HDNet PR: Hi-def NASCAR, Champ Car races

[Gregg Lengling]

posted by tvbarn on March 16, 2004 01:02 AM
HDNET TO DELIVER NASCAR'S FIRST LIVE HIGH DEFINITION TELEVISION PACKAGE 18 NASCAR Grand National Division Races on HDNet in 2004.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DALLAS and LOS ANGELES, March 15, 2004 ˆ NASCAR and HDNet announced today a three-year partnership for NASCAR's first high definition television package. This landmark deal features 15 live high definition telecasts for a total of 18 races from the NASCAR Grand National Division, a tier of NASCAR regional racing series which includes the Busch North Series and West Series. HDNet will produce and broadcast the package in 1080i HDTV.

The package launches Sunday, April 25, with the Busch North Series race at Lee USA Speedway in New Hampshire. The first West Series race to be broadcast in high definition is the May 1 event from California Speedway near Los Angeles.

The agreement calls for HDNet to broadcast 20 NASCAR Grand National Division events in HD in 2005, and 22 events in 2006, in addition to the 18 races in

HDNet is available to HDTV subscribers on Adelphia Communications, Charter Communications, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Insight Communications, Mediacom Communications, Time Warner Cable and several NCTC cable affiliate companies.
"NASCAR is a great addition to HDNet's lineup of originally produced, live HD sports programming," said Mark Cuban, co-founder and president of HDNet. "HDTV owners will love it; NASCAR fans will love it. It's a win-win for all."

"High definition is the future of television, but it's here now for NASCAR," said Dick Glover, vice president of broadcasting and new media for NASCAR Digital Entertainment. "NASCAR has partnered with HDNet to increase exposure for the drivers, teams and tracks that participate in the NASCAR Grand National Division, and to introduce fans to our stars of tomorrow."

SPEED Channel, exclusive home to NASCAR TV, will re-air in standard definition the 18 races produced by HDNet, as well as an as well as a number of additional originally-produced NASCAR Grand National Division events.

The following events ˆ listed by date, series [Busch North Series (BNS) and West Series] and location ˆ are included in the HDNet package.

Sun. Apr. 25 BNS Lee USA Speedway, Lee, N.H. Sat. May 1 West California Speedway, Fontana, Calif. Sat. May 22 BNS Thompson Int'l Spdwy. Thompson, Conn. Sat. May 29 BNS Lime Rock Park, Lakeville, Conn. Sat. June 12 BNS Seekonk Speedway, Seekonk, Mass. Fri. June 18 BNS Stafford Motor Speedway, Conn. Sat. June 26 BNS Holland Int'l Speedway, Holland, N.Y. Sat. July 17 West Evergreen Speedway, Monroe, Wash. Sat. July 24 BNS New Hampshire Int'l. Speedway, Loudon Sat. July 31 West Irwindale Speedway, Irwindale, Calif. Sat. Aug. 14 BNS Watkins Glen International, N.Y. Sat. Aug. 21 BNS Beech Ridge Motor Spdwy, Maine Mon. Sept. 6 West Rocky Mountain Raceways, Utah Sat. Sept. 18 BNS New Hampshire Int'l Speedway Fri. Sept. 24 BNS Dover Int'l Spdwy, Dover, Del. Sun. Oct. 3 West Phoenix Int'l Raceway, Phoenix, Ariz. Sun. Oct. 17 West Mesa Marin Raceway, Bakersfield, Calif. Sat. Oct. 23 West Irwindale Speedway, Irwindale, Calif.

#
HDNET TO TELECAST ALL U.S. AND CANADA 2004 CHAMP CAR RACES IN HIGH-DEFINITION

INDIANAPOLIS (March 16, 2004) ˆ Champ Cars are among the most technologically-advanced race cars in North America, and will now be seen in 2004 in an equally-advanced television broadcast format courtesy of HDNet.

