Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) leader WhiteBlox announced in conjunction with the Indy Racing League (IRL) an exclusive deal to provide the league with WhiteBlox's unique online broadcast technology suite for all practices, time trials, and races through 2009.
WhiteBlox and Indy Racing teamed up previously for the online broadcast of the Indy 500, which drew hundreds-of-thousands of viewers from every state in the US and 88 countries around the world. Over one million viewer minutes were logged.
"After we saw the success that the Indianapolis 500 had in drawing a massive global audience through online broadcast, the decision to move forward was easy," said Adrian Payne, Manager of Online Services with IRL. "WhiteBlox has delivered above and beyond what we ever expected and the viewership reflects that expertise. We want to give our fans the best access possible to this great sport."
The online Indianapolis 500 program offered multiple camera angles and community participation functions, taking advantage of WhiteBlox's revolutionary IP broadcasting technology. Home viewers could instantly choose between six In-Car Cameras in addition to the main view, all of which were being broadcast live simultaneously—a first in online broadcasting. The Indy 500 IPTV site also enabled viewers to access fan polls, live user chats and interactive commercials.
"We are excited to have the opportunity to showcase a sport as popular globally as IndyCar Racing," said WhiteBlox CEO, Greg Demetriades. "With this new deal, WhiteBlox has emerged as the go-to technology provider for online sporting events. We look forward to seeing this sector of our business continue to grow."
The deal, which runs through 2009, extends to cover all Indy Racing League races, practices and time trials in addition to other events to be determined at a later date. Audiences will be provided with standard view race coverage and automatically rotating in-car cameras with the possibility of additional camera views for regular-season racing on race day. The Indy 500 will showcase the six live in-car cameras, which can be manually controlled by the viewer.
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