Streak

http://sportscar365.com/industry/mot...north-america/

Motors TV, Europe’s only dedicated motorsports television channel, is set for expansion into the Americas this year, with the network announcing Tuesday that it will launch into both the North and South American markets beginning on Jan. 28.

The channel, which provides live coverage of the FIA World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series, International GT Open as well as numerous other European-based sports car racing series, will be introduced to the North American market through distribution agency THEMA.

THEMA and AlternaTV, the distribution agency for the Spanish-language version to launch simultaneously in Latin America, will be meeting with all cable and satellite operators at the NAPTE conference in Miami this week to finalize broadcast deals.

“Over the past 15 years Motors TV has proven to be the destination of choice for passionate motorsports fans throughout Europe and the UK and now, thanks to Alterna’TV and THEMA, we can extend our programming feeds into the ideal U.S. and Latin American markets,” said Motors TV founder and CEO Jean-Luc Roy.

“We’re very excited to be expanding into the Americas where European and international motorsport fans are underserved and eager to collaborate with Alterna’TV and THEMA on garnering carriage agreements to remedy that situation.”

In addition to a wide range of sports car racing programming, Motors TV also provides extensive motorcycle and rally coverage, including same-day FIA World Rally Championship highlights.

The channel is currently available to 30 million subscribers across 42 European countries.

Founded in 2005, THEMA works with more than 100 channels worldwide, having created relationships with television platforms in France, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and North America.

“Motorsport fans are passionate, persistent and incredibly loyal, which also places them in the top tier of targeted subscribers,” said THEMA CEO Francois Thiellet.

“Motors TV can deliver this coveted consumer group with its adrenaline-fueled coverage of international and European car and motorcycle races, not to mention the boat and airplane competitions that are the icing on the cake.

“Motors TV programming is fast-paced, all action, all the time and Americans are going to run to sign on.”

paradisenb

Great! Now if the companies that deliver the content get on board we may have a channel worth watching.
I have serious doubts about cable companies. I can't even get FS2 from my provider and FS1 is weak in motorsport content.

Streak

Some of the tweets indicated that maybe Directv wasn't on board yet. I can't find anything about where and what channel. It would be great to see some of the big European events.

KaiB

****...we can't even get Fox News and our CBS station at the moment.

stuttgart46

I saw this earlier today. This would be great if Directv gets on board.

kurtkrum

It would be best if we could bypass cable companies altogether and stream it via broadband.

If it weren't for watching racing on Fox sports 1 and 2 and NBC sports, I wouldn't need cable TV at all.

There's gotta be a better way to access racing content.

Toby Pennycuff

@Kai..... You need a longer piece of barbed wire for your antenna!

ProCoach

What happened to Roger Werner's new gig, I wonder?

Motors TV starts January 28th.

Cory M

Hopefully they set up a channel on Roku/AppleTV

jcs_911

It's not in HD?

KaiB

I wish, Toby. We're at the mercy of Dish as OTA SUCKS out here.

As it is, I've lined the attic with tin foil to direct the waves to the rabbit ears...

captdownshift

+1 for hoping that Roku/Apple/Amazon end up as options for it

paradisenb

Wait until they get their hands on our internet. Net neutrality now!