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Velocity, Motor Trend Named New North America TV Partner

Discovery Inc.-owned Velocity inks long-term deal to become new North American home of FIA World Endurance Championship…

Velocity will become the new home for the FIA World Endurance Championship in North America, with the Discovery Inc.-owned network set to broadcast all rounds of the series, as well as comprehensive live coverage of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

A new long-term broadcast partnership was confirmed on Wednesday, which will see the cable and satellite network take over from FOX Sports, which elected to not renew its deal with the WEC for 2018.

The agreement also includes live streaming of all qualifying sessions and races on the Motor Trend app and on its Web site. 

Live coverage will begin with next month’s season-opening Six Hours of Spa, featuring Eurosport commentary, leading up to flag-to-flag coverage of Le Mans and going through the entire 2018-19 season.

“Without question the 24 Hours of Le Mans is the most iconic auto racing event in the world,” said Robert S. Scanlon, President of Velocity and TEN Video Content. 

“Eurosport produces world-class live coverage of the event every year. Nowhere else in the U.S. or Canada can fans access their best-in-class coverage, and get a broader, richer Le Mans experience than with Velocity on television, MotorTrend.com online and the Motor Trend app on connected devices.”

WEC CEO Gerard Neveu added: “We are very happy to have reached this agreement with Velocity, a channel which is available to more than half the households throughout the USA.

“The USA is a key market for the WEC and over 65 million people will now have access to it, offering our sport of endurance racing an extraordinary opportunity to engage with mass audiences.”

Discovery announced last week that Velocity will be re-branded to Motor Trend Network this fall, as part of a push for live motorsports programming.

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John

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