Eurosport extend Le Mans 24 deal

April 14, 2011   ·   0 Comments

Eurosport has extended its association with the Le Mans 24 Hours and will continue to broadcast the race for the next three years after agreeing a new deal with event organisers, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO).

Under the new deal the endurance car race will be shown live on Eurosport, Eurosport2 and on the channel’s web player and mobile phone applications until 2013. In addition, Eurosport will screen all six of the other endurance races of the inaugural Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.

The broadcast package also includes the delivery of the ‘Le Mans 24 Minutes’ television show each evening between the 6th and 11th June, featuring live build-up to the legendary race.

Laurent-Eric Le Lay, chairman and chief executive of the Eurosport Group said: “Le Mans 24 Hours is the most famous car racing event in history and one of the highlights of our programming. This extension of our long-standing relationship with ACO guarantees viewers will not miss a minute of the race wherever they are, with round-the-clock live coverage on air, online and on mobile. We are delighted to showcase the new Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, which promises to be an exciting series.”

Jean-Claude Plassart, president of the ACO added: “The renewal of our partnership with Eurosport is the guarantee of exhaustive top quality TV coverage benefiting all motorsports fans around the world, especially those passionate about endurance racing. Building on the groundwork we have done together with Eurosport for Le Mans 24 Hours, the top endurance event, our renewed partnership also includes our new series the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. We are convinced that Eurosport will deliver exceptional promotion and coverage of both the renowned Le Mans 24 hours as well as this promising new series.”

The 2011 Le Mans 24 Hours race is scheduled to take place on 11th and 12th June this year, and will feature 83 drivers representing 56 teams.  For the second consecutive year, Eurosport’s coverage starts before the race with the “Le Mans 24 Minutes” show each evening from Monday 6 June to Saturday 11 June 2011.

This exclusive show is produced LIVE from Eurosport’s on-site studio and will be the perfect build-up to the week-end’s climax. Top consultants will bring fans in-depth interviews, analysis and all the latest news direct from Eurosport’s on-site teams. “Le Mans 24 Minutes” will continue throughout the race weekend with additional broadcasts immediately before and after the event.

Eurosport’s extensive coverage also features live broadcast of the free sessions on Wednesday 15 June and the qualifying sessions on Thursday 16 June.

Tags: Eurosport, Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, Laurent-Eric Le Lay, Le Mans 24