Speed (TV network)
Former names | Speedvision (1995–2002) Speed Channel (2002–05) |
---|---|
Links | |
Website | www |
Speed was an American
Although the channel was based in the
When it originally launched in 1995 as Speedvision, the network carried a lineup featuring programs profiling the automobile and motorsports industries (including individual companies, vehicles and teams), how-to series, and coverage of various domestic and international racing series (such as the
Due to contractual changes associated with the relaunch, Fox was expected to temporarily distribute a version of Speed (separate from the international version) to fulfill contracts with providers that had not yet signed deals to carry Fox Sports 1, airing a loop of the network's past reality programming.
History
This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2012) |
As Speedvision
The network originally launched as Speedvision on December 31, 1995. The network was one of two (the other being the
Speedvision was planned by former ESPN executive Roger L. Werner, E. Roger Williams and Robert Scanlon. The network offered a mix of automotive, boating, and aviation programming.[7]
Speedvision's initial lineup featured various automotive programs, including various
Fox acquisition and NASCAR push
In the summer of 2001, the
In the following years, additional NASCAR-related programs were slowly brought on to the schedule, ranging from news programs (such as Totally NASCAR, rerun from Fox Sports Net, and NASCAR Race Hub), pre-race programs Trackside and NASCAR RaceDay, and the post-race NASCAR Victory Lane. Speed Channel also added a weekly call-in show in 2003, WindTunnel with Dave Despain, which featured interviews and discussions relating to news and events in auto racing.
Starting in 2003, Speed began to carry NASCAR's
In 2006, the conclusion of Daytona 500 qualifying coverage was moved to Speed due to NBC's coverage of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games. The coverage still had NBC graphics and commentary. It would be the only time that the NBC/TNT broadcast combo (which aired the Daytona 500 in even-numbered years and the summer race in the odd-numbered months) would air its NASCAR coverage on SPEED.[8]
Until late 2007, Speed also aired coverage of
Speed continued to maintain coverage of other professional racing series, such as the
In 2010, Fox launched Speed 2, a TV Everywhere video streaming service which featured coverage of additional racing series not broadcast by Speed, along with video on demand access to archived Speed programs. The service was shut down in 2014.[9]
In 2011, Speed began carrying Australia's
On October 12, 2012, Fox Sports announced that it would not renew its contract to air Formula One racing on Speed after the conclusion of the 2012 season. Two days later, NBC Sports announced that it had reached a new four-year deal to broadcast F1 races beginning in the 2013 season, with the majority of its coverage to be carried by NBC Sports Network.[11][12] Three days later, Fox Sports reached an agreement with NASCAR to extend the network's broadcasting contract through the 2022 season (maintaining its rights to the first half of the Sprint Cup season and the full Camping World Truck Series season), along with the addition of online streaming rights beginning in 2013.[13]
International expansion
Speed became available in Canada shortly after its U.S. launch. As Speedvision, Speed was approved by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to be added to its list of foreign cable networks approved for carriage on Canadian cable and satellite providers in 1997.[14] As such, Speed was carried by most Canadian television service providers. Prior to August 2013, Canadian viewers saw a largely identical schedule as the U.S. channel, although some programming, particularly live Formula 1 events, were blacked out to protect TSN, which holds domestic broadcast rights to F1 events (under CRTC rules, foreign services must own Canadian broadcast rights to the content they air).[15] However, this point became moot when NBC Sports Network obtained rights to F1 events beginning with the 2013 season, as that network is not available in Canada.
The Latin American version of Speed was launched on November 5, 2005 with a Brazilian version following in July 2006, carrying live coverage of the Sprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series,
Speed launched in Australia on November 1, 2010 on
On February 5, 2012, the Latin American channel was replaced in
On November 2, 2014, the Australian verison of Speed closed and was replaced by Fox Sports 5.[18][19]
Shutdown of Speed and relaunch as Fox Sports 1, 2 and Fox Sports Racing
On March 5, 2013, Fox Sports announced that Speed would be shut down and replaced by a new mainstream sports channel known as
The last program to be broadcast by Speed in the United States was a replay of qualifying for that weekend's Sprint Cup event, the
For 18 years, it's been our honor and privilege to present motorsports and automotive-related programming to you on the network that began as Speedvision, became Speed Channel, and is now known as Speed. From the visionaries who started this network, from maintenance to management, from the talent to the truck drivers, we've shared your passion for motorsports over lo these many years. We love that you care as much about your cars as family, God and country, and so do we. But now, it's time to switch off the ignition and turn in the keys. This is the end of Speed in America. We hope you'll follow us on our new journey to Fox Sports 1 because all your favorite live NASCAR programming and much more is coming along with us. So now, it's goodnight and farewell to America's motorsports authority, Speed.
