WEG, Others Should "Reload" to Everyone

May 17th 2008

 4 comments
The Woodbine Entertainment Group announced today that subscribers to Horse Players Interactive TV (HPItv) will be able to see a new replay show. Here is a portion of the press release as posted on the Standardbred Canada website: "Beginning early Monday morning HPItv will launch a new show called Reloaded – a program that will air race replays from the previous day. HPItv subscribers will now be able to view the replays from the five featured tracks consecutively and without pre-race commentary. The addition of Reloaded provides viewers with the ability to watch and record replays from tracks in which they are interested while omitting others."
 
So here is my question. Why aren't WEG and the Meadowlands and other race tracks NOT providing day-after online replays for free anyway, along WITH the pre-race commentary that often is interesting and insightful? In other words, if the video already exists, and the races already are run, why in the world shouldn't these tracks allow people-- no, make that encourage people-- to go online the next morning and check out the action they've missed?
 
There are dozens of casual harness fans in my life who I just know I could help hook into the sport if I could simply send them a link in the morning from time to time that would instantly bring them up a great race. No YouTube. No RaceReplay sign up. A simple link. The best way to market this sport is to show the sport and the best way to do that is to get races onto computers. So even if tracks aren't yet unanimous in their willingness and ability to stream races live-- don't get me started on that-- at a minimum they should be simply re-rackign the video from the night before and showing it again. Just like you can see Yankees and Rockies and Red Sox games the morning after....
 
Anyone going to disagree with me?

Comments

rayferg said...

The Meadowlands replay show is shown on SNY, and is very well run, with some commentary and the full race call (30 minutes W-F, 60 minutes for Saturday cards) They also advertise that archives of the show are available, but I have not been able to find them online. If anyone knows how to find these archived shows, I would appreciate it.

From Andrew: Thanks, Raymond. That's good information. Maybe we can deputize you to find out if the SNY folks can show the replays (or their show) on line? Because of course folks out of the Tri-State area can't get SNY.

posted at 3:55 PM on May 19th 2008

john buonomo said...

Big M Replays are free on racereplays.com, are they not? No other harness track that I know of offers that.

From Andrew: Yes, if you sign in and can stand watching replays on a tiny 2x2 box Race Replays works. But in my opinion it's not nearly good enough.

posted at 7:14 AM on May 18th 2008

Paul Siegel said...

By the way...I don't know about the Rockies and Red Sox, but the Yankees replays air on a station owned by the Yankees...YES Network. The Meadowlands doesn't own a TV station.

From Andrew: No, the BIg M doesn't own a TV station. But presumably it controls its own website. I am not asking for replays on television. I am asking for easy replays online.

posted at 1:56 PM on May 17th 2008

Paul Siegel said...

It is odd that the Meadowlands already supplies free live streaming video on its site, but you have to go through the annoying Racereplays.com sign in to see the replays. At least you get the race calls.

I wonder if they have sold the sole rights to the commentary to the cable networks that air their replay shows.

posted at 1:54 PM on May 17th 2008

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