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MILLER: IndyCar’s Million-Dollar TV Question
Is the IRL’s new TV package as worrisome as it sounds? SPEED’s Robin Miller brings the lowdown…
Robin Miller  |  Posted August 14, 2008   Indianapolis, Ind.
The Indianapolis 500 and four other 2009 races will air on ABC, but the rest of the schedule will now air on VERSUS. (LAT photo)

Since announcing its new television partner last week, the Indy Racing League has been questioned, skewered, badmouthed, analyzed and ridiculed by almost everyone who doesn't draw a paycheck from Tony George.

"It's one step away from a podcast," wrote one open wheel fan in an email.

With 13 of the 18 races on Versus instead of ESPN in 2009, it's easy to be negative about the IRL TV package and comparisons to Champ Car's disastrous foray onto Spike in 2004 are only natural.

But let's look at the reality of television and where IndyCar racing fits into the picture to try and understand the true dynamics of this deal.

Regardless of the positive stories generated by unification, the increased car count and added depth, the IndyCar series is hardly a coveted entity. There's no bidding war to get the rights and ABC pretty much won by default every time the contract came up for renewal.

That's not to say the Indianapolis 500 (and its 4.6 rating) isn't a valued property because it is and it's also the one race that isn't obliterated by NASCAR (the Charlotte 600 had a 4.7 rating on prime time last May).

ABC has 45 years of equity at Indy and it must be worth the estimated $10 million it spends on the rights fee every year, although it likely got a reduced rate in this new deal.

The same can't be said for the rest of the schedule, where ratings this season on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Classic have fluctuated from 0.2 (118,000 homes) to a 1.3 (almost a million and a half homes).

Indy's four hours gives ABC a chance to recoup its investment but, between the costs of High Definition, production and travel plus decreased advertising, IRL racing is a losing proposition for ABC/ESPN.

And, let's be honest, IndyCar is treated like a stepchild on ESPN. No love on SportsCenter, no special shows and no real presence on the all-sports network. Even during its heyday in the '90s, CART complained about the lack of promotion from its TV partner.

So, do you grit your teeth and stay with ESPN because it's still the best option for mainstream viewing with 90 million homes or do you try something else?
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