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- Category: Opinion
By: Mike Sullivan/RaceCanada.ca
July 8, 2024
July 8, 2024
So I'm in the process of watching my first race on demand with TSN+, and since I'm writing about it, while it's still on, you might guess the experience has not been a good one. You would be correct.
As I write this I've been watching for 2 hours and 12 minutes, and I've seen 28 laps of racing. That's not a good ratio for watching an on-demand race. And I have completely lost track of how many commercials I've seen, but it's way out of proportion to the amount of laps I've seen.
One of the big advantages to PVRing or watching on demand is the ability to fast forward, quickly, through a rain delay, without having to be subjected to all the commercials or to jump in and out of the broadcast where you want to.
My issues started about 15 minutes into watching when my internet had a very brief outage, just as the cars started rolling. Instead of continuing where I left off, the coverage went back to the very beginning. If this would have happened, say, half way through the race, it's unlikely I would have continued.
What made this a true disaster was the complete lack of ability to control the player. The only options are fast forward 10 seconds, rewind 10 seconds or pause. No 30 second fast forward, no status bar along the bottom you can drag. Just 10 seconds forward or reverse.
And, just to top that agony off, you can only fast forward to the next commercial block. So you have to fast forward to the next set of commercials, when the Fast Forward and Reverse controls disappear, and you then sit through 2 or 3 commercials, then begin fast forwarding again, until the next set of commercials.
And if that wasn't enough, every single commercial break had at least one commercial with significant buffering issues taking an additional 30 seconds, and often more, so what should have been a 60 or 90 second break turned into a 90 second to 2 minutes break, or more.
One of the dumber Kit Cat commercial buffered so many times a single commercial took almost 2 minutes to get through. I should add that I had no buffering during the actual broadcast, just the ads, so it wasn't an internet or streaming issue, it was an ad server issue.
And just to make the ridiculous number of commercials and having to sit through them all a little worse, the volume of the commercials were often different between each of them, and between the broadcast, so I was adjusting the volume during almost every commercial break.
Maybe this set up works OK for hockey or football, where there are no extended weather breaks, but it does not work for racing. With F1 TV, you can either drag the status bar along the bottom until the race starts up again, or have a 30 second fast forward button, with no commercial breaks or buffering, so every moving 20 or 30 minutes ahead isn't a big deal.
At the end of the day, I started watching just before 9:30am and by the time I was finished it was 12:53pm, just in time this this weekends IMSA/CTMP zoom photo meeting. More than 3 hours to fight through all the commercials and watch 58 laps of racing.
I'm still (for now) a supporter of TSN+, it could be so good for fans, but if they want to get TSN+ right for racing fans, this has to change. This was absolutely ridiculous today.
*****UPDATE - After getting a couple of comments on social media telling me other viewers they had access to fast forward controls that would let them fast forward at speeds up to 180x, I decided to take a look on my upstairs TV, which uses a computer and the website, and not the app.
One things I noticed, the race was showing that it was uploaded 5 hours ago, meaning it didn't get uploaded until sometime between 4:00pm and 5:00pm, which is well after the time I first watched this morning. There is a difference between this version and the one I watched earlier today. This new upload now had a status bar along the bottom to drag the progession of the race to where ever you wanted it, and it was available on both the website version, and now on the app versions on both my tablet and my phone. There is still no sign of multi-speed fast forward controls, just the 10 seconds forward and back, and the new progress bar.
The new progress bar also had indicators on it where the commercial breaks were, and when you dragged he progress bar further ahead in the race, no matter how many commercial breaks you moved past you only got one set of commercials.
It seems there are differences between apps and operating systems. Watching on with the computer and website upstairs, there was 3 commericals to start the broadcast and all the the commercial breaks during the broadcast when the progress bar was dragged forward were 4 commercials in length. On the app, everything seemed to be 2 commercals, both to start the broadcast and all of the commercial breaks.
So it seems there are some very big differences, two differnt uploads of the broadcast, and different controls depending on which device you are watching it on. We'll take a look at this again next weekend and see what the differences between this week and next.
