Facebook "Live", Hurting Our Sport?

[153J]

20fan , i have watched crystal on more than a few occasions when rained out at home , im hours away and its on my list of tracks to hit because of the racin ive seen

also wanted to add...

i just asked another track if its ok for me to periscope live and the reply was positive, track is willing to have some free promotion and hope it generates some new interest from outside its normal market

i dont want to advertise where ill be as i dont want to keep folks home and if/when i do broadcast i will always ask track and series

[CIRF]

CIRF, I made my post to share my own experience. Not to claim yours as false. I don't know such and can only take your word, as that is all you can do with mine.

I will clarify that I do not broadcast the whole event. Usually a few heat races, and two of the 5 features. One is always the headline class. I'd say given time a gain of 5 and loss of 2 is still a gain of +3.

As far as speculation, all business decisions at one point was made out of speculation. Social Media is new, and is growing at a rapid rate. Soon all businesses will have to figure out how to accept it and embrace it because they will not fight it.

I can see where it is/can be a problem. I also see where the old saying "try it before you knock it" come into play. A few of our local track personalities have a couple of designated nights they do like a Q&A session, discuss happenings from their perspective. Its pretty entertaining. Again, I would like to see tracks make an attempt to embrace it before they shut it down.

I've thought about it and can't think of one valid reason to make up a story about potential spectators not attending races in lieu of watching live. It's no skin off of my ass either way.

As far as speculation is concerned, what I have described is not speculation. It is a fact that revenue was lost by tracks that had their racing broadcast at no charge.

I'm genuinely curious as to what is in it for you. Are you looking to get some exposure for whatever reason, etc.? I find even doing text updates to friends who are interested is a distraction that sometimes causes me to miss some action on the track. Maybe we're all wrong but I can't imagine trying to follow the racing action with some sort of camera just for the fun of it and at the same time trying to enjoy the racing.

20fan , i have watched crystal on more than a few occasions when rained out at home , im hours away and its on my list of tracks to hit because of the racin ive seen

also wanted to add...

i just asked another track if its ok for me to periscope live and the reply was positive, track is willing to have some free promotion and hope it generates some new interest from outside its normal market

i dont want to advertise where ill be as i dont want to keep folks home and if/when i do broadcast i will always ask track and series

Do you do broadcasts at racing events that are offering a live PPV? Wouldn't that get into some legal grey area?

[champion24]

I find even doing text updates to friends who are interested is a distraction that sometimes causes me to miss some action on the track.

I second that! I've sent texts for years to update others, until I started putting them on 4m. I won't record video. It's different for me. And others. If we stay home, soon there will be no race to see. The tracks will close forever. My 2 cents!

[153J]

Do you do broadcasts at racing events that are offering a live PPV? Wouldn't that get into some legal grey area?

no, i havent and i wouldnt
what i have done so far, and plan on doing is highlighting a regional series and local tracks in an attempt to help gain interest from travelers

im not doing it to gain any sort of self promotion as i use fake names on all my accounts (like here on 4m)

[Krooser]

The newest edition of Racing Promotion Monthly has an article dealing with this subject. My personal take, after many years promoting stock car racing, hot rod shows, swap meets, etc. is I had many fans come out to the events AFTER seeing the videos posted on-line... it was a great promotional tool. You have to literally beg to get a 30 second feature about your track on the local 6 PM news... now fans can see your program and decide whether to come see it live.

Imagine how popular ANY event would be without free publicity...

[Dante Toledo, OH]

When you do the Facebook live thing at a track. The only people that can see it are your Facebook friends. So that is more of just showing your friends hey look where I am type of thing. Periscope is world wide. So I have got to watch races 10 hours away from me while at work, also watch concerts and other stuff. But bottom line if you are a fan, you are going to the track to see the race. If you are staying home in hopes of catching a race on your iPad your weren't really going to spend money anyway. And if you are really a fan you are not going to stand there holding your phone all night either. I follow Dale Blaney on Facebook. They broadcast either hot laps or qualifying almost every race. But that's it. Just a teaser.

[CIRF]

no, i havent and i wouldnt
what i have done so far, and plan on doing is highlighting a regional series and local tracks in an attempt to help gain interest from travelers

Okay, so as an avid fan you're doing this out of the goodness of your heart to help further promote entities you enjoy and are a fan of.

You have to literally beg to get a 30 second feature about your track on the local 6 PM news... now fans can see your program and decide whether to come see it live.

Imagine how popular ANY event would be without free publicity...

Free publicity and promotion in the form of video snippets on the net is obviously a good thing. What I've spoke of is different situation.

But bottom line if you are a fan, you are going to the track to see the race. If you are staying home in hopes of catching a race on your iPad your weren't really going to spend money anyway. And if you are really a fan you are not going to stand there holding your phone all night either.

Not always true. As I've said more than once I have some close friends that have foregone attending events in the hopes of being able to watch the A-main technologically. The event A-main I spoke of at Terre Haute was broadcast live in it's entirety and one buddy in particular bragged about not making the 5 hour round trip and still got to see it, for free. In fact, we discussed riding over to THAT together that night and the possibility of video coverage was a factor in deciding to stay home. These are guys that have been to the venues I speak of many times and need no promotional video enticement to attend.

Good discussion. I've learned some things.

[Cleetus Motorsports]

For the Dream, someone came on here and posted a link to watch the broadcast for free. I felt this was very wrong. For 1, people like myself pay the money to watch these broadcasts. Some of them are not cheap. To have someone just give it away to people who did not pay, in my eyes anyone who clicked that link is a thief and stole from Eldora / Dirt on Dirt. In todays society everyone feels entitled. Some poster came on here asking if anyone had a free broadcast, claims he could not afford the 40 dollars or whatever it was. But if he clicked that link to watch it for free, then in my eyes again that is stealing. He would be the first one crying if someone had stolen from him. In reality, I don't see how you could stop people from streaming video on their phones from the track. There would be no way to bust these people. It reminds me of people who illegally obtain movies before they even come out in the theater and brag that they got it for free. Too many people like this is why the world is in the sorry shape it is in.

[IZZOJR16]

***rolls eyes*** we have this same debate at least twice a year on 4m. Person live updates and videos HAVE NO EFFECT on events, if anything its positive and gets the word out. Welcome to the 21st century....

[IZZOJR16]

if you have a good product people will come bottom line, if you cry about videos hurting your event then odds are you have a sh5ty event. embrace this stuff like the millennials do. they are your next generation of fans. who knows where technology is taking spectating