good, free, digital service (and yes, like you said, it could be paid for through advertising) so it can start to build a fan-base again, which in turn will generate more manufacturer interest.

Some very good points. I myself have not watched rallycross other than for a few sporadic moments if I catch it on the TV, so I don't know much about its media presence or how it's promoted. The way you're describing it sounds like a very clever marketing strategy, and I would agree that the WRC could learn from this and try to implement this in the areas where it's possible within the WRC.

Interesting view on the WRC thinking it has a solid product in WRC+. I've personally always been very fond of the service and enjoyed it greatly, but I hear many people with less than positive views. I do agree that it could definitely be a better service, especially if they were to replace Jon Desborough and indeed broadcast other live stages than the "Mickey Mouse stages" run in city centres (thanks for the expression, Luis Moya!).

All in all I'm torn. For the past year I've kept telling myself that the 39.99 € that I've spent on WRC+ are the best 40 € I've ever spent, mainly because I spend so many hours on WRC+. How many hours of entertainment would I get if I spent 40 € on something else? It equates to a couple of cinema tickets of perhaps a football match. No thanks. These things wouldn't even be in the vicinity of the enjoyment I get out of WRC+ (for a whole year at that), but yes, it definitely does need improving and it's important that the people at WRC Promoter realize this.

[jonkka]

The WRC+ coverage is poor and, more importantly, the WRC itself is in a crap state.

You nailed it, WRC of these days sucks. There is one driver who wins everything everywhere, there are no tight fights for the win nor for any other positions, there is no excitement, there is almost nothing... but a long tradition to follow it.

After every rally I ask myself, is it really worth to waste three days on it any more?

[GigiGalliNo1]

I'm Happy with paying for the WRC+ service, I only watch the live stuff and rarely watch re-play action of in-car footage as some do, comparing drivers.
I know the logistics of covering a Live stage for the WRC and it's horrendous, unless you guys all just want helicopter views with some live in-car footage for the many 20+km stages! Shorter stages can be done but again, this costs a lot of money and if you guys want to pay nothing or so little for the service, then they should (the promoter) just cancel it!

[car]

I'm Happy with paying for the WRC+ service, I only watch the live stuff and rarely watch re-play action of in-car footage as some do, comparing drivers.
I know the logistics of covering a Live stage for the WRC and it's horrendous, unless you guys all just want helicopter views with some live in-car footage for the many 20+km stages! Shorter stages can be done but again, this costs a lot of money and if you guys want to pay nothing or so little for the service, then they should (the promoter) just cancel it!

Cancel it?? I guess you've never heard the phrase 'speculate to accumulate'? They need as many people tuning into WRC as they can. A lot of services (general TV and sports) are shown on the web these days. If they have a decent platform that opens the WRC up to more viewers they need to let people watch it for free.
Until the WRC enjoys (or gets anywhere near) the kind of audiences it had in the past, they are kidding themselves trying to 'sell' the current WRC+ service.
Yeah, I know there are a lot of people who sign up for it, but how much more exposure could they get if it was free... and then even more if the quality/ content was improved.

[GigiGalliNo1]

My point was, you have to invest in it to get the programming better, or exactly what you want. At the moment, I don't believe the WRC has enough sponsorship money to make WRC+ FREE!!

[car]

My point was, you have to invest in it to get the programming better, or exactly what you want. At the moment, I don't believe the WRC has enough sponsorship money to make WRC+ FREE!!

Hmmm... not sure what you mean when you say they should cancel it/ it needs more investment? Anyway, don't red bull own the rights? Last time I heard, they had a few quid.

[AndyRAC]

It doesn't have enough sponsorship because there is little mainstream exposure. Why sponsor, if it's hidden in PayTV/ Paywall with small audiences......

Look at M-Sport, can't find a main Title sponsor - and why would you?

20 years ago today Colin McRae won the WRC Title: it was reported live on BBCradio, it made the TV news, it was on that nights Sportsnignt programme, it was in the papers, etc
Last weeks RallyGB was virtually invisible to 99% of the country.