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- Category: Opinion
By: Chris Jameson/RaceCanada.ca
July 4, 2024
July 4, 2024
In the words of my hero Peter Griffin, “You know what grinds my gears?” Well what’s been grinding my gears lately (and for a while since to 2024 schedule was announced) is the seemingly endless social media comments regarding IMSA’s GTP cars not coming to Canada for the big race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in July. We get it. You really want to see the series’ top level cars on their only visit to Canada but reasons were given a long time ago, the schedule is set and really, to continue to complain a week in advance of the event is, well, nothing but self-serving in the hopes of continuing a thread you started.
GTP is NOT coming but we ARE getting a race – and thanks to some scheduling breaks (and conflicts) it looks like some of the GTP drivers will in fact be at the track but running in the LPM2 class – a class which has continued to grow since last year. We also get a full complement of GTD Pro and GTD in Weathertech with a huge complement of Canadian teams and drivers to cheer on. I won’t even bother to mention that there are no Canadians in GTP – teams or drivers … oh sorry, said I wouldn’t mention that.
We get a full slate of on-track activity starting on Friday with the Michelin Pilot Challenge (even more Canadian content to cheer on) plus the VP Challenge which features prototypes and sports cars, plus the first ever appearance by Mazda MX-5 Cup series which I personally, find to the closest, most exciting racing to watch over the past few years. These guys are going to be so much fun to watch and I can see it now … four wide through ten coming to the checkers.
But hey, the GTPs aren’t coming so you are going to stay home “to teach IMSA & CTMP a lesson”.
Get a grip.
Let’s get something straight here, this has nothing to do with CTMP. They are simply the host venue and promoter. The only input they have with IMSA’s schedule is along the lines of, “Yes, the track is available that weekend”. All the hard work and scheduling for a 12-event schedule that runs from January through October that must consider a huge slate of international drivers across eight …. EIGHT of their own sanctioned series with considerations for some of those same drivers competing in series outside their purview, falls on the good folks at IMSA – and they are trying to sort a lot of this out years in advance! Takes a lot of people, coordination – and cooperation to make that happen. I know from personal experience.
So many have said, “I am going to speak with my wallet and just not go … to teach them a lesson”, but if enough of you do that, the lesson learned by IMSA is, “Well, I guess they’d rather we NOT come at all next year” and for the track, “Well if we lose that race, can we survive financially?”
Those fans end up not only punishing themselves … but all of the dedicated fans who are just happy to be at the track and see some of the best racing on the planet.
And for the guy who put it out there that he has “an easy solution” for both IMSA and CTMP, I strongly suggest that you go buy, build or rent a track, invite all the major series, and then dictate how you want the race to run and who should show up. Alternately, buy or start a series with multiple classes and integral sanctioned series and put together a schedule that suits everyone including teams, drivers, tracks … and the many, many people you’ll require to make it work.
You said it was easy …
As for CTMP, well, I’ve been reading posts since 2011 when renovations started, full of complaints about something. People endlessly unhappy with the changes … changes that have actually made the track a far better venue for racing and spectating. One of my favourites was “They took out those trees that have been there since forever”, said trees not even existing when I first went to the track in 1964.
But I digress …
CTMP owners, managers and staff have done a masterful job to keep this historic, well-known, well-loved circuit in place. Things change, yes … regulations change, yes (don’t get me started on the people ranting about waiting to get in for general admission camping) but the track is still there attracting crowds for all manner of events (the huge crowds at VARAC GP in June took even me by surprise) and if we want it to continue, then you need to make your voice heard by opening your wallet and attending events, rather than ‘trying to teach them a lesson’.
You need to remember that we live in a province run by someone enamoured with bulldozers, highways and housing starts – the moraine be damned.
As John Lydgate once said, “You can please some of the people all of the time …” etc.
See you at the track
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- Category: Opinion
By: Anthony Bruno for RaceCanada.ca
February 8, 2024
February 8, 2024
History and tradition are two things that are pivotal to the glamour of crown jewel races.
