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Seven Network stalwart Mark Beretta has hailed the one-production model in use for the Supercars broadcast this weekend in Darwin as ground-breaking.
Coverage at the Merlin Darwin Triple Crown features a mix of Seven and Fox Sports talent in a simulcast effort.
Darwin is the first round since the Mount Panorama season-opener to appear live on free-to-air screens, and Beretta is loving the new set-up.
“It gives us access to the best of both worlds – the best commentary team ever,” he told Speedcafe.com.
“Because in a lot of sports like NRL and AFL, the top talent ends up being divided between the free-to-air network and the pay network but here in Supercars you are getting the best of both, so I think it’s really exciting.
“There’s no fighting over the talent, it’s all there and I honestly think it’s a win.
“To be honest it may become a model for future broadcasting.
“It’s very expensive for the two networks – a pay network and a free-to-air network – to have two separate teams, so maybe this is something that other sports head towards.
“This is a chance for Supercars to really break some new ground… hopefully it’s a blueprint for what is to come.
“It’s a new dawn… that’s sport too, you have got to keep innovating and trying new things, so I think this might be a real winner for the fans.”
The one-production model will again be deployed at the NTI Townsville 500, though Seven will return to doing its own hostings at the Repco Bathurst 1000 in October.
Beretta is looking forward to seeing how the action at Hidden Valley Raceway sets the tone for the remainder of the 2021 championship.
“Where Shane van Gisbergen is at the moment, there’s a lot of people saying he’s home and hosed from here,” said Beretta.
“He is so far from home and hosed in the championship.
“I mean this is almost a dead repeat of 2010 where Jamie Whincup [had] a big lead in the championship and by the end of the year it was James Courtney who won the championship.
“This is far from a done deal… [but] this being the midway point of the season, you’ve got to put a foot in the game now, otherwise you’re going to get left behind.”
Beretta was also excited about the additional programming Seven has committed to Supercars’ fanbase, with 7’s Motorsport Classics debuting today and Supercars 101 due to launch next week.
