Outlaw History Meets Expanding Markets In Disrupted Sports Media Race
July 22, 2024
World Racing Group Drives its Dirt Racing Circuit onto ViewLift's Streaming Platform
SAN DIEGO and CONCORD, N.C., July 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Sports business hits headlines regularly with rights deals and athlete payouts equal to the budgets of decent-sized countries – or with news of the latest disruption from edgy technology or failed old business models. Often, those stories center on battles between billionaires. Underdogs captivate us because they are unexpected, surfacing basic emotions and recognized history. So it is news when truly outlaw racing circuits reach a broader fan base through the latest technology, not on the track, but on your phone or in your living room. That's the premise of World Racing Group's shift to the ViewLift streaming platform to deliver its thousands of dirt track racing events directly to fans, on all OTT devices, under the DIRTVision banner.
The image and legacy of European motor racing is Formula 1, sleek and topless missiles that cost $15M per car, and cap each racing team's annual expenses at $135M. IndyCar is similar, only with an American flair. NASCAR, the stock car cousin to F1 and IndyCar, has graduated from its rougher roots to a sponsorship juggernaut, with racing machines bearing the same model nameplate as your neighbor's car, plus at least a half a million dollars-worth of heavy modifications and technology, rendering them closer to rocket ships than your family sedan. But American racing roots come from Prohibition era moonshine runners, bootlegging with their modified stock cars along rugged country dirt roads.
Those searching for racing that still delivers the sport's outlaw traditions are best to turn to dirt racing, and the genre's clear-cut leader — World Racing Group. WRG sanctions more than 5,000 racing events a year in North America, including the iconic World of Outlaws series. The most talented drivers in American motorsport history have tested their skills on dirt, from 900-horsepower, fire-breathing World of Outlaws Sprint Cars on historic speedways to popular specialized Stock Cars and Modifieds on tracks that could be down the street from your neighborhood. Ultimately, dirt racing drivers are pro athletes with a definitive outsider swagger, at the wheels of cars identifiable by any American.
To deliver a fast start, ViewLift migrated DIRTVision's customer base and datasets to its platform in six weeks, in time for the start of the dirt track season. The dozens of live races each week throughout the US are reaching fans on the web, mobile devices and home screens with broadcast-level quality. In addition to double digit growth in terms of new fans coming to DIRTVision, fans are also engaging with more content. Time spent viewing is nearly double what it was a year ago.
Moving DIRTVision to ViewLift acted as a sort of technological qualifying heat; future races will leverage the ViewLift platform's advanced capabilities and suite of monetization and engagement tools. The resulting personalized experience adapts seamlessly across devices, bringing the thrill of dirt-track racing closer to fans.
"The key factors behind our decision to partner with ViewLift are the versatility of their platform, and the support they provide to us," said Charlie Mellilo, Chief Media & Marketing Officer at WRG. "By migrating to ViewLift, we have been able to incorporate new features that greatly enhance the customer viewing experience, and enables us to pursue untapped avenues for new forms of monetization."
Rick Allen, ViewLift's CEO, noted: "Much of the romance of motor racing grows out of the dirt – dirt tracks are the closest to the outlaw days when drivers and machines matched up and raced hard. WRG is focused on being the best in dirt track racing, from the series, to drivers and tracks, guaranteeing race fans will see top competition; ViewLift streams that competition live to a fan's choice of viewing devices, in a personalized experience that all but drops them behind the wheel. We are proud to upgrade the fans' ride, and give the circuit new ways to earn the revenue to fuel further growth."
DIRTVision races and companion content are available on the web; iOS and Android mobile devices; Roku, Fire TV, and Apple TV; LG and Android TV; and Xbox, with roll-outs on additional devices expected.
About ViewLift:
ViewLift is a full-service digital content distribution platform empowering sports leagues and clubs, entertainment companies, local TV broadcasters, and others to monetize their content through native branded apps on major OTT devices, including web, mobile, TV-connected devices, Smart TVs, and gaming consoles. ViewLift offers clients a range of monetization models on a proprietary platform with advanced real-time analytics. ViewLift's clientele includes the NHL, the Washington Capitals and Wizards, the Vegas Golden Knights, LIV Golf, NBC Universal, TEGNA, and others. Visit www.viewlift.com.
About DIRTVision:
DIRTVision is part of World Racing Group and is the premier dirt racing broadcast provider. From LIVE race coverage to historical races, it's a one-stop-shop for exclusive video and audio coverage of the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series, the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Model Series, the Super DIRTcar Series Big Block Modifieds, Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota, American Sprint Car Series, the many divisions of DIRTcar Racing, along with weekly racing from Attica Raceway Park, Beaver Dam Raceway, Fremont Speedway, Huset's Speedway, Jackson Motorplex, Knoxville Raceway, Jacksonville Speedway, Land of Legends Raceway, Millbridge Speedway, Sharon Speedway, Volusia Speedway Park, and Williams Grove Speedway. Visit www.DIRTVision.com and www.WorldRacingGroup.com.
Media Contact:
Mahesh Kumar: maheshkumar@viewlift.com
