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Saturday, Mar. 29, 2008
As a new era of IndyCar Series racing dawns this weekend at Florida's Homestead-Miami Speedway after the recent unification of American open wheel racing, ESPN International, the exclusive worldwide television representative of the Indy Racing League and the Indianapolis 500, will begin its coverage of the IndyCar Series, providing a truly global audience for IndyCar Series racing.
ESPN International's network and syndication distribution efforts, coupled with the in-depth coverage the IndyCar Series will receive in the United States on ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC, means each of this season's IndyCar events will be televised to 212 countries and more than 356 million households across the globe. And U.S. troops serving overseas will be able to watch IndyCar Series racing in 2008 via a broadcast agreement between ESPN and the American Forces Network.
"The IndyCar Series has been flagship programming for us for a number of years," said Tim Bunnell, senior vice president, programming and marketing, ESPN International. "2008 marks the beginning of a new era for IndyCar Series and we're thrilled to showcase this dynamic property to our audience around the world."
ESPN previously announced that all IndyCar Series races will be telecast in high definition in the U.S., a first for the series.
"2008 is an exciting year for IndyCar Series racing," said Charlie Morgan, President and Chief Operating Officer of IMS Productions, the broadcast and productions arm of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "Speed and competition appeal to people everywhere. Broadcasting our races to people in more than 200 countries is a big part of growing the IndyCar Series and exposing our brand of racing to an ever-growing international audience. 2008 is the first year of unification under the IndyCar Series banner and the first year for high definition race broadcasts. Clearly, we have a great product to deliver to our fans overseas."