The third season of the popular China Endurance Championship will get underway on August 14 at Ningbo International Speedpark in south-eastern China, the first of four events for 2020 in a season which will see a departure from the formats utilised in the past, the Championship hosting 150-minute races at each round as opposed to longer races contested in previous seasons.
One thing though which won’t change, is Beijing-based China Television Service Co. Ltd. as the production company tasked with the LIVE streaming of the event on networks across China, a relationship which has proven more than successful in past years, attracting an online audience in the tens of millions for each event.
“LIVE productions for motorsport events across Asia has been a mainstay for CTVS for more than ten years,” CEO Gernot ‘Berti’ Kuntze explained. “We’ve produced events for manufacturers like Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, plus events like DTM (German Touring Cars in China), GT World Challenge, Carrera Cup Asia, Asian Le Mans and more, including three seasons now of the China Endurance Championship [CEC].
“Like the other championships we have produced, CEC have a particular set of deliverables that are unique to their championship, notably extensive reach within China, whilst unlike many of the other championships we produce, exposure to markets outside of China is not a priority.”
Based in Beijing, CTVS have a strong relationship across the Asian region, understanding the intricacies and specifics of each individual zone, something which has seen them emerge as the leading provider of LIVE motorsport events across multiple time-zones, however it is their foundations within China that made them the ideal choice for the organisers of CEC when they began planning their endurance events in 2017.
With many live sports postponed or cancelled, and the majority of international events within China called off for the remainder of 2020, audiences have been turning more and more to home-grown events for their sporting fix, something which Kuntze believes will have a significant impact on valuable viewing figures for events like CEC.
“The bottom line for any event is audience reach – that’s where the money comes from – the bigger the audience, the more financially beneficial it is for the promoters, which is why they are so focussed on ensuring the reach of their media programs. With access to platforms like CCTV, Tencent, Youku, Douyu, Huya, Phoenix Auto and Autohome to name but a few, we can provide significant reach right across China.
2020 China Endurance Championship – calendar
Rnd#1, 14-16 August – Ninbgo Speedpark, Ningbo (China)
Rnd#2, 11-13 September – Shanghai International Circuit (China)
Rnd#3, 16-18 October – Zhuhai International Circuit (China)
Rnd#4, December [TBC] – Wuhan Street Race (China)
