Speedvision Won't Make All-NASCAR Turn
By R. THOMAS UMSTEAD
Multichannel News
8/20/2001
A name change, an enhanced auto-racing news show and lots of National
Association for Stock Car Racing (NASCAR) and Championship Auto Racing Teams
(CART) coverage are on the fast track at Speedvision, said recently named
network president Jim Liberatore.
Liberatore - who had been general manager of Florida-based regional sports
service Sunshine Network since 1995 - will head the relaunch of the
motorsports network, which intends to further capitalize on Fox Sports'
successful relationship with NASCAR.
Fox Cable Networks Group, which already held an interest in Speedvision,
recently secured the remaining stakes that Comcast Corp. and Cox
Communications Inc. had held in the 40-million-subscriber network. Former
Speedvision founder and CEO Roger Werner, who also held a small stake in the
network, will stay on to assist in the ownership transition, Liberatore
said.
Liberatore was emphatic that Speedvision would not become the NASCAR
network, as has been speculated. Since news of the Fox acquisition came to
light, Speedvision has received more than 40,000 viewer requests urging it
to keep most of its current motorsports roster on course.
"The network has been able to gain 40 million subscribers without NASCAR, so
it has a formula that we're not about to mess with," said Liberatore. "We're
not going to disenfranchise our current viewers. This will be a network all
about motorsports."
But NASCAR will have a major presence on Speedvision. It already reruns the
weekly Fox Sports Net show Totally NASCAR and is expected to run encore
episodes of two other FSN shows, Victory Lane and NASCAR Tech, according to
Fox Sports.
Fox Sports executives also said Speedvision could also gain rebroadcast
rights to live NASCAR events that air on Fox and FX. Finally, Speedvision
will also produce original NASCAR programming in the near future, Liberatore
said.
Along with the popular NASCAR circuit, the network is also pursuing the CART
open-wheel auto racing package currently held by ESPN. A Fox Sports
spokesman said that the company is in "very serious discussions" with CART
in an effort to reach a distribution agreement.
"We expect an announcement shortly," he added.
Liberatore said the network will most likely change its name, although he
would not provide any specifics. Speedvision will also look to expand its
motorsports news coverage both domestically and internationally. Currently,
the network offers a weekly motorsports news show.
Liberatore said the passion of motorsports fans is as great as for any other
sport.
"These fans are like the [Florida] Gators and [Florida St.] Seminoles fans.
You can't give them enough of the sport," he said.
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