But IndyCar’s marquee event may be losing one of its more captivating attractions, as the series looks into a new membership system, one that could see guaranteed Indianapolis 500 entries for full-time teams.
The Fastest 33 would be no more in favour of stability and a more attractive bargaining chip for sponsors, recalling memories of the old “25-8” rule from the days of the Indy Racing League, though with it having a different motive.
While this isn’t something that I agree with, I understand the business side and this move could be a boon for the sport and keep the lights on, money coming into the teams and people employed, which is important considering the current costs of motorsports operations.
A change like this would come with IndyCar’s hands effectively tied and a double-edged sword in its grasp.
Consider this from the fan perspective.
The Indy 500 and its reputation was partially built on that risk and pressure of no guaranteed entry. With the prestige of the event bringing in multiple single race entries just for the dance, this keeps the big boys on their toes knowing that one bad run, one mistake, could mean you’re at home come race day and not lining up for the green flag and gives those starting from the outside a way in.
While it will still carry the mantra of being the greatest spectacle in racing, there is a possible argument to be made of that level of unpredictability that comes with it being diminished.
If you were to have this applied to this year, you get a split of 27 and six. With the possibility of only 22 or 23 guaranteed spots, that leaves the remaining 10 to 11 open.
While this could provide similar or the same excitement as the Fastest 33, some may not find that as enthralling.
The current format gives everyone an even playing field, so to speak. Even though some of the single race entries may not have the facilities of the full-time teams, anything can happen in motorsports, meaning the door is wide open for upsets and crazy stories, like in 2023, where the three full time Rahal Letterman Lanigan cars were amongst the group trying to fight for the final spots.
Guaranteed entries all but removes that possibility from ever occurring again and changes how qualifying could go and how it will be approached.
Now look from the owner and series point of view.
IndyCar isn’t in the greatest of places right now, especially after an offseason that saw talks of Honda’s departure from the sport and the delay of the hybrid power unit that was to arrive at the beginning of the 2024 season.
On top of that, when you look at it, how many times would such an instance like the 2023 Bump Day arise, seeing as there are already less entries in this era than in many previous ones, with only 50 percent of the 500s in the last decade having more than 33 entrants.
The owners are looking for some stability, something to stand on and provide a consistent banner for sponsors to invest into and this could be it. Having a big team miss the race can be the difference between acquiring or losing the necessary funding.
This proposed membership, which draws inspiration from NASCAR, is something that should be beneficial for the sport.
Look at the Cup Series as an example. The charter system has provided a great platform and has allowed for new teams to enter like 23XI Racing and Trackhouse Racing and for others, like Spire Motorsports, to increase investment.
IndyCar needs to do something and like Pato O’Ward said, there needs to be change.
A new membership system may be one of the changes needed for the improvement of the sport, but its deviation from traditions will ruffle the feathers of fans.
A move like this is always going to be a damned if you do, damned of you don’t kind of decision.
Changing traditions of anything is always going to cause some uproar, even more so when it has the amount of history and prestige that the Indy 500 does.
In time, those like myself, that are lovers of tradition and history, will come around to the notion of guaranteed Indy 500 entries. If it is a consequence of creating a way for the series and teams to operate at the maximum potential without fear of layoffs, cost cutting and closure, and allows for the possibility for growth in the sport, it is one that we should embrace, no matter how much we may not like or agree with it.
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- Category: Opinion
By: Mike Sullivan/RaceCanada.ca
March 25, 2024
March 25, 2024
First of all, let's get this out of the way, right off the top. TSN and TSN+ screwed up this weekend, and I mean badly. This is truly unacceptable almost a year in to the TSN+ project.
I'm still a subscriber to, and supporter of, TSN+, and ultimately think it will be good for racing fans, but they can't have another weekend like this. TSN is burning up any good will it has with racing fans in an awful hurry.
It started through the week with the TSN+ schedule not showing any of the practice sessions for Indy Car on Friday and Saturday, which was eventually resolved and all the practice sessions were available for TSN+ subscribers.
