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doing what boys do best
Cable thrills on Speedvision and Outdoor Life
By David Everitt
From the start, huge viewership numbers were not part of the game plan for Speedvision and Outdoor Life Network.
The two channels, founded four years ago by former ESPN executive Roger Werner, epitomize the narrowcasting approach that typified cable ventures of the ‘90s.
Speedvision devotes itself exclusively to programs about fast vehicles--from race cars to airplanes--and Outdoor Life concentrates on mountain climbing, skiing and any other sort of hearty, strenuous activity that Teddy Roosevelt would’ve approved of.
Neither channel was geared to match the broad audiences of such first-generation cable leaders as TBS, USA or Nickelodeon. Werner and his team counted on dedicated viewers, low production costs and focused advertisers to turn the channels into profitable enterprises.
According to early projections, Speedvision and Outdoor Life Network would break even after four years. According to another estimate, only 30 million, maybe 40 million, households would constitute each channels’ reach.
Just recently, the two networks realized the first projection. They went into the black early this year.
As for total viewership, they have a chance to exceed their expectations. Speedvision has reached 27 million homes and Outdoor Life 24 million.
By the end of the year, the networks’ executives project that Speedvision’s total will rise as high as 35 million, while Outdoor life will near 30 million. New estimates place a total after a few years to 50 million each.
"We thought the days of a new network achieving 30 to 35 million over such a span a time were over, now that capacity has become so tight," says the networks’ Chief operating officer, Roger Williams. "We’ve been pleasantly surprised by the acceptance."
The reason for the stepped-up optimism has to do with the roll-out of digital cable. Originally, this development figured as a critical force in expanding the networks, expanding, that is, to the current number of households.
But the networks have gotten this far without the benefit of widespread digital installation. As digital rollout accelerates over the next five years, Williams maintains, expanded distribution will also accelerate.
Exactly how well the two channels have been doing in the households they’ve reached so far is not clear. No ratings are available. Although Nielsen is ready to offer data on networks once they near 10 million homes, Werner and Williams were leery of tabulating such a small sample.
Williams cites volatility at that level as the compelling reason. He expects, though, that Speedvision will publish ratings in the fourth quarter this year, and Outdoor Life will follow about a year later.
The strategy for attracting predominantly male audiences during this ratings void has included developing close ties with similar-themed magazines.
Speedvision has developed shows with such publications as Auto Week and Hot Rod, while Outdoor Life has partnered with the likes of Outside and Men’s Journal. The arrangement has provided cross-promotion between the channels and magazines.
In terms of courting advertisers, the two networks have also explored product placement and infomercials, which Williams prefers to call manufacturer showcases. An example would be programs on Chrysler’s annual Camp Jeep event.
For Speedvision, programming over the next year will continue to emphasize the channel’s road-race specialty.
A new addition will be "24 Hours of Le Mans" (actually 22 ½ hours of the Le Mans race, with a 90-minute interruption for Canadian Grand Prix coverage).
The channel also plans to incorporate more racing news shows over the next few years, an attempt at creating the Speedvision equivalent of ESPN’s "Sportscenter."
Outdoor Life is touting its recently acquired rights to the Tour de France bicycle race, to be aired in 2001. The network will also be adding daily coverage of another cycle event, the Giro d’Italia, as well as new episodes of "Gear Guide" and "Adventure Quest."
Some small-focus cable channels, like Court TV, have grown recently by expanding their scope, by broadening their narrowcast mandate. Will Werner and Williams’ two networks follow a similar route.
"You won’t see ‘Homicide: Life on the Street’ on Speedvision any time soon," says Williams. Instead, the two networks will concentrate on variety within their very clearly defined confines.
The one exception would be Speedvision’s "Lost Drive-In," which has been airing late Saturday nights. Hosted by former biker-flick star Bruce Dern, this movie showcase will continue to feature fictional gear-grinding exploits, to be highlighted next month with "Fonda June," a display of such Peter Fonda cult items as "Race with the Devil" and "Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry."
Although a divergence from the strict, nonfiction motor enthusiast scope of the channel, "Lost Drive-In" still seems to fit the network’s identity. Let’s put it this way: chances are Speedvision didn’t have to outbid Bravo for the rights to "Hell’s Angels on Wheels."
-David Everitt covers television, writing from Huntington, New York.
