Motors TV

[PARABOLIC]

Alan Hi – Just wondered if you were in a position to divulge the situation re: NO live coverage of the TOCA package on Motors next year?

[Alan Gow]

As per the article in todays Motorsport News....MotorsTV won't be showing the BTCC or support races next year.

Whilst we appreciate the coverage MotorsTV have given, it should also be put into perspective; their coverage of the BTCC was viewed by only about 8% of the number of viewers that watch our ITV coverage - and in broadcast terms that, indeed, is a very small number of viewers.

To be fair, those small audience numbers that MotorsTV delivered are nearly impossible to justify, (given the very significant costs involved in producing such coverage), and it is perfectly understandable that they would wish to utilise their finite financial resources in a more efficient manner.

Broadcast arrangements (for all sports) change and develop all the time - nothing stays the same forever and this also gives us the opportunity to explore other broadcast opportunities for the future, which we have not been able to do until now due to MotorsTV's exclusive digital-platform arrangement.

[Alan Gow]

In addition, allow me to put some totally unfounded recent speculation to rest;

1. The decision not to continue for 2007 was entirely that of MotorsTV. We would have been very happy to continue our relationship with them, on exactly the same basis that has existed from some years.

2. We would not, and did not, charge MotorsTV any form of rights fee (or similar) to show the events...it was entirely free of charge to them, in that respect. As is normal, MotorsTV's financial outlay was for the extra production costs and satellite up-link needed to produce their own program.

3. ITV and ourselves were both fully supportive for the MotorsTV programming to continue, on exactly the same basis as previously.

There was/is absolutely no problem in the relationship between MotorsTV and/or ourselves and/or ITV....they merely decided that they wished to take their programming schedules in a different direction, and we have to respect their decision.

But for some people to speculate that either TOCA and/or ITV had, in some way, made it more onerous and/or more expensive for MotorsTV to continue is most unfair and totally incorrect.