TNT’s ‘Wide-Open’ coverage a winner for fans, sponsors
TNT once again rolled out its “Wide Open” coverage of the Coke Zero 400 last night, and after watching the race, I feel compelled to say this: That should be the model for all NASCAR race coverage, not just because fans get to see more of the action, with limited commercial interruptions, but because it would probably be more effective for advertisers as well.
Time and time again last night, I found myself actually watching the commercials that ran in an inset box in the lower right-hand corner. Not that I have some inherent interest in commercials, but as I watched the race action during the “commercial breaks,” the commercials really stood out.
So as I watch Tony Stewart lead a pack of cars into a turn, thinking that anyone who underestimated that guy this year must be an idiot, I’m also thinking, yes, a dose of Viagra would make me want to take my significant other to a hut on a lonely tropical island. Maybe when that couple gets inside the hut, they turn on the TV to watch a NASCAR race. I don’t know. I never had much of an imagination.
I do know I spent more time thinking about the commercials during this race than any other race this year. During a normal race, when a commercial starts, I go do something, knowing I have two or three minutes before the action returns.
Other sports feature plenty of regular breaks in the action that are seemingly made for commercial interruption. In NASCAR, the breaks are unpredictable in their timing and duration. The advertisers pay for the broadcast, so the commercials have to run. The only question is when.
TNT figured out a brilliant solution for that problem. The network took a chance on its limited commercial coverage. It’s time for the other networks to give it a shot.