This was followed by missing the entire TSN+ schedule for Saturday and Sunday, and while it didn't seem to affect any actual programming, it was frustrating having to search elsewhere to see schedules for Indy Car and NASCAR, then hope for the best.
If this wasn't bad enough, things were about to get worse, as TSN announced they were moving the Xfinity race to TSN+ and the Cup race to CTV2.
Last year, Cup and Xfinity races were shown on TSN linear, so if you were only interested in the races, or couldn't justify another subscription to yet another streaming service, you may not have subscribed to TSN+, and with no US options available to Canadians, you were completely out of luck to see the race if you weren't a subscriber.
The Cup race reschedule might have been even worse. For the Xfinity race, at least you could say, rightly or wrongly, if you subscribed to TSN services, you could see the race, but that's not the case with the Cup race.
If you are a cord cutter, and subscribed to TSN.ca directly, which includes a subscription to TSN+, you would think you're good to go for all the major racing series this year, F1, NASCAR Cup, NASCAR Xfinity and Indy Car. This weekend, that was not the case with the Cup race only on CTV 2. So if you had no cable subscription, and like most of us no TV antenna, despite subscribing to "The Home of NASCAR" you were out of luck, you couldn't see the race. That is just not acceptable.
And finally, if all the above wasn't enough, TSN+ completely messed up the start time for the Indy Car race on Sunday. The race started at 12:30 and for some reason TSN+ had it scheduled for 1:00pm and didn't adjust accordingly. And while it was available on NBC over-the-air channels, if you were a cord cutter and dependent on TSN+, then you missed the entire first heat, and the chaos that ensued, maybe the only exciting part of the whole race.
The first couple of issues weren't a big problem, they got solved and sorted pretty quickly and nobody missed anything, and can be chalked up to somebody made a mistake, and we got it fixed. The last 3 were a problem that can not happen again.
So why does this happen, all too regularly it seems, to motorsport fans?
I think there are a couple of main reasons for it.
I think a big part of the problem we have is a complete lack of institutional knowledge about motorsports in sports media, and frankly every other media, industry and institution in Canada. What I mean by this is, outside of Tim Hauraney, I doubt anybody at TSN has been involved, in any meaningful way, with a race weekend. They don't know and understand the sport. Throughout Canada a few thousand people actively take part in motorsports, while hundreds of thousands play traditional stick and ball sports in Ontario alone.
It's why we had Formula 2 logos for Indy Car races on TSN+ last year and why we consistently see posters and graphics with the wrong cars in them (https://twitter.com/marshallpruett/status/1772039184804458845), and arcane references in many articles, not written by actual motorsport media. I'll never forget the early days of the Molson Indy and reading those glossaries in the special sections the Star and the Sun used to publish and seeing the term "Balloon Foot" for a slow driver. I've been involved in racing in one way, shape or form as a driver, mechanic, instructor, car owner and media since 1985 and in those almost 40 years I have neither used, nor heard the term "Balloon Foot". Wanker, yes, Balloon Foot, not so much.
Looking at Friday and Saturday Indy Car practice, I can see somebody seeing "practice" listed on the schedule, and thinking of it in terms of what they know, in their frame of reference of a hockey or soccer practice, and nobody watches those, so it doesn't make it into the TSN+ schedule.
Second, at the end of the day, we also have to accept that motorsports is, for all intents and purposes, a niche sport in Canada. Hockey, football and even curling have much bigger TV audiences than racing does, and when you're in the business of selling advertising, you're always going with the programming that attracts the eyeballs. When things like March Madness come along, we're the bottom rung on the ladder, or near enough to it.
(Just a quick aside, I reached out a couple of years ago to Neilson looking to sign up to get the weekly TV ratings and I was given a price of over $15,000 per year, and there was only one subscription period, from August to August. Unfortunately this was out of my budget...)
So after all this, the question is, why am I still a supporter of TSN+? Also, a couple of reasons.
