DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — International audiences have long been fans of IMSA competition, but interest is especially high this season with the introduction of the hybrid-electrified GTP platform in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Through an international television distribution partnership with Greenlight International, IMSA global coverage reach is now upwards of 584 million homes and 148 countries outside the United States. And with growing international interest in mind, IMSA today announced an extension of its partnership with Greenlight International – which began in 2017 – for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.
“It’s a great pleasure to work with the broadcast team at IMSA to continue to build the international distribution of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship,” said Jon Quayle, Greenlight International managing director. “Greenlight International have increased the number of broadcasters taking the live signal by 23 percent in 2023. The truly international roster of drivers competing across the classes of the championship means the interest from broadcasters is always high and the close racing makes it very appealing to audiences.”
In addition to offering live race telecasts for international audiences, Greenlight’s two weekly motorsport programs, Motorsport Mundial and Max Power, regularly include IMSA content. One-hour race highlight recaps also supplement live race broadcasts offered by linear broadcast providers in some countries.
In addition to television coverage, international audiences also have the ability to stream IMSA races live via IMSA.tv and IMSA Radio. Thus far in 2023, IMSA.tv international streaming has seen a 33 percent increase year-over-year, with IMSA Radio global connections up eight percent.
The successful “Win The Weekend” docuseries – available on IMSA’s YouTube channel and developed in partnership with Michelin – also is resonating with international fans, particularly in countries with participating drivers or manufacturers in the series.
“As a result of the process of moving towards sustainable racing, IMSA has put the most sophisticated sports cars in the world on the most iconic tracks across the United States and Canada,” said IMSA President John Doonan. “While the international audiences might not be able to have all-access to the cars and drivers like those physically attending the races, they have demonstrated a strong desire for the on-track product. It’s truly special to be able to deliver world-class racing, with such a significant global audience reach, to such passionate fans.”