NASCAR, ESPN and Turner Sports will announce plans Wednesday to air nine of the 10 Chase races live online, allowing fans to view the end of the Sprint Cup season in ways never before available. Fans can view the nine ESPN races via NASCAR.com’s RaceBuddy and ESPN’s WatchESPN.com platform and the free WatchESPN app, beginning with Sunday’s Cup race from Chicagoland Speedway. The lone Cup race fans won’t be able to view online will be the Oct. 15 event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. That race airs on ABC, which does not air events live online to protect its affiliate stations. Here’s what fans can see online:
• NASCAR.com’s RaceBuddy will feature two mosaics with a mix of eight in-car and stationary cameras positioned around the track. Team radio audio will be associated with each of the in-car cameras.
• ESPN’s live broadcast can be viewed via computer, smartphone and tablet through ESPN’s WatchESPN app and at WatchESPN.com.
Also, it will be announced that ESPN’s daily NASCAR show “NASCAR Now” will be available for the first time through WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app. Telecast of NASCAR Nationwide Series races on ESPN and ESPN2 also will be available on WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app.(Virginian-Pilot)(9-14-2011)
UPDATE: Heading into the start of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, NASCAR, ESPN and Turner Sports, which manages NASCAR.COM, announced details of a new partnership that will provide race fans with a never-before-seen digital viewing experience during the sport’s postseason run. NASCAR.COM’s RaceBuddy product will be available for the first time ever during the Chase while NASCAR content will appear for the first time ever in ESPN’s WatchESPN.com platform and WatchESPN app. WatchESPN and WatchESPN.com, which give sports fans access to 24/7 live programming from ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and ESPNU, will, for the first time ever, exclusively feature the live ESPN telecasts of NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races. WatchESPN is available on computers, smartphones and tablets through WatchESPN.com and the free WatchESPN app, which are accessible to fans who receive their video service from an affiliated provider. Also, ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program, “NASCAR Now”, will be available on multiple devices to NASCAR fans for the first time ever through WatchESPN and WatchESPN.com. Telecasts of NASCAR Nationwide Series races on ESPN and ESPN2 will also be available.(ESPN)(9-14-2011)
UPDATE 2: Here’s a few more details:
• The agreement goes through the length of the TV contract, which is 2014. So, this will be not just a one-time thing.
• The agreement is for ALL ESPN Cup races, not just the Chase races, as is the case this year. ESPN is broadcasting 14 of the final 17 Cup races. So, provided that number stays the same, you will get to see a few more Cup races online next year. (Of course, the six TNT races are also on NASCAR.com’s RaceBuddy, so that can mean about 20 races online next year).
• The agreement does NOT cover the ABC races. Those races aren’t shown to protect the affiliate.
• The agreement covers practice sessions and qualifying sessions that ESPN broadcasts, along with the Nationwide races and “NASCAR Now” and any other NASCAR content.
• As part of this agreement, you can watch the ESPN broadcast on WatchESPN.com or the WatchESPN app that allows you to view the race broadcast on your smartphone, computer or tablet. As of now, those with Time Warner Cable, Bright House Networks and Verizon FiOS TV can get the WatchESPN feed.(Virginian-Pilot)(9-14-2011)