The main reason I like the idea of TSN+ is unlike the US, we can get all the major North American racing series (F1, NASCAR Cup, Xfinity and Indy Car) in one place, by subscribing to just TSN & TSN+. Compare that to the disaster below just to watch NASCAR Cup & Xfinity in the US. If we add Rev TV and Discover Velocity (they still carry WEC) and combine that with free IMSA.tv and YouTube offerings, the value of getting almost every major racing series in the world for Canadians is pretty reasonable.
(This graphic is from Kenny Wallace's Twitter account https://twitter.com/Kenny_Wallace/status/1771972207532790047 I added the CW Xfintiy part)
Racing is also a very difficult sport to schedule on traditional, linear TV.
Every single hockey game is 60 minutes, with two 18 minute intermissions and the potential for a 5 minute overtime followed by a possible shootout. 99.9 times out of 100, a hockey game will start and finish in a 3 hour window.
Motorsports is very different. We have rain delays, yellow flags, red flags and different length races. It becomes very difficult to create an exact window that races are going to fit into.
What happens when you program a race that goes long, due to rain, or red and yellow flags, and the finish is going to overlap the start of the next scheduled live sporting event, say a hockey game? Do you cut the end of the race off and got to the start of the hockey game and upset the racing fans, or do you stay with the end of the race, and join the hockey game in progress, upsetting the hockey fans? What happens when a race gets into an hours long rain delay? What programming gets bumped hours later? Or do you just not bother? Or do you put it on a tape delay the following morning during the run of SportsDesk shows?
A dedicated, streaming video site solves all of those problems, provided it's set up properly.
And to that end, there are a few things I'd like to see added, updated and upgraded on TSN+ to make it a truly winning site for motorsports fans.
First, eliminate the self inflicted Cup debacle from this weekend. If I have subscribed to TSN to watch NASCAR, then TSN has ensure that I can see it on a TSN property, either the linear channels, TSN 1 to 5 or TSN+. To that end, I also think TSN has to be upfront with their viewers and say straight up, there may be times when races will be bumped from the linear channels, but anything bumped will always be available on TSN+.
There are also a couple of lessons TSN+ could take from F1 TV.
One of the big issues right now is how long it takes to get the on-demand races posted on the site, last year taking up to 24 hours. (As of writing this at 3:00pm on Monday, the Indy Car race is still not up). F1 TV has the race up immediately after it's conclusion and TSN needs to set that as the bar that needs to be met.
Second, you should be able to have an option to start watching the race live, or from the beginning if you get home in the middle of a race, another great feature of F1TV and other streaming services. On Screen controls to rewind and fast forward would be a great upgrade as well.
A big advantage to a streaming site is, or should be, that you no longer need a PVR and there is no danger that you forget to set one. Whenever you come home, you should just be able to watch the race. That shouldn't be up for debate. 24 Hours to post a race on demand is unacceptable.
Another addition I'd love to see in the case of delayed races, especially lengthy rain delays, would be a re-start notification, so the app will notify you on your phone when the race is set to restart.
There are probably a number of other upgrades and features that would likely improve the experience, these are just a few off the top of my head, that should be no-brainers.
This weekend was a major failure for TSN and TSN+ and hopefully it's a one off situation, it really should be pretty easy to solve what went on.
I know a lot of people already have a ton of streaming services they subscribe to, and nobody is happy to have to pay more, but $80 a year isn't a huge price, and if you are a fan of other sports as well, it's really not a bad deal.
If you don't have a streaming set up already in place, as a racing fan, you're missing out on a ton of racing, and it's no longer difficult or expensive to do. Streaming is the future, don't get left behind for something as cheap as a $40 Chromecast plugged into a a HDMI port.
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- Category: Opinion
By: Mike Sullivan/RaceCanada.ca
February 6, 2024
February 6, 2024
It seems one of the biggest controversies of the split/post split Indy Car era has returned, with Roger Penske saying guaranteed starting positions for full season teams are back on the table, according to a story in the Indy Star yesterday. (Read the story here -> https://bit.ly/49oHb0m)
Let's get a couple of things out of the way right off the top. There is a difference between liking and understanding. For example, I don't like pit lane speed limits, but I understand them. I don't like cost caps in Formula One, but I understand them. I don't like 30 minute breaks for lightning strikes, but I understand them.
