Autoblog

Formula 1 will hit the BBC air waves in 2009 after a long run on ITV. The move will require new figureheads to sit at the desk, and London's Times has said that Top Gear's Richard Hammond is the top man for the job. Economics at least partially drove ITV's decision to withdraw from F1 coverage. The coverage is expensive, so making money is challenging, even with newly rising star Lewis Hamilton making F1 more interesting for UK viewers.

Hammond's presence might help broaden the appeal beyond just racing fans, as would guest appearances by Jeremy Clarkson and James May, Hammond's cohorts on Top Gear. Letting Clarkson and May prowl the paddock could offer priceless moments of color commentary that would set YouTube alight. The BBC also plans to update the look, feel and pace of its coverage, and fans will be able to get at the presentation more easily with races going out across broadband digital outlets in addition to the standard radio and television. Thanks for the tip, Eric!

[Source: Times Online, Photo by Getty Images/Getty]

Automakers spent $10.46 billion on advertising in 2005, a short step down from 2004 by .85 percent. Significant changes came in the shift from network television (down 15 percent) and magazine ads (down 4.5 percent) to internet advertising (up 16.9 percent, woo-hoo!) and cable spots (up 14.6 percent). Despite a drop in Ford Motor Company's advertising of 21.2 percent to $984.6 million, the company still led the automakers in ad spending in 2005, with General Motors not far behind with $876.6 million (down from 2004's $908.1 million). Bringing up the rear is Audi, which spent $101.4 million, an increase after 2004's $79.9 million.

[Source: Advertising Age via Automotive News]

Motor Trend will be launching a 24-hour broadcast TV network sometime in 2007 that will be available via multicast broadcasts. The network will be available in local markets where broadcasters find themselves with excess bandwidth during the transition from analog to all-digital broadcasts. Apparently MTTV will be the filler of choice for these stations that are looking for digital content to offer. Multicast Networks Group is partnering with Motor Trend’s parent company, PRIMEDIA, to shop the network around the country to station’s starving for content.

The endeavor will be an interesting experiment and will certainly test how far the Motor Trend brand can be stretched. Will you watch?

[Source: The Auto Channel]