Is Pit Bits safe in 2027? (New Feld RESTRICTIONS on media…on Michael!)

Hold on...

Does this mean the end of The Weege Show?...The Twisted Tea Best Damn post race show?....post race video interviews like what Swapmoto and vital does?...Raw press day riding and video interviews?

Is this $1000/minute fee limited to on track stuff or no filming in the pits too?

What about Vurb filming the Pulpmx privateer race?

Lots of questions. Hopefully our guy ML can supply the answers after to days meeting with Feld.

They will limit entrance with any type of “professional” photo and video gear. Kind of hard to sneak a 600mm in.

Sure, I’ve got a complete rig for my iPhone, gimbal, external mics, etc;. 

……..but for some distance and quality, I’m going to bring my FX3 and my 70-200mm minimum. 

Sure glad I’ve got no interest in doing anything “media” related anymore. 

Kind of hard to sneak this in, even with only a 35 on it.

Think that’s exactly what they’re trying to curtail. Sounds to me like they only want Big Media (like magazines of the past) shooting. 

“Pay to Play”, is clearly what it is. 

To my knowledge.... title 24, jb ac, and Bubbas world are owned by nbc and wouldn't have to pay... other than that.... you gotta pay... no matter if you are matty b or mighty team honda... you'd have to cut that check... 

And it doesn't mean the end to their shows... it just means no pics or vids will be used... but it makes ya wonder how many shows will choose to keep going when they can only talk about the races.... 

I had same question! 20,000 fans taking cell phone video and pictures from the pits or stands. Presumably posting on social media or even message boards afterwards. No policing that even if it’s in fine print. 

But... a random dood posting on his insta won't be profiting from it... it's entities that are using pics/vid for commercial purposes they are after... 

The click baits on YouTube will be worse than ever so these fake media people can still get paid 

I’m just gonna leave this here:

“Using copyrighted material for editorial purposes like news reporting, commentary, and criticism is generally permitted under the fair use doctrine without needing direct permission from the copyright owner. [1, 2]

Unfortunately this just happened to offroad also. GNCC broadcasts were free on Racer TV. Now you must pay for a Flo subscription to watch live. Starting this weekend there are media limits similar to what is being discussed here. It’s under Media Access Policy. 
https://gnccracing.com/media-access-application

A bunch of greedy f***ks just killed the livelihoods of people to line their own pockets. Fuck them.  

So what's it going to cost to upload a 22min video like this?  $22k??

This would be such a massive loss to the media of this sport. Nothing I love more than seeing Press Day videos before the weekend to get me excited for the racing.

Ironic that this is in the same color scheme as the “Don’t Tread on Me” flag

Yep. It seems like biting the hand that feeds you. And all stemming from some squabble on a group text ?  😄  "What can we do about these guys they make me sooo mad...." 

"Hey I know, these guys are making money off of OUR event" !!  OUR event !!!   It's our event".  "This is bullshit, they gotta pay from now on"    

Exactly! All the coverage gets people hyped up to watch the race.  And I'm sure helps remind the more casual fan that race day is  when it is.    Restricting coverage like this is going to make moto media even more of a joke.

 After doing some quick research, the NFL and F1 and others  are going the opposite way and relaxing the restrictions and have seen growth as a result. 

 The UFC was able to get a BIG streaming deal by controlling access in a similar way earlier on. 

  I am starting to think that a lot of the rules are to make the streaming rights worth more and somebody is looking to cash in. Perhaps looking to sell the promoter rights? or something that seems short sited to me. 

In one way if it was going to help the racers make more money I may be more open to it. But its going to hurt and possible kill off some of the privateer's who have been able to get exposer and help fund their racing via social media.  

 I've had some privateer racers reach out for sponsorship and they use social media stats to show what they can do for me as far as advertising value.  Its bad enough that Feld will not allow a racer to run their own cameras on the bikes. But to restrict showing race footage that helps them get to the races just seems backwards .

 From what I've seen the positives would be increased value for whoever owns the streaming rights.  And perhaps bringing in more money .  

 But its trying to get more money from the wrong area of the sport. Its trying to take it from the area that has the least to give and gives them the most in return. It will hurt credibility of any reporting .  

Really simple. Stop going, stop watching on tv. 

I’d rather ride my own bike than watch either way.

This MEDIA BULLSHIT control is all about Feld/MX Sports bending over backwards to get a new NBC deal.  

So they are cutting out the alternative media.  It’s not even about money it’s about controlling the narrative and product.  

But the REAL POINT I wanted to make is… I watched this happen to the UFC in 2015…. The NEXT YEAR they suddenly sold the company for 4.25 BILLION dollars.  So NBC might just be the excuse they are using.  From what I heard NBC is so happy with views and “video retention” and this is going on the 5th year being on Peacock….

Something big is coming for SMX and they are cuttting all loose ends.  It’s a damn shame.  Look at UFC without media pushing back, it’s almost completely dead.  No superstars were created after the sale.  They are following WWE new method of never allowing one person to become as big as the brand (Stone Cold, Hulk Hogan, Undertaker, etc) just like UFC they created mega hype for Ronda Rousey and Conor McGregor that will never be duplicated!. It was all for the sale of the company.  

I bought a professional camera and I never use it.  The iPhone cameras are too good and convenient. No need to transfer files or use a computer.  I have made documentary’s on my phone.  It’s amazing.  

I don’t think one person that is logging on this website is going to quit riding AND watching..  People are either fans or riders.  This sport would be dead without people buying bikes and riding.  Like Ice hockey it literally took 100 years to become popular in America because unless you ice skate or know hockey it’s hard to understand.  It’s not the same to watch as to play, like motocross everything looks so easy until you try it.  

This is exactly what I've been thinking. 

Wow the retards here. This life style was built off Cycle News and other forms of media. There are guys we still talk about on here that are gone. Guys like Tfs mikeeP....Swap is a icon imo. 

That is what sucks. We live through these guys and if you get to know them they are good people willing to help. Its not just the race content. They love it like we do. They get us and know the way we think giving us what we want. 

That is the point right? We are being robbed of a part of us.

I saw this coming back when they announced the circus and ice capades folks wanted to buy supercross. And I’m willing to give them a little credit for hanging in there as long as they have… not sure, but it might be the longest run for an owner of supercross. But they have always been control freaks. My suspicion is that they’re ready to get out, but there are no ready buyers, so plan B is to screw the pooch so bad that some current stakeholder puts together a bid out of sheer frustration.

Honestly, I’m surprised it took them this long to crack down on people filming their show and making money from it. Take your professional filming equipment along to a Cirque du Soleil show or a baseball or football game every week and make shows you put on YouTube and see how long before you are asked to stop or charged for the footage 

Feld are in this to make money and make money alone, make no mistake. 

I cannot wait for Weege's & Co's take on this.

On a serious note, absolutely mind boggling that people at Feld have come to the conclusion that this is a good idea and will improve their product and/or make them more money. Absolutely insane.

One thing is for sure, this will completely change the way race weekends are consumed from my POV. And i will never buy the international stream package again, the free streams will do for me going forward.

And i hope Vital and others put more of the budget towards covering other series, like the GPs.