Sky Sports dumps IndyCars behind the Red Button… again

We’ve been here before… and it looks like we’re going here again. As announced by Keith Huewen on Twitter, next Sunday’s IndyCar Series race from Sonoma is again being dumped behind the Red Button from 19:30. Meanwhile, over on Sky Sports F1, they have the Belgian Grand Prix. The remaining Sky Sports channels at 19:30 have:

– Sky Sports 1: Live Spanish Football (18:55 to 23:00)
– Sky Sports 2: Live Super League (18:30 to 21:00)
– Sky Sports 3: Live US Open Tennis (16:00 to 00:00)
– Sky Sports 4: Live PGA Tour Golf (18:00 to 23:00)

With Sky Sports F1’s Sunday schedule is as follows:

Sunday 2nd September 2012 – Sky Sports F1
11:00 – Live Belgian Grand Prix
16:15 – Inside Track: Pastor Maldonaldo
16:45 – GP2: Belgian Race 2 (R)
17:50 – ten minute filler
18:00 – Legends: Murray Walker (R)
18:30 – Inside Track: Pastor Maldonaldo (R)
19:00 – Belgian Grand Prix Highlights
20:30 – Legends: Alan Jones (R)
21:00 – Belgian Grand Prix Highlights
22:30 – Inside Track: Pastor Maldonaldo (R)

So, why can’t the schedule run like this?

11:00 – Live Belgian Grand Prix
16:30 – Inside Track: Pastor Maldonaldo
16:55 – GP2: Belgian Race 2 (R)
18:00 – Belgian Grand Prix Highlights
19:30 – Live IndyCar Series
22:00 – Belgian Grand Prix Highlights

It is as if the schedulers don’t communicate with one another. Yet again, this is Sky treating IndyCars with gross incompetence. Common sense says to anyone that if Sky Sports 1, 2, 3 and 4 all have live programming on, then you put it on Sky Sports F1. There is nothing illogical about that, it is the most sensible and obvious thing to do. Plus, give the IndyCar a bit of publicity during the F1 programme, and the job is done.

I’ve wrote multiple times about poor ratings for the IndyCar Series, it needs to be on Sky Sports F1 with more promotion, and putting it behind the Red Button helps no one. The more eye-balls, the better.

To finish off, here are some other IndyCar related pieces I’ve written on this subject:

– April 26th – where common sense did actually prevail
– May 23rd – the benefits of putting Indy 500 on Sky Sports F1
– June 21st – Sky’s IndyCar scheduling this weekend

It is quite ironic how earlier I pushed my latest Verdict post online that included a paragraph on IndyCars and it being put on Sky Sports F1, and then a few hours later we find out that the penultimate race of the championship next weekend will be on behind the Red Button. Disappointing.

Update on August 30th: I’ve updated the above schedules as a result of a Pastor Maldonaldo one-off programme being announced.