Champ Car today announced that HDNet, the first full-time high-definition cable and satellite network in the U.S., will be the exclusive home of live HDTV telecasts of the 2004 Champ Car World Series. Beginning with the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach on April 18, fans can catch the turbocharged racing action of the Champ Car World Series on HDNet in cutting-edge 1080i HDTV.

"We are very pleased that HDNet has licensed the rights to air Champ Car World Series racing action," said Champ Car President Dick Eidswick. "Our fans have always been among the first to adopt new technology, so high-definition programming is a great fit for our series and our fans."

In addition to the high-speed racing action of the Champ Car World Series, the HDNet telecasts, which will be produced by the award-winning Betelgeuse Productions, will also feature live final-round qualifying events and live coverage of the Motorock TransAm Tour at Champ Car venues.

HDNet became the first network to broadcast an auto race in high-definition format last year when it aired the Mario Andretti Grand Prix at Road America Presented by Briggs & Stratton. The network used 16 high-definition cameras and two HD mobile units to capture all the action of the race won by Bruno Junqueira.

"HDNet is thrilled to add Champ Car racing to our network," said Mark Cuban, co-founder and president of HDNet. "Thanks to the incredible picture and sound quality, our audience will feel the excitement in every turn and experience every pit stop like they were there. Once again, HDNet is leading the television industry in applying HDTV to yet another deserving sport."

The schedule below lists the live 2004 Champ Car World Series telecasts on HDNet (all times are Eastern and are subject to change). A complete schedule is available at //www.hd.net or at //www.cart.com.

Date Event Time (ET) Sunday, April 18 Grand Prix of Long Beach 4:00 p.m. Saturday, June 5 Milwaukee 9:00 p.m. Sunday, June 20 Portland 4:00 p.m. Saturday, July 3 Cleveland 1:00 p.m. Sunday, July 11 Molson Indy Toronto 1:00 p.m. Sunday, July 25 Molson Indy Vancouver 4:00 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 8 Road America, Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin 2:00 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15 Grand Prix of Denver 3:00 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 29 Montreal 1:00 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 12 Grand Prix of Monterey 4:00 p.m.

About Champ Car Open Wheel Racing Series, LLC owns, operates and markets the 2004 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford. The top open-wheel racing series in North America features teams such as Newman/Haas Racing, Forsythe Racing, Team Rahal, Herdez Competition, RuSPORT, PKVRacing and Rocketsports Racing among others. Champ Cars are thoroughbred racing machines that reach speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour, showcasing the technical expertise of manufacturers such as Ford Motor Company, Lola Cars, Reynard Motorsport and Bridgestone/Firestone North American Tire, LLC. The 16-race 2004 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford will be broadcast by television partners SpikeTV and HDNet. Champ Car also owns and operates its top development series, the Toyota Atlantic Championship. Learn more about Champ Car's open-wheel racing series at //www.champcarworldseries.com.

About HDNet HDNet, (//www.hd.net), the leader in high definition broadcasting, produces and televises more hours of original HDTV sports, entertainment and news programming each week than any other network. Live HDNet sports productions include National Hockey League games, Major League Soccer games, the HDNet Horse Racing Challenge, NASCAR and CART auto racing, Boxing Explosion, and college football and basketball games. Original HDNet series include the groundbreaking HDNet World Report, Across America, Hollywood HD, True Music, HDNet Concert Series, Bikini Destinations, Get Out, and Higher Definition. Licensed programming includes series from Paramount, Warner Brothers and Sony. HDNet Movies broadcasts 24/7 full-length feature films from Warner Bros, New Line, Paramount, MGM, Buena Vista, Lions Gate, Artisan and Sony Pictures Television. HDNet Movies also features movies produced and finished in true 1080i high-definition. Co-founded by Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and General Manager Philip Garvin, the HDNet networks are available on Adelphia Communications, Charter Communications, DIRECTV, DISH Network, Insight Communications, Mediacom Communications, Time Warner Cable and several NCTC cable affiliate companies.