SPEED To Launch SPEED2 Broadband Channel

SPEED2, a groundbreaking new broadband network featuring live, streaming events that will complement the tremendous offerings of the linear SPEED network, is set to launch Summer 2010, it was announced today by SPEED President Hunter Nickell.

A beta version of SPEED2 will be available in June 2010 with a wider consumer debut targeted for July. Available only to SPEED subscribers as an authenticated online network, SPEED2 also will provide a variety of video-on-demand international motor sports content and compelling automotive and motorcycle enthusiast programming.

“NASCAR, the most popular form of motor sports in North America, is the foundation and top priority of the linear network," Nickell said. “Developing SPEED2 provides a dedicated platform for a wider variety of racing, including some of the coolest international events from tracks around the world."

Magazine shows, such as Motorsports Mundial and Inside Grand Prix, will be featured on SPEED2, and the network’s more than a dozen international racing series includes the Time Trial Xtreme Grand Prix (TTXGP), a race featuring zero-carbon, clean-emission motorcycles. Following is an initial list of the races scheduled exclusively for SPEED2:

• FIA GT1 and GT3 (World and European Championship Touring Car Racing Series)
• German Touring Car (DTM)
• World Touring Car Championship (WTCC)
• Intercontinental Rally
• British Touring Car Championship (BTCC)
• FIM Motocross World Championship (All-Terrain Motorcycle Racing)
• FIM Supermoto World Championship (Motorcross and Off-Road Racing)
• FIM Enduro World Championship (Long Distance Off-Road Motorcycle Racing)
• Nürburgring 24 (Touring Car Endurance Racing)
• Formula 2 (Open Wheel Formula Racing)
• F3 Euroseries (European Open Wheel Developmental Racing Series)
• VW Scirocco Cup (German Single-Make Racing Series)
• TTXGP

“SPEED2 will be at the cutting edge of new media programming," said Mike Biard, Executive Vice President, Fox Networks Affiliate Sales and Marketing. “Our distributors have been seeking more online content to complement their video offerings, and this network will deliver what drives viewership—exclusive live events and dramatic action—all in an authenticated online environment."

Both standard and high-definition content will be provided on SPEED2, and the broadband network will also have access to an extensive programming library from SPEED’s 14 years on the air, including the popular series American Muscle Car, Behind the Headlights, Back in the Day and Victory by Design.