Champ Car, IRL to follow NASCAR’s lead

UPDATE #2 Announced by the IRL – Each IndyCar Series event will be televised nationally in high definition by ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC starting in 2008. Will Champ Car be the only remaining racing series not broadcasting in high-definition? Perhaps not say the rumors.

07/27/07 We hear that there is more to the possibility that Champ Car and the IRL will move to high-definition broadcasts next year than just speculation. It costs more money so that is always the issue, but it is being looked at we hear. Can either series afford not to do it given the proliferation of High Definition availability as well as consumers now buying high-def sets at an increasing pace. Very few people are still buying sets that are not high-def..

07/24/07 According to this USA Today article, and based on what we see happening in the marketplace, this is the breakout year of High Definition TV. Over the next 12 months most popular channels will be broadcast in high-definition and cable TV (Comcast, Cablevision, Time Warner, etc), Satellite (DirecTV, Dish) and fiber optic (Verizon FIOS) will be doubling and tripling the number of high definition channels they offer. Champ Car and the IRL must follow NASCAR's lead and switch to high-definition production and broadcasts in 2008 because the current picture quality compared to NASCAR pales in comparison and how do you convince a sponsor to put their name on the sidepods of a car if the TV viewer can seldom read it?