SPEEDTV.com and ALMS form partnership
The American Le Mans Series (www.americanlemans.com) and SPEEDtv.com have entered into a website partnership that will allow each site to share editorial, audio and video content on a daily basis. SPEEDtv.com has chosen the American Le Mans Series as its prototype for sharing services primarily because of its open technical approach which exists not only on the race track but also transcends to its media and business operations as well.
“When SPEEDtv.com approached us," said Tim Mayer, Chief Operating Officer for both the American Le Mans Series and IMSA, “we realized this would be a great opportunity to enhance many features on our site that our users were wanting and at the same time, work with a partner whom we believe had become the authority within the motorsports industry. We certainly feel that the new SPEEDtv.com site captures the aspirational automotive lifestyle for which our series and manufacturers have become renowned."
“There is a major shift toward video on the Web and consumers are expecting much more in the area of video quality and content," said Kevin Annison, SPEED VP of Digital and Interactive Media. “We produce top-notch television shows every day and as user-generated video passes the torch to ‘pro-sumer’ and professionally produced content, we are there and will make our content available to our users anywhere, anytime. Additionally we are creating exclusive content that will be made available strictly to broadband and mobile applications featuring exclusive content, bonus coverage, special events, and will serve as an incubator for future network programming."
SPEEDtv.com will feature expanded editorial and video content, easier navigation, social networking and optimized advertising opportunities. In addition, it will optimize the site for wireless devices and launch a mobile version of its site. The American Le Mans Series began taking advantage of the partnership even prior to the re-launch with SPEEDTV.com coverage from the recent North American International Auto Show and the Series’ Winter Test from Sebring, FL.
“We are creating the hub and definitive home for all motorsports on the Web," said Annison. “No one will deliver the depth and breadth of content that SPEEDtv.com will deliver in the world of racing and automotive lifestyle that will be made available online and to mobile devices. Whether you are a true race fan or you just like sports cars, motorcycles or classic cars, SPEEDtv.com is the online motorsports authority and destination point for all motorsports fans."
With a solid team of seasoned, respected motor sports and automotive journalists, coupled with key relationships with content partners including and Racecar Engineering magazine, SPEEDtv.com will deliver timely news and information, plus insightful, exclusive analysis and commentary, as well as enhanced video and photographic content.
SPEEDtv.com Automotive and Sports Car Editor Marshall Pruett will serve as the primary journalist and liaison in the new American Le Mans Series online partnership. “I’ve been a diehard IMSA fan since my early teens, and even served as a mechanic on an IMSA GTP team in 1990; this isn’t work for me: it’s a labor of love," he said. “Forging this new relationship with the American Le Mans Series will see me covering the most exciting, diverse, relevant, and open-minded sports car series on the planet – expect the content we’ll produce online to be as compelling as the races you’ll see on TV."
The site itself will be organized in seven main color-coded ‘hubs,’ including the SPEEDtv.com homepage, NASCAR, Formula One, Auto Racing, Moto Racing, Cars and Bikes, with each providing news, commentary, video, statistics and venue information. Key program pages, promotional ‘mini-sites,’ statistical pages and media hubs will all be instantly available through the site’s straightforward, contextual navigation.
As part of the re-design, SPEED will develop advertising and co-branding opportunities for sponsors with an emphasis on optimizing ad placement.
“There won’t be a bad ad unit on the site," said Mark Mitchell, Executive Director of SPEEDtv.com. “The positions will be much more compelling, engaging and integrated seamlessly into the site and will include opportunities to connect multiple positions to create an even larger presence for advertisers."