WRC mainclass from 2027

[typhoon]

cool, so can u elaborate a bit more?

Sure! I'll DM you so I won't off topic here

[wyler]

Sure! I'll DM you so I won't off topic here

don't care in dm, is totally in topic... it's for the sake of the discussion.
i'm just curious to understand (and sure other people here also) how much the wrc is worthy/wealthy.

[PLuto]

Sure! I'll DM you so I won't off topic here

Like wyler wrote, we all are interested...

[typhoon]

So, basically that's how it is.

WRC Promoter can get enough money from TV rights, deducted the costs of producing it.

TV production of a WRC event usually needs the following:
1 - A Plane (for the TV signal of stage-side cameras and on-boards to be broadcasted to the mobile Outside Broadcast vans in the Service Park - which produces the "stage mix" and the "onboard mix", therefore to the remote TV control at NEP Finland, where the final product is then mixed and the "global feed" is made and transmitted to the broadcasters)
2 - At least 2 Helicopters (so that while one of them refuels, the other one can continue broadcasting and follow the action)
TV crew
3 - A fully-equipped OB van with its crew
4 - Camera operators on the stages and service

This has an amount of about 350/400K euros per each WRC rally.

Considering that a country like Italy, combining the TV rights sold to Pay TV Sky Sports (for live content) and Free-To-Air channel Rai Sport (highlights packages), it's way above the amount needed for a WRC event, it just needs 14 such deals to cover the whole production for the full season.

Broadcast deals for cross-country networks (like Sony for south-east Asia, etc.) are agreed for much more money than that, so at the end of the year there's quite a big profit on that with the championship as it is. Same applies for TV deals that includes All-Live, which is a premium product than the normal package of 5-6 live stages sold to pay TV. Amounts differs country-by-country, market-by-market and is negotiated based on many factors, like having a "national hero", an event in the specific country, a sponsor that both invest in the championship/teams/drivers that wants to vehicle it through their targeted markets (again Italian example: Toyota fully-sponsored the broadcast on Sky Sports, which bought them at basically half the price, since the other half was covered by that guaranteed sponsorship).

If (big if) the championship reaches a good increase in viewership, with new fresh talents and some more action in terms of different Constructors and eye-catching drivers (like Solberg or Sesks both on full season), those TV deals will be even more profitable.

With that being said, I truly think that the costs for producing WRC on TV is way covered and there's enough money for the teams to be shared. In this case I'm excluding all the calendar fees, licenses for products and gaming, merchandising, global sponsorships, etc.

That's why I say the Promoter can easily help teams with some funding, by doing something similar to a "Concorde Agreement" also in WRC.

If I was the Promoter, I would have worked out also a deal with a Logistic Partner (to lower teams' shipping costs), even for 1 euro cash, but with some bulk discounts for the shipping of cars and material. WTCC (=Eurosport) did such a deal with DHL, which didn't pay any money for the TV visibility and marketing, but instead offered great price discounts to the teams to move for fly-away races in Macau, etc.

[wyler]

So, basically that's how it is.

WRC Promoter can get enough money from TV rights, deducted the costs of producing it.

TV production of a WRC event usually needs the following:
1 - A Plane (for the TV signal of stage-side cameras and on-boards to be broadcasted to the mobile Outside Broadcast vans in the Service Park - which produces the "stage mix" and the "onboard mix", therefore to the remote TV control at NEP Finland, where the final product is then mixed and the "global feed" is made and transmitted to the broadcasters)
2 - At least 2 Helicopters (so that while one of them refuels, the other one can continue broadcasting and follow the action)
TV crew
3 - A fully-equipped OB van with its crew
4 - Camera operators on the stages and service

This has an amount of about 350/400K euros per each WRC rally.

Considering that a country like Italy, combining the TV rights sold to Pay TV Sky Sports (for live content) and Free-To-Air channel Rai Sport (highlights packages), it's way above the amount needed for a WRC event, it just needs 14 such deals to cover the whole production for the full season.

Broadcast deals for cross-country networks (like Sony for south-east Asia, etc.) are agreed for much more money than that, so at the end of the year there's quite a big profit on that with the championship as it is. Same applies for TV deals that includes All-Live, which is a premium product than the normal package of 5-6 live stages sold to pay TV. Amounts differs country-by-country, market-by-market and is negotiated based on many factors, like having a "national hero", an event in the specific country, a sponsor that both invest in the championship/teams/drivers that wants to vehicle it through their targeted markets (again Italian example: Toyota fully-sponsored the broadcast on Sky Sports, which bought them at basically half the price, since the other half was covered by that guaranteed sponsorship).

If (big if) the championship reaches a good increase in viewership, with new fresh talents and some more action in terms of different Constructors and eye-catching drivers (like Solberg or Sesks both on full season), those TV deals will be even more profitable.

With that being said, I truly think that the costs for producing WRC on TV is way covered and there's enough money for the teams to be shared. In this case I'm excluding all the calendar fees, licenses for products and gaming, merchandising, global sponsorships, etc.

That's why I say the Promoter can easily help teams with some funding, by doing something similar to a "Concorde Agreement" also in WRC.

If I was the Promoter, I would have worked out also a deal with a Logistic Partner (to lower teams' shipping costs), even for 1 euro cash, but with some bulk discounts for the shipping of cars and material. WTCC (=Eurosport) did such a deal with DHL, which didn't pay any money for the TV visibility and marketing, but instead offered great price discounts to the teams to move for fly-away races in Macau, etc.

i think there was a logistic agreement of that kind in the past ( at least some rumors about it on this forum)

and, by the way, maybe it's just me, but the dm section of the forum is broken...

[WRCStan]

The Promoter does 'help' Rally1 and Rally2 teams already, allegedly.

[Fast Eddie WRC]

Via Rally-Journal speaking with Robert Virves...

'The technical regulations for the top category of the World Rally Championship will change after the current season, and Virves is already partly looking ahead to 2027.

“This is certainly a very important year for the future. It seems that next season the competition in Rally2 cars may become even more intense, as there are no reports of WRC27 cars coming onto the stages in large numbers,” Virves reflected.'

[Fast Eddie WRC]

What are peoples' thoughts on the older drivers (Ogier, Neuville, Evans) retiring after 2026 ?

Will they decide the change in Regs to Rally2-spec and the drop in performance is the right time to leave WRC to the next generation ?

[focus206]

What are peoples' thoughts on the older drivers (Ogier, Neuville, Evans) retiring after 2026 ?

Will they decide the change in Regs to Rally2-spec and the drop in performance is the right time to leave WRC to the next generation ?

It will depend from their taste. I think Toyota and Hyundai (if it will be there) will try to convince Ogier and Neuville to do at least another year, since nobody knows who will adapt better to those regs. But if Hyundai will be there with today's Rally2, I don't see a point in Neuville driving with 0 chances.
If Evans doesn't win this year's title, I'm sure he won't call it quit yet.

[deephouse]

Nobody will retire, actually there is a quite bigger chance that drivers will come back, because there will might be more seat available.