U.S. 500 Telecast out to
198 Countries and Territories
on ESPN
DETROIT (May 17, 1996) -- An IndyCar record 198 countries and territories will receive the broadcast of the inaugural running of the U.S. 500 on Sunday, May 26, at Michigan International Speedway through ESPN and ESPN International.The Inaugural U.S. 500, which begins at 2 p.m. EST, will be seen on every continent around the globe with the exception of Antarctica. Among some of the more interesting locales are Angola, Bangladesh, Botswana, Cambodia, Djibouti, Guyana, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Madagascar, Mozambique, Qatar, Sri Lanka, Togo, Uganda, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
The Inaugural U.S. 500, which has a $1 million winner's purse, will feature the top stars of IndyCar, including Al Unser Jr., Michael Andretti, Bobby Rahal, Emerson Fittipaldi and Jimmy Vasser.
"We are extremely pleased to share the excitement of the inaugural running of the U.S. 500 with 198 countries and territories around the globe," said Andrew Craig, IndyCar president and chief executive officer. "This is another outstanding example of the strong international appeal of the PPG Indy Car World Series."
ESPN, distributed around the world through its programming syndication arm, owns or has equity in 15 international networks, is translated into 19 languages and reaches more than 173 million households.
"We are extremely happy with the response this inaugural race has received worldwide," said Mark Reilly, ESPN's vice president of international sales. "This reinforces the tremendous international appeal that IndyCar enjoys."
The following lists all the countries that will receive The Inaugural U.S. 500 broadcast. Interestingly, every letter in the alphabet with the exception of "W" and "X" is represented by at least one country or territory airing The Inaugural U.S. 500.
Albania; Algeria; American Somoa; Andorra; Angola; Anguilla; Antigua; Argentina; Aruba; Austria; Australia; Bahamas; Bahrain; Bangladesh; Barbados; Belaurus; Belize; Belgium; Benin; Bermuda; Bolivia; Bonaire; Bosnia Herzegovina; Botswana; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Brazil; Brunei; Bulgaria; Burma; Cambodia; Cameroon; Canada; Cape Verde; Cayman Islands; Central African Republic; Chad; Chile; China; Colombia; Comores; Congo; Costa Rica; Croatia; Cuba; Curacao; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Darussalam; Denmark; Djibouti; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; Egypt; El Salvador; Estonia; Equatorial Guinea; Ethiopia;
Finland; France; French Guiana; French Polynesia; Gabin; Gambia; Georgia; Germany; Ghana; Greece; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Guam; Guatemala; Guinea; Guinea-Bassau; Guyana; Haiti; Honduras; Hong Kong; Hungary; Iceland; India; Indonesia; Ireland; Italy; Ivory Coast; Israel; Jamaica; Japan; Jordan; Kazakstan; Kenya; Korea; Kuwait; Laos; Latvia; Lebanon; Lesotho; Liberia; Libya; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macau; Macedonia; Madagascar; Malawi; Malaysia; Maldives; Mali; Malta; Martinque; Mauritania; Mauritius; Mexico; Micronesia; Moldova; Monaco; Mongolia; Montserrat; Morocco; Mozambique; Myanmar; Namibia; Naura; Nepal; Netherlands; Netherland Antilles; New Caledonia; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Niger; Nigeria; Norway; Oman; Pakistan; Palau; Palestine; Panama; Papua New Guinea; Paraguay; Peru; Philippines; Poland; Portugal; Puerto Rico;
Qatar; Romania; Rota; Russia; Saba; San Marino; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Serbia; Seychelles; Sierra Leone; Singapore; Slovak Republic; Slovenia; Somalia; South Africa; Spain; Sri Lanka; St. Barthelemy; St. Kitts/Nevis; St. Lucia; St. Martin; St. Vincent; Sudan; Suriname; Swaziland; Sweden; Switzerland; Syria; Tahiti; Taiwan; Tanzania; Thailand; Trinidad & Tobago; Togo; Tortola; Tunisia; Turkey; Turkmenistan; Uganda; Ukraine; UAE; United Kingdom; United States; Uruguay; Venezuela; Vietnam; Virgin Islands; Yemen; Zaire; Zambia; Zimbabwe.
Source: IndyCar Website
Used by permission