Just saw some Free TV coverage details about the next round’s 2023 SpeedSeries season ahead of next weekend’s event at Mount Panorama in Bathurst that is led by the Bathurst 6 Hour Sunday race.
The good news is that Nine will continue to fulfil its usual commitments with every round live on a Saturday afternoon between 2-5pm on 9Gem & also on 9Go in other states if applicable, even though there’s no TCR Australia, Trans-Am & S5000s for this one until mid-May in Phillip Island (Victoria).
However, this upcoming FTA portion would only cover the 2nd part of the Bathurst 6 Hour Qualifying (2.15-2.35pm) & a mix of GT cars such as the opening race of the GT World Challenge (2.55-3.55pm – 1 hour) & GT4s/Australian Production Cars (4.10-4.50pm) categories.
That is all you need to know when the 6-Hour Qualifying Saturday afternoon finale sets up a reminder for viewers to switch over to Stan Sport alone over the next day for some of those who yet to have a subscription – should they wish to not only watch the rest unfold but also throughout the season with every full event weekend races live + on-demand replays & highlights that you can’t find elsewhere.
I guess watching the last three hours of the 6 Hour would be perfect through the 3-6pm Sunday afternoon window since there’s no TCR Australia, Trans-Am & S5000s for this next round, but then SpeedSeries is building some growth as one of Australia’s premier motorsport competitions at the same time when a one-off endurance race may not benefit their regular FTA audience that much.
So never say never when looking to air some of the Bathurst 6 Hour race live on 9Gem/9Go at some point depending on the SpeedSeries interest levels & audience growth. It’s just not worth the risk right now, however, when following the regular categories bring good value that convinces Nine to lend some live FTA airtime through every event of the season.
The 6 Hour race is expected to be part of the usual two-hour FTA highlights package though if you want to look back the following week or weekend, but keep a close eye on it as 9Go/9Gem will schedule a few replays at various random times like early afternoon or late night to fit them in & watch while you can in before it’s all archived through to Stan afterwards.
