Bathurst 1000: Foxtel and FOX SPORTS to show 2018 race in 4K, live and ad-break free
YOU have never watched the Bathurst 1000 quite like this.
Foxtel and FOX SPORTS will create Australian television history by broadcasting this year’s Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 in 4K ultra high definition, live and ad-break free during the big race.
After intensive testing at the RABBLE.club Sandown 500 last weekend, Foxtel is now ready to show key events of the Bathurst Supercars weekend, including a Sunday replay of the Top 10 Shootout immediately before a live broadcast of Sunday’s main event, both in 4K and, for the first time ever, with no ad breaks during racing.
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“When we announced Foxtel in 4K a month ago we challenged ourselves to bring it to life as soon as possible and after an incredible amount of work we are delighted to bring Australians Bathurst like never before,” Foxtel CEO Patrick Delany said.
“We did a full test at Sandown last week and the pictures leapt off the screen in 4K, it was amazing – we are ready to go for Bathurst.
“It’s fitting that we will ring in a new era in Australian television with an event as big as the action at Mount Panorama.”
The 4K coverage of the Bathurst 1000 can be seen on Foxtel’s newly launched 4K channel 444.
The green flag will fly on the 4K action on Sunday, October 7 with a replay of the Top 10 Shootout, followed immediately with the 161-lap Bathurst 1000 live, ad-break free and in 4K.
For complete coverage, Foxtel subscribers will also be able to watch the live action of the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, including the live Top Ten Shootout as well as every practice and qualifying session, uninterrupted, in HD on FOX SPORTS 506.
“The Foxtel 4K channel is included in the price of our HD offering for sports subscribers and above, and adds even more value for our HD customers,” Delany said.
“They just need to upgrade to the iQ4 set top box. With time running short, it’s important to book now so that you have the iQ4 ready to go for summer.”
Supercars CEO Sean Seamer said 4K would revolutionise coverage of the Great Race.
“Supercars is a sport of colour, sound and movement,” he said.
“The cars, the action, excitement and the colour of this iconic Australian event will be captured like never before. We couldn’t be any more excited.”
FOX SPORTS BATHURST CHANNEL RETURNS
Along with our history-making coverage of race itself, the FOX SPORTS Bathurst Channel returns for 2018, taking over FOX SPORTS 506 from Monday, October 1.
In addition to start-to-finish coverage LIVE from Mount Panorama, the pop up channel will feature new entertainment programs, a number of old favourites, plus classic Bathurst 1000 races throughout the week.
Monday night sees us pay tribute to Craig Lowndes ahead of his final Bathurst 1000 start as a full time Supercars driver with an episode of Bathurst Legends devoted to his career at Mount Panorama at 7:30pm AEST, followed the next day by highlights of his Supercars-era triumphs in The Great Race.
Tuesday marks the premiere of the latest in the Bathurst Legends documentary series.
Bathurst Legends 2014: The Greatest Race looks back at the incredible events of the 2014 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, with interviews revealing fresh insights from the key identities involved in arguably the most dramatic race in the event’s history.
Wednesday sees the return of Supercars Trackside, live from Mount Panorama where hosts Jessica Yates, Mark Skaife and Russell Ingall previewing the weekend ahead.
Attention turns to the track from Thursday, with Skaife and Neil Crompton calling each session, while Ingall and Yates analyse the action and all the big talking points across the weekend.
Then on Friday, Pit Lane LIVE returns to take viewers behind the scenes as drivers and teams prepare for the biggest race weekend of the year. The show will also feature the Grand Final of the Pirtek Pit Stop Challenge, where the four fastest crews of the 2018 season compete for $20,000 and the Golden Rattle Gun Trophy.
The four finalists this year are the No.17 DJR Team Penske Ford of Scott McLaughlin/Alex Premat, the No.8 Brad Jones Racing Holden of Nick Percat/Macauley Jones, the No.55 Tickford Racing Ford of Chaz Mostert/James Moffat, and the Sandown 500-winning No.1 Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden of Jamie Whincup/Paul Dumbrell.
FOX SPORTS’ Supercars Race Centre will be the ultimate companion to the TV broadcast. Available via foxsports.com.au, the Race Centre will offer fans unrivalled access to team radios, live timing and racing stats, car telemetry from all 26 Supercars and an up to the minute blog of key events during each race.
Australia’s number one multi-sport website, foxsports.com.au will also be the destination to follow the action online with the latest news, highlights, and race information.
Foxtel’s new, dedicated, 4K live channel will launch on October 3 on channel 444 and comes as part of a Foxtel Platinum HD or Foxtel Sports HD subscription for customers with an iQ4.
From launch, Foxtel 4K will showcase a host of 4K content including movies, documentaries, concerts and live sport, starting with select events from Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000. Over the next 12 months, Foxtel will continue to expand the selection of unique 4K content for subscribers, including the Australian 4K debut of live Cricket, which kicks off with the November 4, Australia v. South Africa, as part of the Gillette ODI Series.
The arrival of Foxtel’s 4K channel offers an unprecedented way to enjoy live sport, documentaries, movies and more, delivered through the iQ4, Foxtel’s most advanced streaming set top box via Australia’s only guaranteed 4K satellite signal.