(Note: See the red text at the bottom of this release. It seems to be announcing that the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races will be changing from Sportsnet to TSN. - G.M.)
Toronto, ON (January 11, 2007) – TSN and RDS announced today a multi-year agreement for exclusive Canadian broadcast rights in English and French to the NASCAR Busch Series, effective 2007, including the inaugural race in Montreal on August 4, 2007.
Under the agreement, TSN and RDS have secured the Canadian broadcast rights to all 35 NASCAR Busch Series races, all of which will be available in High Definition on TSN, with a broad selection of events on RDS.
The 10-month NASCAR Busch Series racing season gets underway on February 17 at Daytona International Speedway and concludes with the race at Homestead-Miami on November 17. Highlights of the race schedule include the Series’ first ever race in Montreal at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
“There has been a great deal of buzz and excitement about a NASCAR race coming to Montreal,” said Phil King, President, TSN. “The NASCAR Busch Series is the second most popular racing series in North America. As our increased television audiences indicate, fans in Canada have an insatiable appetite for NASCAR. Having a race in Montreal will not only please the growing Canadian fan base, but will also attract new fans.”
“RDS is proud to include NASCAR Busch Series races in the most extensive programming lineup of car racing ever offered to Francophones in Canada,” said Gerry Frappier, President of Le Réseau des sports. “And with the coming of a NASCAR Busch Series race in Montreal, car racing fans and RDS viewers will get the best taste yet of all the excitement that NASCAR has to offer.”
The NASCAR Busch Series complements TSN’s extensive auto racing broadcast package, which will see TSN televise 28 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series races in 2007, up from 21 races last season. The announcement also strengthens RDS’s commitment to expanding awareness of NASCAR in Quebec and throughout French Canada. This marks the first time both TSN and RDS will air the NASCAR Busch Series property.
“This is a historic announcement for NASCAR and TSN, who have enjoyed a broadcast partnership for more than 20 years. With this announcement, Canadian racing fans will have the broadest offering of NASCAR programming including the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, NASCAR Busch Series and the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series,” said Robbie Weiss, Managing Director, NASCAR International. “We are excited to continue this great partnership with TSN and grow the existing relationship with RDS.”
NASCAR has a strong fan base in Canada with 5.8 million fans, representing one out of four Canadian adults. NASCAR is the No. 1 motorsport series on television in Canada. TSN recorded record ratings for its coverage of the 2006 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series with a national average audience of 332,000 viewers, up 15 per cent from 2005.
NASCAR has a long and celebrated history in Canada, having held sanctioned events in many different NASCAR divisions dating back to the 1950s. In 2007, NASCAR will continue to support Canadian motorsports with three main initiatives: NASCAR Busch Series race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at circuits throughout Canada, and the NASCAR Whelen All American Series races at Edmonton International Raceway in Wetaskiwin, Alta., Barrie (Ontario) Speedway and Autodrome St. Eustache in St. Eustache, Que.
-END-
From Andrea Goldstein, TSN Director of Communications.
No comments:
Post a Comment