No More Isle of Man TT Broadcasts
Published: July 4th, 2005
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I recently came across a discussion on your forum regarding the non broadcast of the Isle of Man TT this year in North America. I believe I can offer some insight that may be of interest.
I learnt last week, directly from an associate of Speed Channel, that network executives assessed the "viewer's per hour" for the TT as too low to justify acquisition of programming. In the winter of 2005 the decision was made to no longer carry the TT.
I should mention that I do not know if the decision was made within Speed Channel itself or higher up within the Fox Sports Network. As I believe some of your reader's have already observed, Speed is now entirely run from the top down. Like Fox and its mothership, News Corporation, the entire approach to programming is a conservative, numbers only proposition.
Sadly, the loss of the US broadcast license for the TT will have an effect on the event itself, now run by the Isle of Man government. Declining sponsorship & broadcast revenue will definitely aid the much rumoured demise of the TT after 2007.
My own interest in the TT? I am the producer & director of One Man's Island, a documentary about the TT. A television version of the film started running in the UK this June to highly positive response. We had hoped that the program would be picked up in the US. Sadly though, the TT has been marginalized to broadcast history.
Peter Riddihough
Hoffworks Productions
Get Motorcycle.com in your InboxI learnt last week, directly from an associate of Speed Channel, that network executives assessed the "viewer's per hour" for the TT as too low to justify acquisition of programming. In the winter of 2005 the decision was made to no longer carry the TT.
I should mention that I do not know if the decision was made within Speed Channel itself or higher up within the Fox Sports Network. As I believe some of your reader's have already observed, Speed is now entirely run from the top down. Like Fox and its mothership, News Corporation, the entire approach to programming is a conservative, numbers only proposition.
Sadly, the loss of the US broadcast license for the TT will have an effect on the event itself, now run by the Isle of Man government. Declining sponsorship & broadcast revenue will definitely aid the much rumoured demise of the TT after 2007.
My own interest in the TT? I am the producer & director of One Man's Island, a documentary about the TT. A television version of the film started running in the UK this June to highly positive response. We had hoped that the program would be picked up in the US. Sadly though, the TT has been marginalized to broadcast history.
Peter Riddihough
Hoffworks Productions
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