So, just for the for the record, I don't like this idea, but I understand why they are looking at it, why it will likely come to fruition, probably in the next year or two, and I won't be overly upset about it.
In a day and age where the 2nd tier NASCAR series just signed a TV contract worth 5 times the current Indy Car contract, you can't afford the slightest chance of alienating any significant, season long team or sponsor.
A lot of people on Twitter are pontificating a definitive answer about sponsor retention after missing the 500, but the fact is, they don't know.
They aren't in sponsor meetings and have no idea what sponsors are saying to the teams in those meetings.
They have no idea what role missing the Indy 500 plays in a sponsor renewing when their contract it up a year or two later, or if value of the renewal is less because of the 500 miss.
They don't know if teams are teams approaching new sponsors in the year(s) after they miss the race and are being turned down because they missed the biggest event on the calendar.
Nobody knows except the teams and the sponsors, no matter how much they try to insist otherwise.
There was a time when tradition dictated that only Indy Cars raced at the Speedway, and they only raced once a year. Now NASCAR, IMSA and SRO race there, as have F1 and MotoGP in the past. And Indy Car not only races there multiple times a season, they race there twice in the month of May alone. Indy Car is still standing.
Tradition dictated that the entire month of May was dedicated to the Indy 500, and now there is only 2 weeks of practice and qualifying. Indy Car is still standing.
Tradition dictated that the fastest driver on "Pole Day" was the pole sitter for the race, but that all changed in 2014 with the introduction of a 2 day qualifying shoot-out, with the pole sitter decided on the second day. Indy Car is still standing.
Tradition dictated that there were a set of rules drawn up for the race and anyone could build a car and an engine to that set of rules, show up and race it. Now, there is a spec chassis and you have to lease an engine from one of only two approved companies. To me, this is a far greater breach of tradition than guaranteeing 25 or 26 starting spots and having only 7 or 8 spots open to however many cars show up. Indy Car is still standing.
A quick count on Wikipedia shows in the last 10 Indy 500's, there have been 5 years, half the races of the last 10 years, where there has only been 33 cars, so no bumping at all. Twice there have only been 34 cars with one bump, twice 35 cars and two bumps and only once with 36 cars, leaving 3 cars to bump.
It's a far cry from the record 109 entries we saw in 1982 when bumping really meant something. Spec cars and a limited number of engine leases available are quickly turning bump day into a self ending tradition.
To me, these numbers don't justify the slightest possibility of losing a full season entry.
It's also worth noting that the two series Indy Car sees itself competing against, NASCAR and F1, both have a type of franchise or charter system in place, both series are much stronger than Indy Car and their teams have risen in value from essentially nothing to tens of millions for a NASCAR charter and approaching a billion dollars for the top F1 teams.
Meanwhile, an Indy Car team is basically worth the value of it's equipment at auction.
Indy Cars used to be built in small garages all around the country, usually by people that had day jobs. Now, you need a multi million dollar investment in a shop and equipment, and at least a couple of dozen full time specialists to even think of fielding an Indy Car team.
The more money you need to spend, the more guarantees you need on that investment. If guaranteeing that your team makes the biggest race of the season means that you guarantee that team also competes in all the races on the calendar, I think that's probably a positive change for the long term interest in the series, whether we like it or not.
Bumping isn't being eliminated all together and Indy Car isn't becoming a closed shop like Formula One.
Indy Car is not in great shape right now. A case could be made that it has slipped to the fourth most relevant motorsport series in North America. NASCAR has been number one since the split, I think case could be made that international corporations and younger audiences see Formula One as far more relevant and important to them than Indy Car, and riding the success of the new GTP formula I think IMSA is now a serious competitor to Indy Car, having been able to draw a dozen manufacturers to their series, while Indy Car is stuck on two.
If teams feel they need this guarantee to justify their continued investment in Indy Car, or to expand it, then I think it only makes sense, love it or hate, to follow through with it and move on to growing the series outside of the 500.
Love it or hate, I think it's coming.