The Serve

Memo V8 boss: Stop blaming Ten for your error

It took half a season, but the decision by V8s to sell out for money to a network which already had its Sunday schedule filled with AFL is beginning to show cracks.

Tony Cochrane is the boss of the V8s. Tony Cochrane is a smart man. He must be, considering he is a Tony award winning theatre producer plus the leader of a major sport. He is the John O’Neill of Australian motor racing. A sport which was in the doldrums at Seven, taken to Ten where it was given life support, then sold off to Seven for a motza. All the work of Tony. That jackpot deal though has come at a price.

Both ways.

This weekend sees the Eastern Creek round. It also sees Seven produce the AFL clash between St.Kilda and the Kangaroos. No problem there, as the network has managed to juggle the two interests, albeit clumsily. Adelaide though is a problem. The Crows take on Geelong and while it is live on Fox Sports and shot on Fox Sports cameras, Seven is obliged to take a replay into South Australia. Obliged being a highly pessimistic term, given the profitable ratings Seven will pull in. All for essentially doing no more than hitting record and pressing play.

This leaves the V8s in a hole. Adelaide will more than likely get a 10.30pm replay. Back to the bad old days. This clash was bound to happen soon enough and it was never going to favour the rev heads.

Now Cochrane is trying to play politician. He is attempting to take the attention away from himself and turn the screws on former broadcaster Channel Ten, because they had the audacity to turn down an invitation from Seven to show the AFL.

Ten is under no obligation to bowl over its schedule to help out their rivals. Why should they come to the rescue because Seven was over-ambitious with its acquisition of sporting content? It would be spurious to consider Ten to allow Seven to go live on Sunday and build an audience, which could potentially diminish the numbers watching Ten’s Queens birthday AFL, when Seven goes hard core on the cars.

Cochrane has threatened to ‘ban’ Ten from showing V8 footage at the Australian Formula One grand prix. Big deal. Formula One hasn’t even signed off on the agreement, so the threat is moot. It would be staggering to think Bernie Eccelstone would even consider allowing a rival network to the F1 host broadcasters to set up shop in his venue, so the likelihood of the V8s and the F1s coming together is more than questionable.

When the historic deal was signed last year - historic meaning lots of money and impossible promises - Cochrane said every race would be shown live, or very close to. That has already been shot down in flames. His word has been devalued. “The tens of thousands of fans who are upset should express their concern directly to Network Ten”.

No, Tony. They should go directly to you.