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PHIL AGIUS |
Weblog: Sports editor's view
All mouth and no
Nascar coverage
SOMETIMES (well, yes, most of the time) it seems it's better to keep your mouth shut.
Towards the end of the 2009 Nascar season, I wrote a Pick Of The Day in our Sport on TV column which pointed out that at the height of the autumn peak Sky Sports seemed to have run out of channels upon which to show all the sports they had contracts for, given that they had been reduced to showing some key races behind the red button only.
I suggested the solution was the birth of Sky Sports 4 (they liked this part, rebranding Sky Sports Xtra this way shortly afterwards) and Sky Sports 5.
They, however, appear to have decidedthat a better way to solve the problem is to drop the coverage...
Yes, after their brilliant season-long screenings of the ideal in-play betting medium in 2009, it appears at present that after Sunday's live broadcast of the showpieceDaytona 500 it will be highlights only for those who like to see Chevvy doing battle with Ford, Dodge and Toyota as Jimmie Johnson chases a fifth title in a row.
There is still hope that Sky are merely playing hardball with Nascar chiefs over a new deal (they ran their NFL deal for 2009-10 mighty close to the wire before signing up) or indeed that ESPN will pick up the rights for the live action.
Maybe Sky are waiting to see the Daytona viewing figures before deciding whether to cough up. If so, please tune in!
We've already missed three live races that Sky screened last year, the Budweiser Shootout and Thursday's two Gatorade Duels.
And well done to Bet365 for betting on them even though they weren't on the box.
There are of course still ways to view the events for those who are keen enough. I have a friend called Justin (you may well know the one) who pointed me in the right direction of some live internet streams.
At least Sky's screening of The Great American Race goes ahead. Check the sport section of racingpost.com for a race preview on Sunday.
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