SpeedVideo Announces Transition to Subscription Model In 2020

SpeedVideo, a division of Power Automedia and the leader in live drag racing video content, announced today that it will transition to a subscription model in early 2020, signaling a new era for the world’s fastest motorsport that will provide far-reaching benefits for viewers, racers, track owners, and promoters alike. The live streaming service has curated partnerships with some of drag racing’s most sought-after series and events, including DuckX Productions, PDRA, NMCA, NMRA, Outlaw Armageddon, TX2K, and many more, and will continue those relationships as the page turns on this new chapter.

In a model similar to existing online streaming and television services in the auto racing realm, Speedvideo will be available annually for $199, giving viewers unlimited access to its vast array of more than 35 live drag racing events stretching from January to December. Monthly subscriptions will also be offered at $24.95 for those seeking more individualized events. There is an introductory discount of 25% on an annual subscription that brings the price down to $149.95 for the year — a little more than $12 a month.

Some portions of each event will be free to viewers, including test and tune sessions, and the first 60-90 minutes of select broadcast days. The first event of the 2020 season that will be broadcast to Speedvideo subscribers will be Lights Out 11 at South Georgia Motorsports Park, February 13-16. The U.S. Street Nationals January 24-27 will be free to all viewers, although you will need to create a Speedvideo account to watch.

This is a joint letter written to the drag racing community by SpeedVideo, Dragzine, and all of our drag racing promoters.

For many years, drag racing has been live streamed on the internet free of charge. The advances of technology and reasonably priced video equipment made this possible. Promoters often paid for the cost of the production, or shared the cost with the live streaming broadcaster.  It was a reasonably workable system except for three major flaws:

1) Live broadcasts were completely reliant on advertisers or the promoter paying for production costs. This limited both the quality of the production as well as how many events could be broadcast. Many broadcasts had huge audiences, but lost money.

2) Promoters lost potential ticket sales from their events, which often costs hundreds of thousands of dollars to produce. For every person watching at home, a potential ticket sale was lost.

3) Most new, smaller, or specialty events couldn’t be broadcast because there was no way to pay for them.

Watching drag racing for free seems like a win-win, but the free model isn’t that good for drag racing. After a great deal of evaluation of how to grow and improve live drag racing broadcasting, the best path forward was to create a subscription model. Event promoters and SpeedVideo who produce the broadcasts will be free to work together to create amazing broadcasts with higher-quality productions, and to expand and cover more events, with a model where each viewer pays a small amount, rather than trying to rely only on the backs of advertisers only.

The world’s biggest and best drag races will continue to be streamed on SpeedVideo – including Lights Out, No Mercy, Sweet 16, World Cup Finals, Outlaw Armageddon, TX2K, NMRA, NMCA, PDRA, Outlaw Street Car Reunion, UCC, Bounty Hunters, F2LK, Snowbirds, US Street Nationals, select Drag Illustrated events, and more to come. SpeedVideo subscriptions will be available for $24.95 per month, or $199 for the entire year ($149 introductory rate), which will get you access to around 40 of the premier live streamed drag racing events. The contribution each viewer makes will help grow drag racing, increase the quality of the broadcasts, and attract new promoters, events, and racers.

Moving SpeedVideo to subscription will benefit:

  • Promotors – a revenue share will allow them to grow their events, pay their purses and cover event expenses
  • Racers – more healthy events and racing series.
  • Viewers – higher-quality broadcasts and a wider variety of events

We have all come together in agreement – this is the best path forward for the future of drag racing. This will enable each drag racing fan to get a great, high-quality broadcast but also keep the sport viable. We are hopeful that each drag racing fan will look at this like a step forward for drag racing and how this will contribute to the future growth of the sport. We all love drag racing and many of us do this not just for a living, but as a way of life. We appreciate all of your support.

Respectfully, signed by:

– Donald Long, DuckX Productions
– Jason Miller, Miller Brothers Productions
– Wes Buck, Drag Illustrated
– Tyler Crossnoe, Outlaw Street Car Reunion, Shakedown & PDRA
– Tommy Franklin, PDRA
– Nick Duty, Outlaw Armageddon
– Steve Wolcott & Rollie Miller – NMRA/NMCA
– Victor Alvarez, Bradenton Motorsports Park
– Peter Blach, TX2K
– Matt Plotkin, Bounty Hunters
– Keith Berry & Lance Stanford, WooStock
– Chris Searle, Ultimate Call Out Challenge
– James Lawrence, CEO & Tom Bobolts, GM – SpeedVideo

SpeedVideo Subscriptions – Frequently Asked Questions

What are the different ways to subscribe? You can subscribe either monthly or annually. With an annual subscription, you only get charged once and you get an entire year of access. Monthly subscriptions may be cancelled anytime (your subscription will be cancelled at the end of of the month). You can subscribe starting next week.

What will be available with a SpeedVideo subscription? All of the events on the 2020 SpeedVideo calendar will only be available in their entirety via subscription.

Free Previews There will be some portions of every event broadcast for free. Typically test and tune, and some parts of qualifying and eliminations will be a part of a free part of the broadcast. So fans that aren’t subscribers will still be able to enjoy watching. They will however have to create an account.

What devices can I watch from? You may watch from your computer, iOS/Apple iPhone, Android/Google phone, tablet, or iOS device. We are developing an app that in near future should work with connected TVs.

Can I watch on my TV? In order to watch from your TV, you must screencast your phone or tablet. We are developing an app that in near future should work with connected TVs.

Do I need to create an account to watch for free? Yes, to watch the free previews you will need an account. But you do not need to enter any billing information.

How do you Cancel? You can cancel anytime if you are on the monthly subscription. Your subscription will be cancelled at the end of the billing cycle. You will be able to do it through the Speedvideo website.

Customer Service If you have any questions or issues during the broadcast, there will be a chat system where you can chat with a customer service person who can help you.

Why do I have to pay now? The free-drag racing live video model doesn’t work well for the events, promoters, the broadcaster, or ultimately, the racers. In order to create a vibrant and healthy model for drag racing, there needs to be some revenue stream for creating top-quality broadcasts and in helping event promoters pay purses, event promotions, and bring in revenue to the racetracks to offset lost ticket sales.

When does this start? The first event 2020 Speedvideo subscribers will be able to watch is Lights Out 11 in February. The U.S. Street Nationals in Bradenton, Florida, will be available at no-charge, although you will need to create an account (no billing information is required).

What events are included? All events broadcast on SpeedVideo.

About the author

Andrew Wolf

Andrew has been involved in motorsports from a very young age. Over the years, he has photographed several major auto racing events, sports, news journalism, portraiture, and everything in between. After working with the Power Automedia staff for some time on a freelance basis, Andrew joined the team in 2010.
Read My Articles

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