TVG discontinues Tampa broadcasts

[Rudeboyelvis]

Just sent this email to TVG -

Sub: Tampa Bay Downs Signal

Will this be added this year? I do a great deal of wagering at Tampa and have always relied on TVG's outstanding coverage of the meeting. With the closing of Hollywood Park until spring, it seems that the featured tracks now are pretty much all 2nd & 3rd tier signals, save the Aqueduct Inner meet (which I do not wager on). My sincere hope is that this will resolve itself in the very near future for as it stands currently, my need for your products (both ADW and broadcast) are no longer necessary.

Thanks for listening,

Dan

feel free to let them know your thoughts as well:

pr@tvg.com

[Rudeboyelvis]

....And here is their canned response:

Thank you for contacting TVG! Tampa Bay is available for wagering and video streaming. Currently TVG pays Tampa Bay, just as all ADWs do, to offer wagering to our customers. In recent years, we have worked closely with Tampa to help the track promote and market its product through our television network. They have benefitted enormously from exposure on TVG, for which they contributed nothing financially. Throughout that time, the track has continued to increase its betting fees and this year has done so again; we are paying all of their requested fees, however they are not willing to pay any of our fees to promote their racing on TVG. TVG does not want to disappoint its customers but we will continue to prioritize television content sourced from track partners who want to grow our businesses together for the long term. TVG is committed to providing top tier racing television coverage but we can't do that by having our customers pay ever higher take outs fees for tracks while those tracks make no contribution whatsoever for television promotion.

Sincerely,
TVG Customer Relations
1-888-PLAY-TV



I particularly love this line:
They have benefitted (sic) enormously from exposure on TVG, for which they contributed nothing financially.

So... they don't contribute programming? Their signal doesn't afford TVG a mechanism for your talking heads to endlessly promote your ADW and Mobile betting platforms? Or are you saying that they should pay you for that luxury?

Or this:

TVG is committed to providing top tier racing television coverage but we can't do that by having our customers pay ever higher take outs fees for tracks while those tracks make no contribution whatsoever for television promotion.

Yeah...Except that a: You're not providing "top tier racing television coverage", you're providing every "C" and "D" track in the country that no one wagers on because you won't spend what the market bears for "Top Tier racing television coverage"; and b: TBD has continued to LOWER their take out fees, not raise them, so your concern for your customers paying "ever higher take out fees for tracks that make no contribution to television promotion" is disingenuous at best.

It seems to me that television networks pay for programming, and make their money back on advertising and in TVG's case, cross promotion of their ADW - which they get free of charge - I don't see TBD bitching about TVG making money from their signal, why so the other way around?

Have fun covering Turf Paradise, Retama, and Zia Park - I won't be watching.

[Alan07]

Is there really a point to have any racing channels here in the states anymore?

HRTV doesn't show evening races except for a couple of nights and no Tuesdays, TVG refusing to show tracks for apparent money reasons. Today they didn't come on air until 2:15pm.

[Rudeboyelvis]

Some one mentioned the idea of a merger between the two, but that's highly unlikely, considering they are competing of their respective ADW business, and a merger of both would trigger a prolonged FCC (OH NOES, MONOPOLY!!) investigation until the feds get paid off.

I haven't seen Dec '11 over Dec '10 handles figures, and I'm sure it's down a little (I can say that the on track attendance for each of the first 3 Saturdays appears noticeably lighter this year, but don't have those figs either).

At the end of the day, it's TVG's move - they can't survive without handle - both from the perspective of an ADW and as a broadcasting entity. I doubt advertising revenue from the "Forever Lazy" people keeps the lights on.

Tampa seems committed to their live streaming and daily replays available directly from the homepage of their site - we'll see after a few more weeks who can and who can't live without each other.

PS - I never received a response back from TVG to my reply to their form letter answer.

[Bigsmc]

It appears they kissed and made up.

http://www.tampabaydowns.com/news/ta...-saturday.aspx

[MaTH716]

Originally Posted by Bigsmc

It appears they kissed and made up.

http://www.tampabaydowns.com/news/ta...-saturday.aspx

Yep, at this time next week, we'll be watching Tampa races on a 15 minute tape delay (if we're lucky)......

[Aly-Sheba]

The Paulick report has a press release saying TVG will be covering.

[odbaxter]

I gotta say that I feel sorry for all American racing fans having to deal with this. Living in Toronto, and only having the HPI (Horse Player Interactive) TV broadcast, that covers all the major tracks all the time including Tampa Bay Downs, Fairgrounds, Cali, New York, Parx, Florida, Woodbine, Australia, Engilsh and Irish, South African, Hong Kong and Japan.... We are really spoiled! Almost no talking heads! and the few heads you get are a nice treat in between the non-stop racing.
Sometimes I feel like complaining about too much racing, but after reading this thread, I'll just shut my trap.

[Left Bank]

Originally Posted by GPK

No offense Alan, but honestly, who gives a sh*t?

Tampa offers free live video feed on their own website. More tracks should follow suit, but that would make too much sense.

http://tampabaydowns.com/tampa-bay-d...ive-video.aspx

And you won't have to listen to the TVG cast of IDIOTS either!

[-BT-]

Tampa Bay Downs will not allow Hawthorne horses on the grounds this season due to EHV-1 outbreak; details at http://t.co/uXXiwdLr


-bt-