ESPN STAR Sports marks 20years of F1 Broadcasting

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The 2011 year marks the 20th year for ESPN STAR Sports as broadcasting the Formula One. Supported by broadcast sponsor PETRONAS, STAR Sports will showcase the most comprehensive live television coverage with extensive coverage on its pre and post-race programme, Race Day and Chequered Flag, hosted by Steve Dawson with ex-F1 driver Alex Yoong.

F1 fans can also look forward to STAR Sports LIVE commentary team once featuring veteran race commentator Steve Slater and former Jordan Grand Prix chief designer and technical director Gary Anderson providing unrivalled technical expertise during the race.

ESPN Star Sports is a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (through ESPN Inc.) and News Corporation (through Star TV)

ESPN STAR Sports raced off with more Formula One fans watching its broadcast of the inaugural race of the season at the Australian Grand Prix over the same race last year, highlighted by nearly 30% more male cable viewers aged 15 years old and above tuning in to the live broadcast on Sunday 27 March.

STAR Sports broadcast of the Formula One performed strongly as a top rated program that aired outside the evening prime time-band among key channels, averaging a television rating of 1.6 for male cable viewers aged 15 years old.

Malaysia continued its trend as a major motorsport-viewing nation, with more than 542,000 Formula One fans tuning in at home for the first race weekend to witness the defending champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull clinch the season’s first trophy in Melbourne Australia. Boosted by the appeal of five world champions all contesting for the Drivers’ Championship, Malaysia’s robust viewership among younger profiles continued with the live preview of the race on Raceday also drawing more interest, attracting 10% more young cable male viewers aged 15-29 years old.

The viewership is expected to be higher leading up to the next race in the Malaysian Grand Prix, offering advertisers a prime opportunity to engage audiences from the live Qualifying Race on 9 April (Saturday) and on Race Day on 10 April (Sunday).

Formula One aficionados can look forward to catching The Malaysian Grand Prix in true High-Definition for the first time on ESPN HD. Fans can also enjoy the exciting 2011 Formula season anytime, anywhere online on ESPN Player, which allows them to control to decide where, when and how they want to watch the races, in addition to a social networking platform to share comments with their friends.