MOORESVILLE, N.C. — Turn 3 Media, LLC — the parent company of SPEED SPORT, announced record growth numbers for May, despite starting the month with a complete shutdown of live motorsports activities.
With “stay at home” race fans hungry for content, SPEED SPORT drew from its extensive archives, award-winning editorial team and massive network of affiliates to keep readers and viewers informed, entertained and engaged.
SPEED SPORT Network had a breakout month. With forced bans or limitations on fans and participants, promoters leveraged live-streaming broadcasting as a tool to help bridge the ticket sales gap. Fans eagerly subscribed to these broadcasts in large numbers so they could still get their racing fix, even if homebound. SSN broadcast 122 live races in May, generating more than 3 million views across its 40-plus affiliates.
“Race fans are some of the most passionate sports fans on the planet. These incredible numbers back that up. They want their racing and they believe in the SPEED SPORT brand,” said Ralph Sheheen, SPEED SPORT President. “For more than 85 years SPEED SPORT has brought them the coverage of their favorite sport that they know they can count on. Now with this new and innovative platform we are once again delivering for our loyal fans and they are engaging with our SPEEDSPORT.tv Network and the SPEEDSPORT.tv Channel in massive numbers. It’s going to be very exciting to see the growth and expansion of the SPEEDSPORT.tv Network and the SPEEDSPORT.tv Channel.”
SPEEDSPORT.tv, which was launched as the COVID crisis hit, nonetheless, got off to a solid start, adding nearly 500 subscribers in its first month. As the flagship channel of the SPEED SPORT Network, SSTV is programmed with a wide variety of content — from SPEED SPORT original productions and live events to a massive selection of on-demand races and exclusive features — refreshed weekly and is available for a low price of $14.99 per month.
SPEED SPORT’s editorial division had a strong May as well. With the complete lack of live races to report on, SPEEDSPORT.com shifted its editorial strategy to draw upon the more than 85 years worth of motorsports history in its massive archive, while also drawing attention to the growing world of sim-racing.
Of course, SPEEDSPORT.com also led the way in covering the issues and impacts the COVID-19 crisis had on motorsports, and continues to monitor and report as racing gets back on track. The results indicate content remains king: SPEEDSPORT.com grew unique users and page views by more than 20% in May, while subscriptions to SPEED SPORT Magazine (print and digital) also grew steadily, up 10% over last year.
“These numbers send a strong message about the passion of the motorsports community for their sport. Even in times of crisis and uncertainty, they crave information about the past, present and future of motorsports,” said Mike Kerchner, Editor & Publisher of SPEED SPORT. “It’s also a tribute to our editorial team and their abilities to work stories, gather information and pull interesting historical information from our vast archive of driver features, race results and motorsports coverage.”
Across the board, SPEED SPORT is on track to post its best year ever. The media landscape is changing, and the company continues to evolve and adapt to remain the leader in authentic motorsports news, information and entertainment, while holding true to its historic roots as America’s Motorsports Authority since 1934.
About Turn 3 Media, LLC
Founded in 2011 by motorsports media veterans Ralph Sheheen and Joe Tripp, Turn 3 Media, LLC is the parent company of SPEED SPORT and Sprint Car and Midget Magazine. With a portfolio of award-winning publications, digital media and television under both the SPEED SPORT and Sprint Car & Midget brands, Turn 3 Media has become a leading motorsports media entity, leading the way in creating and distributing credible, authentic motorsports content and marketing solutions.
With its very first publication dating back to 1934, SPEED SPORT celebrated its 85th Anniversary in 2019.
Follow SPEED SPORT:
speedsport.com – facebook.com/speedsport – twitter.com/speedsport
Follow Sprint Car & Midget:
sprintcarandmidget.com – facebook.com/sprintcarandmidget – twitter.com/sprintcarmagz
Follow SPEED SPORT TV:
speedsport.tv – facebook.com/speedsportv – twitter.com/speedsporttv