Although Fox marketed the transition to Fox Sports 1 as a re-launch of Speed, Fox was required to re-negotiate carriage deals with providers for Fox Sports 1 due to the change of its nature of service. There was uncertainty over whether Fox Sports 1 would have sufficient carriage at launch, as it had not yet reached deals with three of the four largest pay television providers in the United States (these being DirecTV, Dish Network and Time Warner Cable) with only a month before its launch. However, all three finally agreed to terms to carry Fox Sports 1 three days before the scheduled launch.[25] For any remaining television providers that did not reach a deal, Fox offered a "watered-down" version of Speed (which consisted of a loop of the network's reality programming and no live events) to fulfill existing carriage contracts until they reached a deal to carry Fox Sports 1. In international markets such as Canada, a Speed-branded service was maintained running an automated loop of Speed's previous non-event programming, and simulcasts of motorsports programming carried by Fox Sports 1 or 2.[4][5][26]
Despite the channel’s shutdown, the Speed brand would be briefly used on Fox Sports’ social media platforms for coverage of
In Canada, as well as the Caribbean and Puerto Rico, Speed was not converted to Fox Sports 1 with the exact reasons for this not being confirmed, although in the case of Canada, it was not clear whether Fox would have had the ability to make such a change given that Speed's Canadian authorization was based on it being a motorsports-based network with that version of Speed still being available in these areas despite its U.S. shutdown. It would continue to carry various NASCAR and other motorsports events, as well as related studio programming, mostly simulcast with their U.S. broadcasts on Fox Sports 1 or Fox Sports 2, but did not otherwise originate any new programming of its own. During hours when the network was not simulcasting FS1 or FS2 coverage, it carried repeats of past events and Speed's previous reality and documentary programming without carrying commercial advertising: commercial breaks consist solely of promos for its programming, with no outside advertising aside from public service announcements and promotions inserted by local providers.[4]
In early 2014, major Canadian service providers including Rogers Cable and Bell Satellite TV began to drop the service upon the expiration of their carriage contracts. Cogeco dropped the Speed Channel on July 15, 2014.[27] Shaw later announced they would drop Speed on April 1, 2015 within their cable and satellite system (a.k.a. Shaw Cable and Shaw Direct).[28] Reports indicate that Fox had attempted to raise the channel's carriage fees significantly, despite the major reductions in original programming for international viewers,[29] and Rogers suggests Fox was unwilling to allow Speed to be moved to a more specialized package in light of the programming and cost changes.[30]
On February 19, 2015, Fox announced that the international feed of Speed would be re-branded as Fox Sports Racing, and announced that Rogers had reached a deal to add the rebranded network back to its lineup.[31]
Revival as a FAST channel
On October 12, 2022, it was announced that Speed co-founder Robert Scanlon was collaborating with Rick Hendrick, Bill Goldberg and advertising industry sales executive Joe Abruzzese to revive the Speedvision brand as a linear channel on FAST (free ad-supported television) services.[32] The new channel was launched on November 17, 2022 [33] and features original and archival automotive programming on its daily schedule.
Programming
Speed on Fox
Speed on Fox was the name given for any motorsports events shown on
Magazines
- Autospeed
- Battle of the Supercars
- The Car Show (Australia)
- Car Warriors
- Dumbest Stuff on Wheels
- GP Racing
- Grand Prix on Track (Latin America)
- Grand Prix Story (Latin America)
- Unique Whips (Latin America)
- Tuner Mania (Latin America)
- Motorsport Mundial
- My Ride Rules
- Velocidade Sur (Latin America)
- SPEED Center
- Speedmakers
Notable personalities
- Adam Alexander – (NASCAR Race Hub host)
- Will Buxton - (Formula One pit-lane reporter)
- Wally Dallenbach Jr. - (NASCAR Race Hub analyst)
- MavTV hosting The Dave Despain Show)
- Bob Dillner – (NASCAR reporter)
- Ray Dunlap- (Contract not renewed for 2017)
- Fox NASCARColor Commentator)
- Jeff Hammond – (NASCAR Race Hub analyst)
- David Hobbs - (Formula One commentator)
- Fox NASCAR)
- Fox NASCARpit reporter)
- Steve Matchett - (Formula One commentator)
- Larry McReynolds – (NASCAR Race Hub analyst)
- NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck SeriesStudio Analyst)
- Kyle Petty – (now at NASCAR on NBC)
- John Roberts – (NASCAR RaceDayhost, NASCAR Setup pre-race show host)
- NASCAR Camping World Truck Seriespit reporter)
- Danielle Trotta - (NASCAR Race Hub host)
- Bob Varsha - (Formula One host)
- NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck SeriesStudio Host)
- Krista Voda (now at NASCAR on NBC)
- Wendy Venturini - (NASCAR RaceDay analyst)
- Kenny Wallace – (NASCAR RaceDay analyst)
- Fox NASCARColor Commentator)
- NASCAR Camping World Truck SeriesColor Commentator)
- Peter Windsor - (Formula One on-location reporter)
- Top Gear/NASCAR on NBC
- Fox NASCARpit reporter)
See also
References
- ^ "Pedigree part of pitch for Fox Sports 1". SBD. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
- ^ Fox Reveals Details of New National Sports Network, Variety, March 5, 2013.
