Fox announced today that it has signed a new multi-year agreement that will make Fox Sports the new exclusive home of the NTT IndyCar SERIES and the iconic Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge beginning in 2025.

Fox says the new media rights deal “provides a massive and unprecedented increase in exposure for North America’s premier open-wheel racing series.” Every IndyCar race starting in 2025 will air on Fox as well as on the Fox Sports app. Fox Deportes will carry exclusive Spanish-language television coverage with a schedule to be announced at a later date.

Fox will also provide coverage of Indy 500 qualifications on both Saturday and Sunday, bringing the total number of broadcast network windows to 19, a new record for the NTT IndyCar SERIES, Fox said. IndyCar will become the only premier motorsport in the United States with exclusive major broadcast network coverage for all of its races.

“This represents unrivaled exposure and provides an unparalleled growth opportunity for the most competitive and entertaining motorsport on the planet,” said IndyCar CEO Mark Miles. “Fox Sports is a fully committed partner, ready to bring engaging and technically innovative coverage to millions of fans across the country while also promoting INDYCAR thoroughly across all its platforms.”

The 2025 NTT IndyCar SERIES season kicks off with the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Sunday, March 2 and concludes with the Big Machine Music City Grand Prix on Sunday, August 31. The 109th Running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge takes place on Sunday, May 25. The full schedule was released today and can be viewed here.

Indy 500 Race Day coverage will be extensive for fans across the country, with a five-hour window on Fox set aside for “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” The Indy 500 is annually the world’s largest single-day spectator sporting event, attracting a crowd of more than 300,000 people to the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway, according to IndyCar.

Additional announcements, including on-air talent, will be announced at a later date.

INDIANAPOLIS—NTT and Penske Entertainment have announced that they will be providing an enhanced, more immersive experience for INDYCAR fans in time for the 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, May 29. 

“Fans are the lifeblood of our series,” said Mark Miles, CEO of Penske Entertainment. “INDYCAR will continue investing in the incredible technology that brings fans closer to the action and we have a great partner with NTT. They are consistently bringing forward new innovations to help us engage a global audience. Last year, we saw fan engagement increase at an unprecedented rate. We hope to continue on that trajectory with the help of NTT.”

NTT has gathered millions of data points from prior seasons and the first five events of the NTT INDYCAR SERIES utilizing its data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI) and digital twin capabilities to deliver more in-depth, real-time and predictive insights, the companies said. 

NTT provides fans with data-driven predictions, ranging from the best overtake opportunities to how pit and fuel strategies will play out during a race. 

NTT INDYCAR SERIES fans can access these predictive analytics for the entire season by following the NTT INDYCAR SERIES social media channels, where insights will be displayed during races including the upcoming Indianapolis 500.  

In addition, NTT will continue supplying these insights and analytics to NBC’s production team with plans underway for broadcast inclusion as the season moves forward.

To accomplish this, NTT creates a digital twin for every car. A digital twin uses historical data as a foundation to mirror a physical object, like a car. Each car has more than 140 sensors collecting millions of data points during the race, which are fed into the digital twin to produce predictions based on historical performance and real-time conditions. 

As the longest race of the season with 500 miles/200 laps of competition, the Indy 500 will yield more data than any other race, with more than eight billion data points collected. This allows NTT to predict race strategy with a high level of accuracy using AI and predictive analytics, giving an insider’s view of what is happening on the track, and forecasts that - until now - only a race team engineer would have known.

The INDYCAR Data Insights powered by NTT include:

• Race strategies and predictions
• Intercepts and battles for position
• Pit stop performance impact
• Effects of fuel levels and tire wear

“We’ve leveled up the interactive experience for fans with actual digital twins of each racecar and more predictive analytics, so INDYCAR fans can feel as close to the driver’s seat as possible,” said Eric Clark, chief digital officer, NTT DATA Services. “For us, this 106th running of the Indianapolis 500 is an exciting milestone in an already engaging season. We look forward to bringing more innovation and leading-edge digital technology to our friends at Penske Entertainment so they may continue to reach new heights in one of the largest and longest running traditions in sports.”

Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the world’s largest sports venue with capacity to host crowds in excess of 350,000, has been transformed into a Smart Venue using NTT’s Smart Solutions, improving the visitor experience for attendees and employees alike. Operations and security teams have improved visibility into current and possible scenarios with digital twin technology, as well as AI-enabled optical detection providing real-time view of the venue, including visitor and vehicle traffic flow and congestion, they’re able to optimize resources in real time and make faster, data-driven decisions. NTT’s Smart Solutions also benefit fans through the IMS Mobile App, which updates predictions of gate entry wait times and peak traffic areas every 30 seconds to allow fans to better plan their entry into the venue.

“NTT delivers co-innovation with our clients every day and the work we’re doing with INDYCAR is a perfect example of this,” said Peter Cutts, chief advisory and innovation officer, NTT Ltd. “The interconnected digital backbone and platform NTT developed for INDYCAR leverages new and emerging technologies that enable INDYCAR to push the envelope by reaching new audiences and changing the way fans engage in sport. The applications for this disruptive business model are limitless and can be applied to other industries such as connected cities, healthcare, manufacturing facilities and beyond.”

More information about the work NTT is doing with Penske Entertainment and the NTT INDYCAR SERIES is available here. 

SPEEDWAY, IN.—ABC’s 54th telecast of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race—a Memorial Day tradition—will be the network’s last, bringing a five-decades-long legacy to an end. A part of the Verizon IndyCar Series, the “Indy 500” will be broadcast Sunday, May 27, 2018—starting with the pre-race show at 11am ET—across the network’s many distribution outlets, as well as mobile devices using the ESPN App and WatchABC App. Beginning in 2019, broadcasts of the Indy500 and other IndyCar races will be broadcast on the NBC broadcast network and NBCSN.  

Regarded as one of ESPN’s largest and most complex television productions, the 2018 Indy 500 will utilize 110 cameras—a record for this event—covering on-track action from dozens of locations. Four super Slo-Mo cameras will be situated around the track, one at each turn, to enhance replay coverage.

The camera complement includes a variety of specialty cameras that will provide unique viewpoints, including cameras mounted on inside and outside of competing cars, on a crew member’s helmet, as well as on a parachutist dropping into the high-profile race’s venue, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

ABC will also provide a second screen experience where viewers using the ESPN App will be able to choose between the different live video streams coming from the four on-board cameras mounted within 14 competing cars. Drivers that will have on-board cameras in their cars include: Danica Patrick, who is competing in the final race of her career, defending Indy 500 winner Takuma Sato, Graham Rahal, Scott Dixon, and 2017 Verizon IndyCar Series champion Josef Newgarden.

[Read: Indy 500 Aims To Speed Into Living Rooms]

Sato and Rahal will also have a tiny visor cam on their helmets, giving fans a unique driver’s perspective of how it feels to be inside the car. And Blair Julian, left front tire changer for Dixon’s pit crew, will wear an “over the wall” camera on his helmet, giving viewers an exclusive look at pit stop action.

The production will also include: 210 microphones, 16 EVS machines with 123 record and playback channels, nine mobile units, four uplinks transmitting 17 satellite paths, and roughly 170,000 feet of fiber cable runs connecting the equipment.

Among the 150 technical crew members will be Senior Coordinating Producer Amy Rosenfeld, Producer Jim Gaiero, Director Bruce Watson, and Coordinating Producer Kate Jackson, who will produce the prerace show with Chip Dean directing.

In light of the historical significance, the telecast will feature a variety of pre-produced video packages, including a tribute to ABC’s 54 consecutive years of coverage, starting with its first on “ABC’s Wide World of Sports” in 1965. Other race-related features, documentaries, and race coverage can be found on ESPN SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, ESPN+, ESPN Classic, ESPN International, and the WatchABC App.