The Indianapolis 500 is staying put on ABC for at least the next seven years, as part of a multi-year extension between ESPN and IndyCar.
ESPN and IndyCar have agreed to a six-year contract extension that will keep IndyCar races on ABC through 2018. As in the current deal, set to expire in 2012, ABC will televise five IndyCar races per season, including the Indianapolis 500.
Starting next year, coverage of the Indianapolis 500 will include live streaming of onboard cameras to ESPN3.com.
Keep in mind that IndyCar’s cable partner, Versus, is now a corporate sibling of NBC. There is the possibility that ESPN made a preemptive move to keep NBC from snatching up one of the marquee events in sports, the Indy 500.
(Information from espnmediazone3.com)
