CBSSN Set for Live Blancpain GT America Races in 2019

Photo: Brian Cleary/SRO

CBS Sports Network will carry live coverage of the majority of the Blancpain GT World Challenge America season, as part of a significant increase in TV coverage for SRO Motorsports America next year.

Announced during Thursday’s “State of the Series” address at the PRI Show in Indianapolis, up to seven events will be featured live on the network, with the two-hour packages for Blancpain GT America to include a recap of Race 1 and the full 90-minute Race 2 of the new-look format.

The remaining races not shown live are expected to be same-day tape-delayed.

While the full TV schedule is still being finalized, particularly amid the network’s extensive coverage of March Madness college basketball, SRO America President and CEO Greg Gill indicated it will be a significant step up from last year, which largely featured tape-delayed coverage airing the week following each event.

More than 100 hours of SRO programming has been confirmed on CBSSN for 2019.

“I’m excited about this,” Gill told Sportscar365. “This will really allow a greater exposure of SRO’s global products as we bring in things like Blancpain GT Asia, allowing these to have CBS Sports exposure within the same World Challenge weekend slots.

“I’m hoping when folks turn on CBS Sports, they see, at any given time, a tremendous amount of our racing.”

Gill indicated the season-opening round at Circuit of The Americas on March 1-3 will likely be same-day tape-delayed because of March Madness, with the California 8 Hours Intercontinental GT Challenge round, which has been moved to Sat. March 30, to potentially have the same billing.

“Once we clear the month of March, and unfortunately that is three of our largest races of the year, it will be live,” he said.

TV broadcasts of Pirelli GT4 America and TC America races will continue largely on a delayed basis, aired one week following each event, although both series, along with Blancpain GT America will be streamed live, without geo-blocks on the series’ official Web sites and an additional yet-to-be-announced platform.

SRO America director of marketing and business development Robbie Montinola indicated that qualifying will also be streamed in 2019.

John Dagys

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