Motor Trend group axes Roadkill

On my news feed this morning. Finnegan acknowledged it on his Instagram, I believe. No reason given...

 

All those guys are moving to YouTube & starting their own channels
That would be my guess.
I'd bet you'll see a similar version there asap.

 

That would explain why Freiburger recently put his own youtube show into high gear....

 

Article
https://www.theautopian.com/motor-trend-kills-roadkill/

 

from DF's ig:

 

Yay!!!!!....
I never could understand the reason for burning all that rubber for stupid shit... For drag strip runs, I didn't have a problem with.. But all that other crap, I couldn't deal with...

 

I guess they needed a way to get the 10 year old demographic...

 

I guess they need to find a real job now!

 

I think they can continue on as internet celebrities as long as they want.

 

Here is an article from MT, it also contains a video that Frieburger posted on his page.
https://www.motortrend.com/news/roa...d&utm_content=motortrend/magazine/All+Stories

 

That makes two of us, never owned a car that could produce enough power to do one. Does the pay for view payment viewing require smart phone ownership? Is there a YouTube explanation on how the deal works? Trying to sell something (Streaming) without explaining how it works always struck me as stupid, but I made a living hitting things with hammers, so maybe that is my problem.

 

In the dusty cobwebs above my neck, memory says Roadkill started out on youtube, free and easy.
Then MT came along and started the monetization, first early releases for subscribers, then it's own site behind a paywall.
https://www.drive.com.au/news/roadk...s-following-top-gear-the-grand-tour-and-more/
" shortly after MotorTrend was purchased by Discovery, and the previously free-to-watch Roadkill was moved to a specific streaming platform behind a paywall for several years."

I've heard that YT's revenue took a hit a while back, and just views alone isn't used to pay out. Algorithm is mentioned on many channels.
I wonder if Discovery did kill the golden goose and is now letting go.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roadkill_(web_series)
Roadkill aired on YouTube from 2012 until March 2018, when the program moved exclusively to MotorTrend On Demand. It is currently available on Discovery+.
In 2015, the show was sponsored by the American automaker Dodge. Episodes regularly exceeded millions of views, often reaching over a million in 72 hours.
In November 2024 it was announced that due to the closure of MotorTrend Productions, "Roadkill" and its spinoff shows would not be renewed for additional seasons.

 

here's a timely video to help you understand the history of all this....



In 2008, I went to a robotics competition in LA with my kids, and we stopped by CarJunkieTV in Burbank, to visit David and Chad. That was a long time ago!

 

I will miss engine masters......

 

All shows were axed there running out there contracts then that's it. Rumor has it that Motor Trend sold the cable channel will probably end up a home shopping channel or something.

 

@squirrel Thanks for the direct from the horse's mouth video. I think I got it pretty much right, but direct source beats outside memory and opinion.
Let's hope going forward that we the viewers can get good quality content, that the creators can earn a living doing it while also being able to afford the projects, and that the people behind the scenes also can do good work and get paid. It's been done before.

 

Thanks! Everyone needs to take the time to listen to that. Wish everyone involved the best of luck in the future. Bob

 

I wonder what's going to happen to all the cars that the show owns ?

Which one would you want ??

I could use the motor/trans out of the crusher impala, I don't know what I'd put it in but it seams to take the punishment.

 

I wouldn't want any of them, they're all junk!

 

The 30-31 Coupe body would be my pick, if they are parting things out. A Penske rental van would make for a fun coast to coast ride home.

 

I'd say it comes down to the bean counters saying that the channel overall doesn't provide enough profit level. Most of the same sponsorship for the majority of the shows and a cow is only going to give so much milk a day no matter how many times you milk it.

In other news, I probably spending more time watching You Tube than other shows anyhow. Mostly to just kick back and watch some fun with motor vehicles with no agenda rather than having fun.

 

Sure reminds me of when the same type of corporate management decided to dump all the car magazines. Not a big fan of tire shredding donuts or running stuff until it breaks, but the enthusiasm to get it out and drive it rather than do a multi-six figure garage queen was appreciated.

 

That's Freiburger's personal car, not the company's.

That car is also under Freiburger's personal ownership.

 

I watched in the beginning when they found interesting cars, doctored them up and tried to drive them home but then it descended into burnouts and breaking stuff and I tuned out. Rat cars and destruction are not my thing. I like some of the Engine Masters stuff but I don’t spend much time on YouTube or anything, it takes away from my project time.
I do hope that they find some continued success without the entertainment industry management.

 

The reality is that the "entertainment" industry in the TV sense is dying out so quickly it's hard to keep up. Streaming on one platform or another is the future of all of it. "TV" in the sense a 70 year old like myself grew up with it is all but dead, and frankly, good riddance. Too much money, too little quality, too many fads. Streaming permits you to pay for only what you really want. The "buy the package, what a deal" was great when the "package" contained say >70% watchable content, but when it's down to <20% with the rest being utter crap, you're not saving any money, you're just wasting time and money. Much rather pay specific creators directly; the people I really want to see get supported, and they don't end up losing a big chunk of the potential revenue to "management".

 

Yeah, the show became a place where you could channel your inner 15 year old boy again.

 

Ten year old?

 

Fried burger looks a little desperate on his channel, his videos are crap that I don’t really care about and he has always come off like an arrogant prick so not watching him will be no problem.

 

Since I own a Duster, yesterday I watched all the Roadkill Garage episodes for the two Dusters they put together. I enjoyed watching the progression of Dulcich's hair.

 

a picture I took in 2015....