ITV

Tag: NASCAR

  • Nascar launches FAST channel in partnership with Tubi

    Nascar launches FAST channel in partnership with Tubi

    MUMBAI: The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (Nascar)   announced on 16 January the upcoming launch of the Nascar Channel, a free ad-supported television (FAST) channel set to go live on  29 January in partnership with Tubi. This channel will provide fans with 24/7 access to Nascar  content at no subscription cost or registration.

    The Nascar channel will feature a diverse lineup of programming, including classic races, replays of the current season’s events, documentaries, original content from Nascar studios, and video podcasts.

    Key highlights of the launch include exclusive live coverage of the Nascar  Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on 7 February and the Cook Out Madhouse Classic from Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, on 1 February. 

    The channel will also delve into its archives to showcase iconic races from the Daytona 500 and The Cook Out Clash, alongside delayed replays of the 2025 season’s races. Additionally, fans can look forward to timely programs such as Nascar  Daily with Shannon Spake, race highlights, and popular series like Radioactive, Refuse to Lose, and Hall of Fame Biographies.

    Nascar senior vice president of content  John Dahl stated: “Fans now have a free, easily accessible 24/7 Nascar destination that not only explores our archives but also delivers the latest news and original storytelling.”

    Tubi SVP content acquisitions ad partnerships Samuel Harowitz  emphasised that Nascar  is the perfect addition to Tubi’s vast content offering, enhancing the viewer experience as it gears up for its 2025 season.

  • DishTV adds Discovery’s sports channel ‘DSports’

    MUMBAI: DishTV has added the newly launched sports channel ‘DSports’ from the house of Discovery Communications. With this addition, DishTV now offers a total of 13 sports channels in Standard Definition, the highest to be offered by any DTH service provide.

    The all new premium sports channel in India, ‘DSports’ aims to redefine sports engagement and provide viewers an unmatched ‘live’ sporting action from across the globe, through its dynamic coverage of sporting events. The channel will broadcast football from Brazilian League, Chinese Super League, Portuguese League, and Major League Soccer (USA); golf from British Open, US Open, PGA Championship and LPGA; NASCAR motor racing, and six Nations Rugby along with UK and Irish horse racing events.

    On diversifying DishTV’s sports portfolio, DishTV Indiab chief executive officer Arun Kapoor said, “Being a pioneer and the market leader, DishTV has always stood up to the promise of providing uninterrupted and unlimited entertainment to the subscribers. By adding ‘DSports’ we intend to align India’s sports culture with international sporting events, and offer global exposure to our subscribers. We are delighted with this addition and will continue to enrich our portfolio for the viewers.”

    ‘DSports’ offers a rich catalogue that covers 4000+ hours of ‘live’ content every year. The channel is available on DishTV platform on LCN 654. As a promotional offer, the channel is free to preview for DishTV subscribers for a limited period.

  • Ferri Lighting Design & Associates designs first LED studio for ESPN

    Ferri Lighting Design & Associates designs first LED studio for ESPN

    MUMBAI: Ferri Lighting Design & Associates (FLDA) today announced that it has designed and installed the lighting for the new flagship ESPN ‘Sportscenter’ studio, at ESPN’s headquarters facility in Bristol, Connecticut. The new studio design, which is almost fully LED lit, is the first LED studio deployment for ESPN. FLDA has also leveraged Prism Projection’s Power Net – a data-over-power solution – that bypasses standard DMX cable runs to distribute studio power directly over power lines. The ESPN ‘Sportscenter’ installation is currently the largest Power Net installation in the world. FLDA has also designed and installed lighting in ESPN’s Sky Deck, a suspension grid system that flies above the studio set.

     

    Bruce Ferri, senior designer of FLDA, designed the ESPN ‘Sportscenter’ studio in Bristol for its redesigns in both 2000 and 2004 with his previous company, New York City Lights. Ferri had also designed a full LED rig for ESPN’s NASCAR Pit Studio  installation, which was a fully outfitted trailer that attended NASCAR races. The new ESPN ‘Sportscenter’ studio encompasses 10,500 square feet of space at the Bristol campus, making it the largest ESPN studio.

     

    FLDA’s Emmy Award-winning team has achieved renowned reputation for its sports studio installations over the years, including multiple designs for ESPN, the MLB Network, and others.

     

    “The ‘Sportscenter’ design is as much a showcase for power efficiency as it is an aesthetic achievement for ESPN, and we are delighted with the results, particularly given the significance of this installation,” said Ferri. “I have seen several iterations of the ‘Sportscenter’ studio over the years, and this one marks a true milestone for LED lighting.”

  • ESPN, Turner in talks to exit NASCAR early

    ESPN, Turner in talks to exit NASCAR early

    MUMBAI: ESPN and Turner Sports are talking with NASCAR about getting out of their broadcast rights agreement a year early, a move that could allow Fox Sports and NBC Sports Group to become the sport’s broadcasters next year.

