Discovery Channel's HD Theater bringing WRC coverage back to U.S.
For World Rally Championship fans living in the U.S., it's been tough to keep up on the action, as domestic television coverage has been virtually nonexistent for some time now. That's about to change, however, as the series has inked a deal with Discovery Communications' HD Theater, a channel with an audience of 633 million. HD Theater has committed to show weekly coverage "from every round of the championship" beginning in October, and it will also air shows featuring related WRC content and news.
The adventure/technology channel already shows other forms of motorsports coverage and car-related programming that we've enjoyed, and we're particularly excited for the return of WRC, as the rallying genre lend itself particularly well to the channel's 1080i, 5.1 digital surround high-def format. After all, the races regularly take place in spectacular settings, and HD broadcasting ought to provide for a heightened level of detail in everything from flying dirt to the look on bystanders' faces as the competitors whip by. Consider us psyched.
Official press release after the jump. Thanks for the tips, everyone!
[Source: WRC | Image: Massimo Bettiol/Getty]
PRESS RELEASE:
High-definition WRC coverage coming to America
Television coverage of the FIA World Rally Championship will be available to millions of households in the USA later this year thanks to a new partnership between series promoters, ISC, and the Discovery Channel's HD Theater network.
WRC programming will be shown weekly on HD Theater starting in October. As well as coverage from every round of the championship, a range of other features and news bulletins will be shown.
Part of the Discovery Channel's range of networks, HD Theater is one of the most widely distributed high-definition services available in the United States. Specialising in adventure, technology, nature and world culture programming, HD Theater also covers a number of racing events, all of which are shown in a 1080i picture format and with 5.1 digital surround sound.
"This is tremendous news for the championship and our fans in the United States," said Simon Long, ISC CEO. "It is a ground breaking deal which means the WRC has a high-profile broadcast presence in the United States via a hugely-respected, quality and innovative partner in Discovery Communication's HD Theater,"
"We're looking forward to the opportunity to take the WRC to an ever wider audience in the significant U.S. market, and working with HD Theater to bring more attention to what we firmly believe is an 'epic motorsport adventure by the world's greatest drivers,'" he added.
Clark Bunting, president and general manager of HD Theater, said: "HD Theater has been a pioneer in high-definition programming and we are excited to introduce the FIA World Rally Championships to our American audience. This year we've seen the action go from the snow-covered roads of Norway to the hairpin turns climbing the Cordobese Sierras of Argentina, and the adrenaline-fuelled rally action will shine in high-definition."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
13enS 4:37PM (7/16/2009)
OH SWEET! I need to set my dvr!
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StanleyVanBuren 5:20PM (7/16/2009)
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES
FINALLY!!
audi_arena 7:08PM (7/16/2009)
YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SCREW YOU SPEED CHANEL!!!!
I knew there was a reason why I loved discovery!
XGM 12:17AM (7/17/2009)
Time to ditch the torrents, SWEEEET.
Alexander 4:39PM (7/16/2009)
Great news! Thank you Discovery!
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adam1drift 5:57PM (7/16/2009)
I really love that channel... they have great car shows sometimes!
Throwback 4:42PM (7/16/2009)
YES, I am already a fan of HD theater's automotive/motorcycle coverage. They have the 2009 TT coming up next Monday.
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IOMTT 5:02PM (7/16/2009)
AWESOME...the TT website just does not cut it and getting the DVD months after is the best alternative currently. What time on Monday????
Throwback 9:18PM (7/16/2009)
9pm monday 7/20
creigs9 4:42PM (7/16/2009)
That's great news. Now we'll get to see real drivers not like the putz drivers in NASCAR, who can't finish the last 10 laps without 5 wrecks.
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MeiSooHaityu 4:47PM (7/16/2009)
Well, in all fairness rally has alot of wrecks too. I can't wait though, I used to like following Rally on Speedvision before it went to Speedchannel (Nascar Channel).
Joe 4:51PM (7/16/2009)
Yes rallies do have as many maybe more wrecks. There is good reason for it. Such as that tree coming out of NO WHERE.
Where NASCAR has only "OMG WHERE'D THAT LEFT TURN COME FROM?!" moments....
krische 5:05PM (7/16/2009)
"Where NASCAR has only "OMG WHERE'D THAT LEFT TURN COME FROM?!" moments...."
OMG, I almost fell out of my chair laughing.
Franz 6:27PM (7/16/2009)
LOL. Yeah, that made me laugh too. Plus in World Rally, not only do they have to worry about trees, but boulders, cliffs, jumps, fordings and last, but certainly not least, the local wildlife (read: spectators. Rally enthusiasts are a crazy bunch).
Aloysius Vampa 4:44PM (7/16/2009)
THIS IS AWESOME.
I'm so excited.
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Joe 4:47PM (7/16/2009)
Look like its time to get Dish Network/other paid service!!
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Commander Cool 5:44PM (7/16/2009)
and even so it's still a channel you have to pay extra for...
Kevin 1:35PM (7/17/2009)
Actually, Discovery has been "giving" HD Theater away. Can't speak for the rest of the country, but in Atlanta you can get it unencrypted if your HDTV has a digital cable tuner, and on every service I've had (Comcast, DirecTV and now Dish) it's available in the lowest HD package. Of course now that they're in the process of turning it into essentially an HD motorsports channel, instead of just recycling stuff from their other channels and IMAX archives, that might change.
Raider007 4:49PM (7/16/2009)
So they're going to start showing WRC after the season ends?
I wonder how delayed everything is going to be next season...
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rygar 5:31PM (7/16/2009)
Hopefully they will replay this season from October to December then pick up coverage on a consistent basis once the 2010 season starts up. There's approximately 12 weeks from October to December, which would be 1 WRC round per week aired on Discovery HD. Then once the 2010 WRC season starts there's usually about 2-3 weeks in between rounds which would be more than enough time to edit and broadcast a show. I'm hoping that they would show a new episode within a week of the actual race.
Thank you Discovery HD! F-off SPEED!