FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, April 30th, 2018
IMSA, NBC SPORTS GROUP ANNOUNCE SIX-YEAR PARTNERSHIP TO BEGIN IN 2019
New Partnership Brings IMSA Racing To NBC Sports Networks, Digital Platforms
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (April 30, 2018) – The International Motor Sports Association (IMSA) will have a new U.S. broadcast home for its flagship IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, what is currently known as the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and the IMSA Prototype Challenge presented by Mazda, as NBC Sports Group and IMSA today announced a six-year partnership starting with the 2019 season.
This enhanced media rights partnership includes a significant increase in network coverage of the WeatherTech Championship over 2018. Three races will broadcast on NBC and there will be more than 45 hours of WeatherTech Championship action televised on the NBC Sports Network (NBCSN) throughout the season. NBC Sports will present more than 100 hours of IMSA coverage across its broadcast, cable, and digital platforms. The NBC Sports App and NBCSports.com will offer flag-to-flag live streaming coverage of every WeatherTech Championship race to authenticated subscribers.
“The resonance and gravity of this new partnership with NBC Sports Group for IMSA fans and our stakeholders cannot be overstated,” said IMSA CEO Ed Bennett. “This agreement is the culmination of a comprehensive process to align ourselves with a media rights partner that will capitalize on the tremendous momentum the WeatherTech Championship and IMSA is currently enjoying, and will help our sport reach new heights. Without question, NBC Sports Group ‘gets’ motorsports and our unique premium product. We could not be prouder to call NBC Sports our future partner.”
“As the U.S. home of motorsports, we are excited to present IMSA’s high-quality and diverse racing circuit to our abundance of racing fans,” said Jon Miller, President, Programming, NBC Sports and NBCSN. “By utilizing our wide-array of broadcast, cable, and digital platforms, we can service IMSA and motorsports fans with more coverage and in more ways than ever before.”
This media rights agreement with NBC Sports Group capitalizes on IMSA’s unprecedented growth and its bright future including the sanctioning body celebrating its 50th Anniversary in 2019. Among the highlights of this growth include record attendance at each race this year, unique television viewership for the year is on track to surpass last year’s record of 6.5 million viewers, and significant digital and social media growth.
NBC Sports Group is the home of motorsports in the U.S., with this agreement adding to its extensive portfolio of auto racing that includes NASCAR and INDYCAR.
The 2019 season starts with the 57th Rolex 24 At Daytona on Jan. 26-27, 2019 and the entire season broadcast schedule will be announced in the coming months.
ABOUT IMSA
The International Motor Sports Association, LLC (IMSA) was originally founded in 1969 and owns a long and rich history in sports car racing. Today, IMSA is the sanctioning body of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, the premier sports car racing series in North America. IMSA also sanctions the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge and the IMSA Prototype Challenge Presented by Mazda, as well as four one-make series: Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge USA by Yokohama; Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama; Ferrari Challenge North America; and Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America. IMSA – a company within the NASCAR family – is the exclusive strategic partner in North America with the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) which operates the 24 Hours of Le Mans as a part of the FIA World Endurance Championship. The partnership enables selected IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship competitors to earn automatic entries into the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans. For more information, visit www.IMSA.com, www.twitter.com/IMSA or www.facebook.com/IMSA.
ABOUT NBC SPORTS GROUP
NBC Sports Group serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN, Golf Channel, NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and NBC Sports Digital, which includes NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com, GolfChannel.com, the digital assets of the NBC Sports Regional Networks, Rotoworld, the NBC Sports Talk franchise, multiple apps, and two transactional sports businesses, GolfNow and SportsEngine. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, INDYCAR, PGA TOUR, The R&A, PGA of America, Churchill Downs, Premier League, Tour de France, French Open, and many more.
