News Corp., Speed Channel’s parent company, is in final negotiations with NASCAR to launch the racing network in Latin America this summer.
Hernan Lopez, president of Fox Latin America Channels, said he expects Speed to launch in 500,000 homes in Latin America on July 1, including in Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Venezuela. By the end of the first year, Lopez expects the number of households to increase to roughly 4 million.
There will be no rebranding; the Latin American version also will be called Speed Channel. The network, which according to Lopez has been routed to Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean for the last three years through a U.S. feed, will be offered in both Spanish and Portuguese.
Lopez said subtitles will be used on a frequent basis, with Spanish commentators used sporadically for live coverage of various events.
“The demand for motorsports coverage in Latin America has existed for a while,” he said. “The natural thing is to have a 24-hour channel there.”
Lopez would not offer specifics about current conversations between Fox and NASCAR but did say the network is pushing to develop a completely separate Latin American feed. Speed broadcasts NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races live and features several ancillary NASCAR-related shows.
Speed Channel, which currently generates $200 million annually, reaches 63.5 million U.S. households, up 55 percent from the 41 million it reached in 2001.
