Consolidating and enhancing the coverage and exposure of the FIA World Endurance Championship, 2017 will see increased global visibility of the world’s most spectacular sportscars.
Since 2012 the FIA WEC has thrilled audiences worldwide with outstanding racing and a sporting ethos that has captured the full range of human emotion both on and off track. For the season ahead, an increased number of broadcasters have joined the demand for WEC programming which has proved so appealing in the recent years.
The FIA WEC has a global broadcast map which is filling up with territories that bring the spectacle of the races to audiences from Acapulco to Zanzibar. Six continents will buzz to the variety of sounds from the diverse grid and many nations that will be represented by drivers and teams this season.
WEC CEO Gérard Neveu said of the TV programming package: “The WEC’s TV department, together with our worldwide TV rights agency, Infront Sports & Media, have been working extremely hard over the winter months to strengthen and build upon our trans-global TV broadcast presence. What we have in place now, ready for the start of another first-rate season of competition, offers motorsport fans in every corner of the world an increased opportunity to enjoy the very best of sportscar racing available anywhere.”
Europe
For 2017 Eurosport will show live and highlights packages on its channel across Europe. Combine this with the newly re-branded Motorsport.tv broadcaster which will continue to show all races live and in full.
Germany, home to the two big LMP1 manufacturers and many more within the 2017 entry list, welcomes a brand new extensive partnership with the free to air Sport 1 channel including their digital platforms, showing the whole championship live plus additional highlights programmes.
The UK has some of the most knowledgeable and passionate endurance racing enthusiasts and they will have the largest variety of ways to watch the WEC since its inception in 2012. BT Sport is the new home of live WEC in the UK, in addition to highlights from each round including Le Mans. Sky Sports News will also keep their viewers regularly updated with news segments from all 9 races.
In France, home to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, free-to-air La chaîne L’Equipe will continue its excellent coverage of the WEC, broadcasting all 6-hour races live within the 2017 season.
For the rest of Europe, the vast majority of coverage is carried over from 2016, with major free-to-air networks such as RTL7 (Netherlands), RTBF (Belgium) and SRF SSRG (Switzerland) all signed for the new season. Additional broadcasters include RTVE channel in Spain, Ziggo Sport in The Netherlands, TV2 Sport (Denmark) and free-to-air BNT (Bulgaria) to cover the growing Eastern European marketplace.
The Americas
The USA and Latin America have one of the largest reaches for the FIA WEC in 2017, with Fox Sports North America dedicating live coverage and highlights packages all season long. Their 214 million potential reach combines with Fox International’s equally impressive 59 million reach in Latin America. The WEC enters the second of a three-year agreement with Fox International this season.
Asia
Japan’s love of endurance racing is as famous as its current roster of drivers in the championship. This season J Sports and BS Fuji continue their partnerships with the WEC with extensive coverage across the whole season. Fox Sports and Eurosport deals have also been renewed and expanded for the Asia-Pacific region in 2017 and beyond.
Australasia
With New Zealand motorsport enjoying a golden period with the likes of teammates Earl Bamber and Brendon Hartley joining forces at Porsche, and Richie Stanaway continuing with Aston Martin Racing, it is little surprise that there will be regular highlights on the FTA TV3 channel again this season.
In Australia there will be unprecedented levels of coverage on Eurosport, including all races live in full from Le Mans onwards, no doubt following young Australian Nick Foster who hopes to follow in Mark Webber’s endurance footsteps.
Africa and Middle East
Africa will continue to receive live and highlights coverage through the Super Sport channels in 2017.
More details on the WEC’s global coverage will be published on a race-by-race basis, but fans can be reassured that TV broadcasts of endurance racing is on an upward path.
Commentary in English will be available on all live transmissions and official WEC highlights shows, with multiple 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Allan McNish giving his expert insights on FIA WEC. The 2013 World Endurance Champion will be joined by either Toby Moody or Martin Haven, with additional support from Graham Goodwin and Louise Beckett.
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