The FIA World Rally Championship will now be seen in millions of U.S. households after the announcement of a television deal with HD Theater, Discovery Communication’s premier high-definition network.
The one-year partnership, with the option to extend the U.S. broadcasters rights for up to four years, was secured by ISC, the exclusive worldwide media and commercial rights holder for the FIA World Rally Championship.
The WRC programming will premiere weekly on HD Theater starting in October 2009. The agreement provides HD Theater with coverage from each of the 12 worldwide 2009 WRC race events. Additionally, race previews and short-form content featuring news updates from each day of the rally will be made available to HD Theater. HD Theater is one of the most widely distributed high-definition services available in the United States and showcases a range of compelling racing events.
“This is tremendous news for the FIA World Rally Championship and our fans in the United States. It is a ground breaking deal which means the WRC has a high-profile broadcast presence in the U.S., via a hugely-respected, quality and innovative partner in Discovery Communication’s HD Theater,” commented Simon Long, ISC CEO. “We’re looking forward to the opportunity to take the WRC to an ever wider audience in the significant U.S. market, and working with HD Theater to bring more attention to what we firmly believe is an ‘epic motorsport adventure by the world’s greatest drivers.’”
“HD Theater has been a pioneer in high-definition programming and we are excited to introduce the FIA World Rally Championships to our American audience,” said Clark Bunting, president and general manager of HD Theater. “This year we’ve seen the action go from the snow-covered roads of Norway to the hairpin turns climbing the Cordobese Sierras of Argentina, and the adrenaline-fuelled rally action will shine in high-definition and is a critical addition to HD Theater’s robust programming line-up.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
In 2008, WRC was covered by 188 countries via 228 broadcasters, with a total audience of over 633 million plus 12 million visitors to wrc.com. 2009 will see a total of 12 rallies staged across the world in Ireland, Norway, Cyprus, Portugal, Argentina, Italy, Greece, Poland, Finland, Australia, Spain and Great Britain. For more information please visit www.wrc.com.
About HD Theater:
The first 24-hour high-definition network in the U.S. to broadcast all of its content in brilliant 1080i and 5.1 digital surround sound, HD Theater offers compelling real-world and motorized content from a wide range of categories including adventure, technology, nature and world culture – all designed to provide viewers with the highest-quality television experience available. As one of the most widely-distributed high-definition networks available in the U.S., HD Theater brings its programming to life in a kaleidoscope of dazzling color, sound and sights.
For more information please contact:
Dan Geneen / Jonathan Steel / Jonathan Neill
International Sportsworld Communicators
+44 (0) 845 241 8111
dgeneen@iscrally.com / jsteel@iscrally.com / jneill@iscrally.com
-OR-
David Schaefer
Discovery Communication’s HD Theater
240-662-2954
David_Schaefer@discovery.com |
