Media

The Portugal XPD Race is one of the events that is part of the international Expedition Racing League. One of the main aims of this project is the global mediatisation of this sport. This idea is the backbone of the whole infrastructure that has is basic support in the marketing of the video products extracted from the races.

The leadership of this media Project is guaranteed by ERL, Inc which supervises the work of a group of TV experts who are currently developing a series of media products, namely:

- News Play-outs, these will feature the teams from each region and will go out directly to networks as well as through news providers including EBU, SMTV and AP. The news will focus on the sporting aspects but as it is primetime it has very impressive viewing figures.
- Highlights show. This will go out in many languages worldwide through packages such as Gillette World Sport (Sunset and Vine production), Transworld Sport (TWI production) e Wild Spirits (BBC World production). They will also go out in other magazine shows in each territory. Ranging from 3-15 minutes per event, they have an expected worldwide weekly coverage from combination of highlights show of over 500 million potential viewers.
- Sport Show. 26 x 26 minute series. This product is the backbone of the league and will be broadcast in most major territories worldwide. This series will follow the teams throughout the year. It will feature the disciplines covered through the five days and nights of racing, and develop characters from each team to represent the sport regionally. This will be distributed as widely as possible. It is currently under negotiations with over 100 networks worldwide (see distribution list)
- Documentary. 13 x 52 minutes. This series will be more in depth and more a reality programme than anything else, the difference with this series is that it will be ‘real’ life as opposed to ‘engineered’ life that has been on our screens for the last 2 years. The pressure to continue comes from within the teams and after 72 hours of non-stop racing, the raw human spirit of each competitor emerges and audiences experience the extreme highs as well as the utter desperation that the racers experience. The locations provide the central themes through which the stories are told, with each event providing stunning backdrops and its own unique challenges.

The sport show is already confirmed in 16 countries: Australia (Fox Sports e outro*), Bengladesh, Brazil (Globosat), Canada (Global TV e RDS), Croatia, Finland (Channel 4), France, India, Malaysia (Astro), New Zealand (TVNZ e SKY Network), Norway, Pakistan, South Africa (M-Net), Sri-Lanka, Turkey & U.K. . * tv channels not yet disclosed

Thus, is clear that a great effort is underway to give to the teams, organizers, places and countries the maximum media exposure and revenue.

The expected total worldwide viewership after September is near 120 million viewers a week for 26 consecutive weeks. In Portugal two specific 25 minutes programs will be aired in national Channel 2 with an estimated audience of 120 000 viewers each. Apart from that 5 international press releases will be aired to the international magazines and AR web sites.

The competition Web Site (www.portugalxpdrace.com) will be the main source of information and will cover life all the race moments, with comments, photos, rankings, locations, etc.