     

    It’s unlikely that the four TV companies will be able to reach a deal, sources say. But the fact that these types of talks are occurring is precedent-setting in an industry where live sports rights are held sacred. For at least the past decade, no rights holder has exited a major media agreement with a property early.

     

    ESPN and Turner executives told the series that they are interested in forgoing the final year of their contract. Fox and NBC executives told NASCAR that they are interested in picking up those rights. And sources say NASCAR executives are open to the switch.

     

    But any deal faces significant hurdles. Sources said it would have to be a complete switch, not a partial one in which Turner exits its six Sprint Cup races or ESPN exits part of its Nationwide Series season. That means it would require an agreement between four competitors – ESPN, Turner, Fox and NBC – and one property, which would be difficult to structure.

     

    ESPN and Turner Sports have told NASCAR they are prepared to carry the races next year, but both would prefer avoiding that lame-duck status. Both opted not to submit final bids to retain NASCAR rights when the sport held TV negotiations last month, and they see upside in exiting their deals a year early.

     

    ESPN has had financial pressures in some areas over the last year, causing it to lay off staff and look for ways to reduce expenses. By unloading NASCAR rights in 2014, ESPN would be able to eliminate production costs and shed its roughly $270 million annual rights fee.

     

    NASCAR-related production costs are a concern for ESPN executives, particularly during the first half of the season when ESPN has rights only to the Nationwide Series.

     

    The talks won’t change NASCAR’s long-term TV picture. Between 2015 and 2024, NASCAR will collect more than $8.2 billion in media rights from Fox and NBC, which signed 10-year, $3.8 billion and $4.4 billion deals, respectively. The networks together will pay an average of $820 million a year, a 46 percent increase from the $560 million that NASCAR currently receives annually from Fox, Turner Sports and ESPN.

  • NBC Sports nabs NASCAR rights

    NBC Sports nabs NASCAR rights

    MUMBAI: NBCUniversal has secured the exclusive rights to a host of NASCAR races and events starting in 2015 and running through the 2024 season.

     

    The comprehensive agreement between NASCAR and NBC Sports Group covers the exclusive rights for the final 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races, final 19 NASCAR Nationwide Series events, select NASCAR Regional & Touring Series events and other live content.

     

    NBC’s 20 Sprint Cup race schedule includes becoming the exclusive home to the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR’s final 10 races of the season. Of the 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup series events, seven will be carried on NBC annually, with 13 on NBC Sports Network. Four of the group’s 19 NASCAR Nationwide Series races will broadcast on NBC, with 15 on NBC Sports Network.

     

    “NBC is known for being an exceptional partner and delivering outstanding production quality and presentation of live sports, as well as its broad portfolio of broadcast and digital properties so we are thrilled with the commitment they have made to NASCAR and its future,” said Brian France, NASCAR’s chairman and CEO. “We know this partnership will yield great value to our entire industry, provide a premium experience to our most important stakeholders, the fans, and help us achieve a number of strategic growth objectives. Our new partnership with NBC and the recent extension by FOX validate the strength of our fan base and the many bold steps we have taken the last several years to provide fans with better, more accessible racing.”

     

    “Acquiring the rights and bringing NASCAR back to NBC comes at an important point in time for NBC Sports Network, NBC, and all of our distributors and affiliates,” said Mark Lazarus, NBC Sports Group’s chairman. “We look forward to working with Brian and his management team, who have brought a renewed focus to NASCAR’s intersection of sports and technology.”

     

    “We are excited about the cross-promotional opportunities NBC provides, especially in the timeframes right before NBC’s NASCAR schedule and during the Chase,” added Steve Herbst, NASCAR’s VP of broadcasting and productions. “We’re confident NBC will utilize its powerful Championship Season lineup, including the NHL Playoffs, Premier League, the French Open, the Kentucky Derby and other events, to build interest and excitement for NASCAR. Those opportunities, combined with the opportunity to lead into the number one show on television-NBC’s Sunday Night Football-for select Chase races, were both very attractive prospects when considering this partnership.”

  • Dominic Cooper to star with Aaron Paul in Need for Speed

    Dominic Cooper to star with Aaron Paul in Need for Speed

    MUMBAI: Dominic Cooper, better known for his role in Mamma Mia, is in talks to star alongside Aaron Paul and Imogen Poots in Dreamworks‘ Need for Speed.
    The 34-year-old star is in negotiations to appear in the forthcoming motoring film based on the Electronic Arts video game of the same name, it is reported.
    Cooper is up to play the role of Dino, a former NASCAR driver, who also modifies supercars for wealthy clients while Paul plays an underground racing driver who has diversified into running a garage which modifies luxury cars to boost their power.
    However, he is framed for the murder of his friend who dies during a race. After coming out of prison, he swears revenge on those responsible for his friend‘s death and his wrongful imprisonment.
    The film will go on the floors next year and will release in February, 2014.