As always I know there was some upset over us starting last night’s Indycar coverage on FS1 as the UFL match overran on FOX. These moments always create debate and discussion, so let me give you some background. In US broadcasting, and especially on FOX, there’s an unwritten methodology called the Heidi Rule. In fact I think it may even be written into certain contracts (especially football.) The rule is simple. We don’t leave a live sporting event before it’s over. The rule is named for an AFL game in 1968 between the Raiders and the Jets that cut away before the game had concluded to show the movie Heidi. There wasn’t much time left and it looked like the Jets had it sewn up. No big deal right? Wrong. The Raiders scored 2 touchdowns in 9 seconds to overturn their deficit and win… and the rules around live sporting events were never the same again. If you start broadcasting a game, you finish broadcasting the game. Last night we brought the start of the race forward because rain was forecast. We then ran the start on FS1 and simulcast on FS1 and FOX as soon as possible meaning as little of the race was missed from FOX itself as humanly possible, but every lap was shown across FS1 and FOX. And just as we waited until UFL was done, so we never left FOX once we’d switched to the scheduled Indycar broadcast despite us running wildly out of our broadcast window. So, the same rule that meant the end of the UFL match cut into the start of the Indycar broadcast, also ensured that we stuck with the race until the chequered flag fell. Hope that helps.

THIS IS INDYCAR IN ST. LOUIS! 💥🤯