The Eurosport Group has signed a major three-year agreement with the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) to broadcast for next three seasons (2011, 2012 and 2013) the newly created Intercontinental Le Mans Cup, featuring the legendary Le Mans 24 Hours. Le Mans 24 Hours
Eurosport will broadcast every minute of the mythical 24-Hour race LIVE across channels Eurosport, Eurosport 2 and Eurosport Asia-Pacific.
Round-the-clock LIVE streaming of the race will also be available in Europe on the Eurosport Player web TV service and mobile application.
For the second consecutive year, Eurosport's unbeatable coverage starts before the race with "Le Mans 24 Minutes" show each evening at 19:30 CET 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.
The Intercontinental Le Mans Cup
The new series features seven rounds and the 2011 calendar includes: 12 Hours of Sebring (United-States, 19 March), 1000km of Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium, 7 May), Le Mans 24 Hours (11-12 June), 6 Hours of Imola (Italy, 3 July), 6 Hours of Silverstone (Great-Britain, 11 September), 10 Hours of Petit Le Mans (USA, 1st October) and 6 Hours of Zhuhai (China, 12 November).
The Intercontinental Le Mans Cup has been created with the intention of promoting the spirit of the Le Mans 24 Hours in a unique international competition, which is spread over a whole season with seven meetings on the calendar including the Sarthe classic.The ILMC is a formidable challenge, and it will provide a theatre in which several of the most prestigious motor car manufacturers, whose drivers are among the best known in endurance, will do battle. The Intercontinental Le Mans Cup combines all the right ingredients to be followed with passion by a host of enthusiasts.
Eurosport has LIVE rights to broadcast all rounds on Eurosport, Eurosport 2 and Eurosport Asia-Pacific as well as on Eurosport Player web TV service and mobile application.
All rounds of the International Le Mans Cup, including Le Mans 24 Hours, will also be available in high definition on Eurosport HD and Eurosport 2 HD.
Laurent-Eric Le Lay, Chairman and CEO, Eurosport Group says: "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 Automobile Club de l’Ouest says: "The renewal of our partnership with Eurosport is the guarantee of exhaustive top quality TV coverage benefiting all motor sports 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."
