I've heard a rumour that the coverage of DTM will be on Sky next year with Mercedes paying for it. Will be a shame if it is as I refuse to pay for Sky Sports and always enjoyed watching the DTM while I was having my Sunday lunch.

Jeez, first NASCAR, now the DTM, what will Sky get their sticky hands on next. I had to relent and bung  out for the Sky Football channels, er, sorry, Sports.

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Australian V8 Utes UK scribe.

Well, I strangely have divided opinions if this rumour is true. On the one hand, I have enjoyed watching DTM on Motors past the years, Carlton and Mark have provided excellent humorous commentary.

 

But on the other hand, Motors TV’s broadcasting quality is a little shoddy, over the years some races have had crackling sound, some starts have been delayed (Euro Speedway 07?) and the hugely annoying extra-loud adverts. All of this I can imagine, can not bode well with Mercedes-Benz – who want to be presented in the most professional way.

 

That is what Sky Sports can offer, superb quality broadcasts and can reach more UK viewers. Hopefully they will employee Mark and Carlton too – because it would not be the same without them. It is a bit like LMS and Le Mans on Eurosport, the car makers want to reach more viewers – Eurosport can do that. Where’s Motors, is far too specialised (not a bad thing IMO) to appeal to a mass audience.

 

I think Sky Sports do a great job with motorsport though, I mean if you avoid the football (and of course you would!) they show NASCAR Sprint Cup, IndyCar and A1GP all live. Plus they show ‘world motorsport’, which is ace. The commentary is decent and Sky doesn’t have random ad breaks, or barley ever have technical issues.

 

In fact, Sky Sports would have a pretty decent motor racing line up with the addition of DTM. But what worries me, is this a trend for the future? Car makers wanting more exposure, therefore not wanting the series they parcipitate in to be shown on Motors TV?

 

I mean who is next, Corvette and Maserati to say the same with FIA GT? Hmm…. I mean lets face it, the only reason why ALMS will be shown live next year, is because no other UK broadcaster wants to show all races live. That’s not to knock ALMS, because I love it. But in quite a few cases now, when euro championships organisers are presented with alternative bigger broadcasters, they accept it.

 

So therefore, the ALMS organisers have little choice – a specialist series who are not concentrating on the European market. Perhaps Motors should concentrate on motor racing that won’t be hard to fight for? Star Mazda series perhaps? Some of the best open wheel racing around IMO. In fact even better, Grand AM – which on many occasions matches ALMS for excitement.

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The official lubricant for all Mercedes-Benz Motorsport engines

NO NO NO please don`t let this be true as i onlt have sky sports 1 , i enjoy watching the dtm on motors , mind youb thou setanta sports have been showing dtm highlights this year so hopefully if the rumour is true hopefully setanta will continue with this

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k.vincent

i shall pose this question to mark & carlton on sunday to get some answers

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k.vincent

They usually commentate from Mark's house someone once posted, so what info they would get is dubious.

If Sky do get it, then expect their own studio guy such as Keith Huewen, with a couple of, er ahem, pundits.

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Australian V8 Utes UK scribe.

I hope it isn't true, I'm not a fan of Sky's motorsports coverage, especially the way they insist on going back to the studio to let them drone on while the safety car is out, they have missed a couple of incidents over the years in A1gp doing this.

 

As far as I'm aware Mark and Carlton commentate from the circuit and not Mark's house!? A lot of the problems with the coverage over the years (Crackling sound etc.) have been due to the feed from the DTM itself and not Motors TV.

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The member formerly known as Leggate Fan!

That, plus anything over a 26" screen and the limitations of the horridly low broadcast bitrate are exposed.
The picture looks like a You-Tube video.

The sound delay often detracts badly when you see something, and 4 seconds later (after the picture has changed to a different shot) the commentator says "woah - look at that!"

The French language picture and sound appear to be in sync, from what was seen at Le Mans this year, and it's a shame they haven't sorted the UK coverage out.

Motors TV is great - covering events and series that we just wouldn't see otherwise. Sort the sound and picture out and there could be no complaints! 

my only comlaint with motors tv coverage is the audio and video is slightly out of synch. an accident is heard before it is seen but thats technical..

motors has lost some great stuff over the last few years notibly the btcc weekend and the champ cars (well everyone lost them) and more and i would hate to see this brilliant tv station going the way of many satellite teleshopping channels andb being shite!!

sky is getting it all as too is setanta, they have the superformula (yeah its crap i know) and a1gp which is great in its concept..

eurosport are losing the moto gp weekend to the bbc next year so we cant see the 125 and 250s anymore and we loose toby and jules.... everytime there is something unmissable on a channel, it seems to be taken away and hacked to bits..

i did here mark saying that it is staying with motors for 09, the dtm that is!

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http://www.myspace.com/sonicapostraphe

Motors has to reinvent itself I think.

The live stuff isn't anything like as good as it was 2-3 years ago.

I used to enjoy watching the support races etc. on BTCC weekends, now long gone.

Why is this happening?  Is there some financial crisis that's causing everything to gradually wind down in this way?

If so, perhaps Motors needs to go subscription-based in order to create a pot to pay for decent events, because otherwise I fear it would die.

And that would be incredibly sad.

Sean

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Supporting McLaren and Force India in F1 and Ralf Schumacher in DTM

Hello All,



I'm sorry to say this, but anytime a series leaves Motors TV, then the picture quality for that series improves.



Motors TV, please do somthing about your pixelated picture quality. Even your better quality footage like the FIA GT, is worse than when it was on Men and Motors.



Regards,



Darren Cotter

Sean, it is likely a case of bigger pockets outbidding Motors for things. If Motors went subscription, then who would subscribe other than petrolheads?? I guess that would mean less viewers than now.

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Australian V8 Utes UK scribe.

The picture quality as something to do with MotorsTV being based in France. France as the SECAM-standard, while the rest of Europe watches PAL-images on their tellies. Bought a Secam Vid once and it was in black 'n white instead of colour.

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Supported Riders in 2008
WSS 600 Didier Van Keymeulen
STK 1000 Xavier Siméon
WEC E2 Jeff Goblet

Even if Motors doesent show DTM we can get reports of it in Racing Magazines.And we can still talk to Mark and Carlton on the Forum F3 Euroseries,ALMS,LMS Ect.

hi all,



after attending ever race since 2005, and seeing the replays afterwards on our return i can agree that they are not at the race track as if was they have never came over to the stands to say hello. so who's flat they are in makes me wonder.Also it makes me wonder how they are comentating on several events over the same week-end..



So will it make anyone attend more of the races from you arm chair touring car fans in the coming yrs, a good calander next yr mixing DTM with Le Mans Series, WTCC



so have a good xmas and we may see you next season