V8 Supercars call Ten home until 2006
26/8/2001 22:03 (V8 Wire - Jason Whittaker) -
The Home of Motorsport will continue to billet the V8 Supercars for another five years, it was announced today.
AVESCO Chairman Tony Cochrane announced that the Ten Network had retained the broadcast rights to the series until 2006 at Queensland Raceway this morning.
It is not known how much Ten paid to continue their relationship with the sport, though the deal is a “multi-million dollar” one, according to Cochrane.
It is also unclear if a rival bid for the rights was received by another network.
Ten have broadcast the Shell Series since 1997.
"In the last five years V8 Supercars have positioned themselves as one of the leading national sports in this country,” Cochrane said.
"Couple this with our live coverage in New Zealand and to over 400 million homes around the globe and you have a very impressive performance.”
Network Ten’s General Manager of Sport, David White, was pleased the station had retained the jewel in its motorsport crown.
"We have cemented ourselves as the home of motorsport through our commitment to all categories and V8 Supercars are the major component in the sport,” he said.
"V8 Supercars have gone from strength to strength and with all parties continuing to improve the sport, it is an exciting future to look forward to.”
The deal will provide for extended coverage of the series, including more live telecasts, according to Cochrane.
Ten’s digital capacity, allowing viewers to customise their coverage through ‘multiview’ technology, was also a selling point.
The V8 Supercars will share Ten’s sports slate with AFL football next year, after Ten, together with Foxtel, the Nine Network, News Limited and Telstra, won the AFL’s broadcast rights earlier this year.
And while Ten will devote Saturdays to football, including the finals series, Cochrane insists there won’t be a clash.
"It is fantastic AFL will be joining V8 Supercars on Network Ten as both sports will benefit greatly from the cross-promotional opportunities that will arise,” he said.
AFL telecasts, according to AVESCO, will be, “scheduled around the V8 Supercar series.”
Among new initiatives to be introduced next year include a season “wrap-up” program, which will feature the sport’s gala awards night.
Also announced was an international television package for next year, which will take V8 Supercars into 400 million homes globally.
Together with Ten’s Australia-wide telecast, and live coverage of the series through TVNZ in New Zealand, the sport’s presence in Europe, Asia and North American will increase.
Active TV, together with international marketing group Sportel, has worked in conjunction with AVESCO to secure broadcast sales to a number of free-to-air, cable and pay-TV operators across the world.
October’s Bathurst 1000 will be broadcast live and in-full throughout Europe for the first time ever this year via pay-TV operator, Motors TV. This live coverage will extend to Asia and North American next year.
Already, Shell Series rounds are broadcast through North America via Speedvision and Direct TV.
Cochrane announced the establishment of AVESCO Productions, a joint venture between AVESCO and Network Ten, to facilitate the requirements of international broadcasters.
"There is no doubt that as our popularity is growing, so too will our revenue from international television income,” Cochrane said.
“AVESCO continues to achieve strong growth in this area of our business and we expect to conclude some major new arrangements at Sportel in Monaco later this year.”
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