PPV proliferation of 2020 will change dirt racing's future

[Returning to Dirt]

https://insidedirtracing.com/pay-per-view-proliferation-of-2020-will-change-dirt-racings-future/

The expansion of PPV broadcasts will have a far reaching impact for the sport

[WisWildManFan]

Motorsports is by far the best live and in person. Even nascar is fun to go to at a cookie cutter 1.5 mile track when I fall asleep watching on TV. That being said there are a lot of races I have zero intention of driving to that I will watch on PPV.

[Rajflyboy]

May be true but we have seen very large crowds at the tracks in the Carolinas in 2020. If anything I think PPV will only expand the sport and give us more opportunities to watch races that we cannot attend. The local tracks will still have wonderful crowds. I have not seen large scale tailgates at local races like I did in 2020. Things are well for dirt racing (thankfully).

[dirtcrazy4u]

Maybe at the smaller races, the long weekend shows will still pack them in.

[chathamracefan]

PPV can really help the good tracks IMO. For instance, I made a 3 hour trip to Kokomo for midget week this summer specifically because of the product I had seen from that track on a few PPV's. I can imagine folks have made the trek to FALS for the same reason. I've added places like Port Royal & I-80 to my list of tracks to try to get to for the same reason. Also, as Rajflyboy mentions, it allows us to stay "plugged in" to races we would never be able to get to. The revenue base is now more diverse in that the tracks/series/PPV providers can get some $ from people all over the place vs who just walks in the gate at the track.

[LM1M]

In most situations having PPV provides a revenue stream for the track that they wouldn't have otherwise had. And for the big shows like WoO and Lucas the tracks are packed 99% of the time anyways.

[vande07]

In most situations having PPV provides a revenue stream for the track that they wouldn't have otherwise had. And for the big shows like WoO and Lucas the tracks are packed 99% of the time anyways.

I highly doubt WoO or Lucas are sharing revenue from their streaming services, and likely don't have to as they own the broadcast rights to all of their events.

[LM1M]

Correct Vande07 Lucas/Woo don't share revenue, which is why I pointed out that in person attendance is still strong for those shows.

[vande07]

Correct Vande07 Lucas/Woo don't share revenue, which is why I pointed out that in person attendance is still strong for those shows.

I guess what I should have said is this: Some local tracks have PPV deals with DirtVision (Williams Grove, Knoxville, Attica (OH), some in Australia) or FLo (Eldora) If the tracks thought they could make a considerable amount of $$ off of PPV they likely would not be I partnership with a company that doesn't share revenue, they would likely have their own equipment and do it themselves.

And yes, those big Lucas and WoO events have a strong gate, it's the small venues without those that need more revenue and if people are going to the large events, they aren't on the couch at home watching those smaller local tracks races either, so not sure why anyone would think that it is a huge help.

I personally think PPV is about exposing potential attendees to your events, not about making a profit. I live in Iowa and a trip to North Carolina is expensive, but I'm willing to pay $40 to watch the World Finals online a few years in a row before I'm willing to spend a couple thousand to travel and see it live. IF the product is good (it sure wasn't this year due to the dust), I'm willing to spend the $$ and attend in person. Many other people think this way as well.

If anything, I think PPV is what has helped The Late Model Nationals in Knoxville grow year to year. People buy the PPV a few years in a row and see that the racing is consistently good and then make the leap to attending, and then after attending they start coming yearly. Same goes for how the World 100 and King's Royal crowds at Eldora have exponentially grown the past 10 years or so. PPV got eyeballs on the product at a lower price than attending in person, but it helped in person attendance long term.

[BirkyTime15B]

I intend on visiting several tracks after seeing them on PPV. I-55 is on my list, Port Royal is on my list.

[BloomerHarvickFan]

I usually hit 3-5 Lucas and WoO races per year, and I've never seen anything but a packed house.
This past year for the Lucas Oil race at Smoky Mountain they had a record crowd AND it was broadcast live on LORTV, so it didnt' hurt the attendance at all.

[WisWildManFan]

Speaking of PPV’s how much is the Bristol dirt nationals gonna run? Only want to rent the 2 nights supers are running

[Cooter Davenport]

Macon Speedway and Lincoln Speedway (IL) both have a PPV for their weekly races every week. I think it would be a good thing for any track that offers a good product. Not everyone can make it to the races every week, but they can tune in on Friday or Saturday night at home for $10-$15 and watch. It's 2021, this isn't rocket science.

[vande07]

Macon Speedway and Lincoln Speedway (IL) both have a PPV for their weekly races every week. I think it would be a good thing for any track that offers a good product. Not everyone can make it to the races every week, but they can tune in on Friday or Saturday night at home for $10-$15 and watch. It's 2021, this isn't rocket science.

I agree, it's great. I just don't think tracks are getting rich off their PPV, most are likely at best breaking even if they have multiple camera angles and staff dedicated to the broadcast. Heck, they could be losing $$ on it.

Again, my thoughts are LONG TERM, it helps the track as it gets the eyeballs of people that like racing but maybe have never been to their track to watch and has the POTENTIAL to get them to come in person (which is what tracks want).

[NeedforLM$peed]

I think some would be surprised as to how much viewership is actually from outside the U.S