1 of 1- RadioActive
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Why The Toronto Indy Isn't Being Shown On NBC
It may be one of the biggest sporting events of the year in Canada - and a golden chance to show off the city to viewers around the world - but many viewers in the U.S. won't have the chance to watch the Toronto Indy.
Not only is it not on the main network, but it's also not going to be on cable. Only the streaming service Peacock will have it, which will limit it for the majority of Americans who don't subscribe. Not sure how popular the race is down south, but it's one of the marquee events up here and it's a shame we're losing the exposure and publicity that comes with it being on free TV.
IndyCar: Toronto street race not being broadcast on NBC
- paterson1
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Re: Why The Toronto Indy Isn't Being Shown On NBC
This likely is a glimpse of the future for sports on TV. TSN had the qualifying race yesterday and the real one is today at 1pm.
Up until a few years ago, CBS did a great job covering the Toronto Indy and always had lots of video of the city. I remember when Toronto was being hammered by Sars and tourism was dead back in the summer of 2003. CBS covered the Indy and did a real nice feature on Toronto, very complimentary, and didn't mention anything about Sars. The Toronto Star had an article later thanking CBS for the much needed vote of confidence and shot in the arm.
Maybe the only upside of the race available only on Peacock in the US today is the fact that households that subscribe to streamers often have higher incomes. If today's race reaches this audience maybe the exposure will bring some of them to the city for a holiday. They will need good incomes, since anyone who visits Toronto tends to reach for their wallet a lot...
- SpinningWheel
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Re: Why The Toronto Indy Isn't Being Shown On NBC
RadioActive wrote:
It may be one of the biggest sporting events of the year in Canada - and a golden chance to show off the city to viewers around the world - but many viewers in the U.S. won't have the chance to watch the Toronto Indy.
Not only is it not on the main network, but it's also not going to be on cable. Only the streaming service Peacock will have it, which will limit it for the majority of Americans who don't subscribe. Not sure how popular the race is down south, but it's one of the marquee events up here and it's a shame we're losing the exposure and publicity that comes with it being on free TV.
IndyCar: Toronto street race not being broadcast on NBC
I noticed that too and it's because the Toronto race competes with the NASCAR Brickyard 400 from Indy (also on NBC). It's one of NASCAR's signature events and though in decline, NASCAR is way more popular than IndyCar presently. They led in with the British Open, another major sports event. NBC has done a solid job of race coverage this season with a lot of variety and IndyCar is one of 3 series they've shown. When most races are on TSN+, they've also been on NBC, which sabotages TSN's stupid streaming efforts nicely.
Last edited by SpinningWheel (July 21, 2024 7:35 pm)
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Re: Why The Toronto Indy Isn't Being Shown On NBC
I've never seen this before, but NBC did briefly interrupt its NASCAR race for a special report on Biden (happened before I tuned in to see what the networks were up to.) But while their competitors over at CBS and ABC were airing hours-long coverage, NBC chose to go back to the race.
Until that is, the clock hit 6 PM, when it was time for local news on their affiliates. The announcers calling the race told viewers that if they wanted to see the ending of this 4-hour-plus event, they'd have to switch over to NBC-owned USA Network on cable. I'm sure NASCAR fans who are cord cutters were not happy to hear they wouldn't be seeing the end of the race!
I can't recall a major network doing that to its viewers before and it's a terrible precedent. As much as I hate sports run-overs, if you're going to show the thing, show the whole thing. Don't make me to turn to another channel, especially if it's one I can't get.
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Thread Starter- paterson1
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Re: Why The Toronto Indy Isn't Being Shown On NBC
So, the Toronto Indy lucked out this afternoon not being broadcast on NBC. With TSN and Peacock, no interruptions and those that wanted to watch it were able to view the whole race. Sports on ABC and CBS this afternoon didn't happen or were pre-empted early.
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Re: Why The Toronto Indy Isn't Being Shown On NBC
This is one of the reasons why IndyCar is moving to FOX next year. All races will be on network TV.
- SpinningWheel
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Re: Why The Toronto Indy Isn't Being Shown On NBC
Until that is, the clock hit 6 PM, when it was time for local news on their affiliates. The announcers calling the race told viewers that if they wanted to see the ending of this 4-hour-plus event, they'd have to switch over to NBC-owned USA Network on cable. I'm sure NASCAR fans who are cord cutters were not happy to hear they wouldn't be seeing the end of the race!
I can't recall a major network doing that to its viewers before and it's a terrible precedent. As much as I hate sports run-overs, if you're going to show the thing, show the whole thing. Don't make me to turn to another channel, especially if it's one I can't get.
I have. Sadly it happens a lot in motorsports, especially when there's weather bad enough to stop a race. I recently saw one where NBC stuck with it through the end, an extra 2-3 hours. It was probably preempting something less spectactular like pro Pickleball. 
Last edited by SpinningWheel (July 22, 2024 10:12 am)