Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1472935
ing and MavTV. With both Ryan Dungey and Antonio Cairoli joining the rest of the stars in this series, we knew the whole motocross world would be watching this summer. Unfortu- nately, MavTV Plus was not up to the task, and the problems and inconsistencies with the service gave the series a black eye—several, actually. We have been working diligently with Ma- vTV to find a fix, and after five rounds of frustration, they made the difficult decision to move the streaming coverage to an entirely different (and much more dependable) platform in FloSports, on a new "MavTV on FloRacing" channel. They are honoring the existing MavTV Plus subscriptions through the end of this month, and MavTV Plus will soon be refunding the balance of their annual sub- scriptions. Lucas Oil has been our title sponsor ever since MX Sports Pro Racing took over the reins of the series in 2009. They have also partnered in broadcast pro- duction with Lucas Oil Studios and through television coverage through their MavTV network, showing the first motos while NBC Sports Network aired most of the second motos, with a few on NBC proper each season. NBC Sports Network had also been our commercial partner in the series for more than a decade. But last year NBC decided to shutter the sports channel in the wake of the troubled 2020 Olympic Sum- mer Games in Tokyo, which were postponed for an entire year due to Covid, and then finally held last summer with no fan attendance permitted. NBC still airs motocross—Saturday's first 450 moto at Southwick will air live on the network chan- nel—but not the vast majority of the series. With NBC Sports Network out of the picture, that meant our previous streaming plat- form, Peacock, was no longer an option either. At that point MavTV offered to step in and make Lucas Oil Pro Motocross their #1 priority, offering to show all four motos live from each round, with no preemp- tions for other sporting events or shows. They also had their new streaming platform, MavTV Plus, to replace Peacock, at a similar price point for fans: $6.99 a month. Unfortunately, MavTV Plus did not work the way it was supposed to, and for that we are truly sorry. It was a disaster, and it could not have come at a worse time for Lucas Oil Pro Motocross, which has otherwise been humming on all cylinders. I appreciate all of the people at Lucas Oil and MavTV who tried to fix the problems, and I also commend them for coming to the very difficult decision that they were better off moving to FloRacing than to take any more time trying to fix a much larger problem that could not be rectified quickly. And yes, FloRacing is honoring the $6.99 per month price that MavTV Plus originally offered, which is significantly lower than their regular monthly subscrip- tion. MavTV Motorsports Net- work will also continue airing Lucas Oil Pro Motocross. On a personal level, I would like to apologize to all of the fans and viewers who have struggled to watch with Ma- vTV Plus. I hope the change to watching "MavTV on FloRacing" is as seamless as it is easy. I also want to apologize to all of the competitors and race teams, as well as the event pro- moters and sponsors, who have all worked so hard to make the 2022 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship the success that it's otherwise been. The effort that everyone has put into motocross deserved better streaming coverage than we have given them this summer, and for that I am truly sorry. One thing that has remained true since Round 1 and will continue through the rest of the season is our commitment to providing our audience with the best coverage and easiest access to watch the races from anywhere you might be. We hope you continue to tune in to see these amazing riders on these great racetracks. Sincerely, Davey Coombs IN THE WIND P44