Indy 500 to begin airing on NBC in 2019

[IlliniFaninHoosierLand]

https://www.indystar.com/story/spor...races-broadcast-nbc-beginning-2019/444807002/

Beginning in 2019, all of IndyCar’s races will be broadcast on NBC and its properties.

The three-year deal, which NBC Sports Group confirmed Wednesday morning, puts an end to a year’s worth of negotiations and a decade of the series splitting races between NBC and ABC.

Wednesday’s announcement means that next year's 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 will be the first time the Greatest Spectacle in Racing isn't broadcast on ABC since 1965. This year's running will mark its the 54th consecutive appearance on ABC.

The second race of the Detroit doubleheader, one week after the 500, will be the final race IndyCar race to air on ABC.

 

[sbillini]

not sure how many other indycar fans there are out there in IllinoisLoyalty land, but you found at least one. Was at the st pete race a couple of weeks ago. Excited for the switch to NBC - Paul Tracy is the Dan Dakich of Racing...but funnier, and more credibility.

FYI another interesting indycar article

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/17/opinion/sunday/florida-indycar-st-petersburg.html

PS - I'm a fan of the james hinchcliffe honda commercials too - desperately need that kind of exposure.

 

[Deleted member 19448]

This seems to be a really good move. NBC really does a good job with their "big events" like the Kentucky Derby. They present the Derby as a spectacle (which it is). I'd suspect they will handle the Indy 500 the same way. ESPN seems to just do it as a one off in the midst of all of it's endless NFL talk.

It will help the series overall as well, but the 500 will always be the straw that stirs the drink for IndyCar racing.

 

[BananaShampoo]

This seems to be a really good move. NBC really does a good job with their "big events" like the Kentucky Derby. They present the Derby as a spectacle (which it is). I'd suspect they will handle the Indy 500 the same way. ESPN seems to just do it as a one off in the midst of all of it's endless NFL talk.

It will help the series overall as well, but the 500 will always be the straw that stirs the drink for IndyCar racing.

Agree. I've always been a huge Indy 500 fan and a fan of it's history. It seems like it's just fallen off the map for the most part as a known spectacle over the past 15-20 years, certainly not helped by the organizing bodies and horrible ownership. I'm hoping NBC can help get back some of it's luster.

 

[IlliniFaninHoosierLand]

As per tradition though, the Indy 500 will still be blacked out in the Indianapolis TV market unless the race sells out.

 

[South Farms]

As per tradition though, the Indy 500 will still be blacked out in the Indianapolis TV market unless the race sells out.

The Hulman-George clan must have attended the same stupid seminar Bill Wirtz and Pete Rozelle did back in the early 1960's when televising sports on a serious level all got started.

 

[IlliniFaninHoosierLand]

The Hulman-George clan must have attended the same stupid seminar Bill Wirtz and Pete Rozelle did back in the early 1960's when televising sports on a serious level all got started.

Yeah. While I get why they do it as many people in the area traditionally listened to the race on radio in years past, in an era of social media we live in now it seems almost pointless to blackout the race locally.

It's understandable why they do it in sports like the NFL but in IndyCar racing it would make more sense to get as many eyes on the race as possible.

 

[South Farms]

I'm a firm believer in the theory that you build up a fan base locally and regionally by utilizing television , which exposes more fans to the sport and those fans eventually will buy tickets to see the event live.

Bill Wirtz died and the one of the first things his son Rocky did was put them on local free TV . They have been sold out at the stadium ever since. Coincidental? I doubt it.

Televising an event like the Indy , in Indy , would have , in my opinion , little , if any , negative effect on attendance. People go to that race for the entire unique experience. Its actually difficult to "watch" the entire race live. They are selling and promoting much more than that in the actual ticket to the race .

 

[IlliniFaninHoosierLand]

Televising an event like the Indy , in Indy , would have , in my opinion , little , if any , negative effect on attendance. People go to that race for the entire unique experience. Its actually difficult to "watch" the entire race live. They are selling and promoting much more than that in the actual ticket to the race .

I agree with this as well. Especially nowadays when the large majority of people going to an Indy 500 race anyway are going to be from outside of the Indianapolis area.

 

[Illwinsagain]

I'm a firm believer in the theory that you build up a fan base locally and regionally by utilizing television , which exposes more fans to the sport and those fans eventually will buy tickets to see the event live.

Bill Wirtz died and the one of the first things his son Rocky did was put them on local free TV . They have been sold out at the stadium ever since. Coincidental? I doubt it.

Televising an event like the Indy , in Indy , would have , in my opinion , little , if any , negative effect on attendance. People go to that race for the entire unique experience. Its actually difficult to "watch" the entire race live. They are selling and promoting much more than that in the actual ticket to the race .

To be fair, the team has been quite good since then too.

 

[champaignchris]

To be fair, the team has been quite good since then too.

Kane and Toews debuted about three weeks after he passed.

I don’t know if that supports your point, cuts against it, or is simply an interesting piece of history.