European TV deal sealed

International interest in Champ Car racing peaked at the time of Nigel Mansell's defection to the US-based series in 1993 and was sustained by comprehensive TV coverage on Eurosport through to the end of the 1990s. Since then, however, the European fanbase has dwindled and a major contributing factor has been an unsatisfactory and unstable TV package, with three different channels carrying the series in the last three years.

Eurosport aired the 2003 season but its coverage was marred by frequent scheduling problems and conflicts. A switch to Motors TV this year resulted in far more reliable programming, but the deal was limited to the UK and most of mainland Europe was left with no significant CCWS coverage. Also, the ratings were inevitably limited by Motors' position as a niche channel with no presence on cable platforms NTL and Telewest.

Eurosport, by contrast, is Europe's largest free-to-air broadcaster, available in 54 countries with a potential viewership of 240 million. Its pan-European reach has the attraction for Champ Car of not having to negotiate separate contracts with each and every country on the continent.

"This is a major step forward for Champ Car and will provide many new opportunities for us in the coming season," said Champ Car CEO and president Dick Eidswick. "With young, exciting European drivers such as Sebastien Bourdais and Justin Wilson enjoying great success last year, the popularity of Champ Car in Europe has increased tremendously and we are excited about this new deal."

The live race broadcasts will be supplemented by "extensive coverage" on Eurosport's other multimedia platforms, Eurosportnews and Eurosport.com.

Eurosport's managing director of broadcast services Laurent-Eric Le Lay added: "Being the European partner of the Champ Car World Series consolidates Eurosport's development strategy in all motorsports."

Champ Car's domestic TV package for 2005 has yet to be announced, but is expected to include a mixture of network and cable coverage - most likely some combination of NBC, CBS and CNBC.