Advanced Television

WRC launches Smart TV app

August 20, 2015

By Colin Mann

Rally fans can enjoy the FIA World Rally Championship on the big screen following the launch of the official WRC Smart TV app. The app provides sports fans with the opportunity to experience WRC action on their Smart TV whenever they choose.

It is available from this weekend’s ADAC Rallye Deutschland (20 – 23 August) exclusively on Amazon Fire TV. It will be expanded to additional platforms in the near future.

The app was produced by WRC Promoter, the commercial rights holder to the FIA World Rally Championship, and follows the launch of the official WRC app for smartphones and tablets in February 2014.

It includes free videos and the latest news from the official website at www.wrc.com, as well as live radio coverage, live text updates and results from all rounds of the championship as they happen.

WRC+, the championship’s interactive digital service, will also be available through the Smart TV app.

WRC+ offers up to three hours of live stages from each round in HD, with commentary and analysis from rally experts, plus up to two-and-a-half-hours of highlights programmes from each event. Dramatic cockpit video from the top teams and live maps allowing fans to track competitors through every stage in real time can also be accessed.

WRC Promoter managing director Oliver Ciesla said the app was the latest step in the company’s strategy of using the internet to enable fans to follow the thrills of the WRC when and where they chose.

“The new WRC Smart TV app is an innovative and exciting offer which not only allows us to better support our existing fans, but also gives us the opportunity to reach a new audience,” said Ciesla.

“Smart TV use is soaring globally and we can now bring WRC directly into families’ living rooms, potentially opening the sport to a different fanbase. Ever-improving Internet access and new technology have added an extra dimension to the way in which people want to follow sport. The official FIA World Rally Championship Smart TV app is the latest means by which they can do exactly that. It marks the next step in WRC Promoter’s growth strategy for the championship and enhances our digital policy of making WRC available to fans across all devices whenever and wherever they want,” he added.

WRC+ is available for €4.99 per month or €49.99 for a 12-month period via Amazon Fire TV and Amazon Fire TV Stick, as well as www.wrcplus.com and the official app on smartphones and tablets.

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