- ^ "Fox Sports Media Group Gives Rise To Fox Sports 1, A New National Multi-Sport Network (Press Release)" (PDF). Fox Sports. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ^ a b c "Two channels will carry Speed name". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved August 16, 2013.
- ^ a b "FS1 carriage talks sticky a month out". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
- ^ "Continental, Comcast join Cox/TM team" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. July 31, 1995. p. 30. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
- ^ a b c "The final days of Speed". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "2006 02 12 Daytona 500 Qualifying". YouTube.
- ^ "Time Warner Cable Revs Up Speed 2 Broadband Launch". Multichannel News. Retrieved August 21, 2013.
- ^ "Waltrip joins US TV coverage of Bathurst 1000". Crash.net. September 14, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
- ^ "SPEED coverage of Formula One comes to an end in 2012". Motorsport.com. Retrieved October 13, 2012.
- ^ "Formula 1 lands four-year deal with NBC". Racer. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
- ^ "NASCAR rides hot rights market to increase with Fox". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
- ^ Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (July 22, 1997). "Public Notice CRTC 1997-96". Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ^ Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (February 13, 2013). "Revised list of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution as of 13 February 2013". Retrieved March 5, 2013.
Authorization for the services on this list is subject to the following: Providers of these foreign services must have obtained and must remain in possession of all necessary rights for the distribution of their programming in Canada. [...]
- ^ "SPEED is on the air". David Knox. Retrieved November 2, 2010.
- ^ "AUSTAR News: SPEED Channel , About Austar – AUSTAR Television". Austar. Archived from the original on May 26, 2013. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
- ^ Knox, David (September 3, 2014). "FOX Sports adding two more channels". TV Tonight. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
- ^ Mark@ (3 September 2014). "BEST YEAR EVER IN 2015 DEMANDS SEVEN HIGH DEFINITION FOX SPORTS CHANNELS". KnowFirst. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2014.
- ^ Hiestand, Michael (March 5, 2013). "Fox Sports launches direct challenge to ESPN dominance". USA Today. Retrieved March 7, 2013.
- ^ "Fox Sports announces Fox Sports 1". Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ^ "Fox extends NASCAR TV contract and adds races to broadcast schedule starting in 2015". sports.yahoo.com.
- ^ Pishna, Ken (August 6, 2013). "Fuel TV Re-Brands as Fox Sports 2, Launches Alongside Fox Sports 1; Will Still Feature UFC". MMA Weekly. Retrieved August 11, 2013.
- ^ "As Speed dies, Mike Joy provides lookback, then bridge to Fox Sports 1". www.sportingnews.com.
- ^ Flint, Joe (August 14, 2013). "Fox Sports 1 will launch with DirecTV, Dish and Time Warner Cable". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
- Zap2It. Archived from the originalon February 2, 2014. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
- ^ "Speed Channel". Cogeco. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
- ^ "April 2015 - Removal of Speed channel". Shaw. Archived from the original on February 6, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2015.
- ^ McDonald, Norris (February 25, 2014). "Fogarty, Gurney at large, Villeneuve at Indy and Speed Channel". Wheels.ca. Archived from the original on March 24, 2014. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
- ^ "Speed Channel". Rogers Communications. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
- ^ "FOX Sports Racing to launch new era in motor sports Friday". Fox Sports. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ "SPEEDVISION set to return as streaming network". Racer. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
- ^ "Speedvision - Auto Enthusiasts Rejoice!". November 17, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
External links
- SPEED: The Motors on FOX Blog (former location of official website)