MOTORTREND AND BBC STUDIOS ANNOUNCE THE COPRODUCTION OF A BRAND-NEW U.S. FORMAT OF "TOP GEAR AMERICA" (wt) SERIES, AND MOTORTREND WILL BE STREAMING "TOP GEAR UK" IN THE U.S. AND CANADA!
--The All New TOP GEAR AMERICA (wt) Will Premiere Exclusively on MotorTrend's SVOD Service, the MotorTrend App, This Fall--
--The MotorTrend App Will Have the Complete Collection of 200+ Classic TOP GEAR UK Episodes, and MotorTrend Will Produce 60+ Exclusive, Fan Favorite Compilations--
(New York) - Today, MotorTrend Group and BBC Studios announced a multi-year agreement that ushers in a new era in the storied history of the world's biggest motoring entertainment show TOP GEAR. Under the agreement, the MotorTrend App will have the complete collection of classic TOP GEAR in the U.S. and Canada, with more than 200 episodes and specials, available for streaming, plus a commitment to future seasons. MotorTrend will also be the exclusive home to more than 60 fan favorite compilations over the life of the agreement. The deal also includes an all new U.S. format of TOP GEAR AMERICA (wt) original series to be coproduced by MotorTrend Group and BBC Studios.
"MotorTrend's heart is with motoring fans and car enthusiasts everywhere. We're thrilled to embrace one of our favorite shows and give audiences unprecedented access to hundreds of hours of TOP GEAR UK, while also adding some uniquely MotorTrend touches to the franchise," said Alex Wellen, global president and general manager of MotorTrend Group. "TOP GEAR's brand, stories, and personalities are a natural fit for MotorTrend as we continue our mission to embrace, entertain and empower the motoring world."
"The MotorTrend audience will soon get to enjoy the entertainment that TOP GEAR has been delivering to the world for decades. From amazing cars, to epic road trips and hysterical antics, viewers will get lost in their favorite mix of entertainment, comedy and cars," states Matt Forde, Managing Director of International Production & Formats, BBC Studios. "We look forward to working with the MotorTrend team to bring the new U.S. version to new and returning fans."
The entire available TOP GEAR UK catalog, seasons 2 - 25, will debut on the MotorTrend App, MotorTrend Group's SVOD service, in the U.S. and Canada beginning Tuesday, June 4. MotorTrend is celebrating the momentous event by debuting several select TOP GEAR UK library episodes on MotorTrend TV in the U.S. on Saturday, June 1, Sunday, June 2 and Monday, June 3 during primetime from 8-11 PM ET/PT. The all new U.S. format of TOP GEAR AMERICA (wt) is slated to begin production early this summer and make its premiere on the MotorTrend App this Fall. This digital-first series will deliver a fresh, uniquely American take on the classic TOP GEAR format, following a brand-new trio of hosts and their car crazy adventures at home and abroad.
TOP GEAR is the world's biggest motoring entertainment show, for almost two decades, with an estimated audience of 350 million people. Since 2002, across more than 25 seasons, the series has thrilled viewers globally with its unique blend of entertainment, humor and car knowledge. TOP GEAR is a fast-paced and stunt-filled automotive show that tests whether cars, both mundane and extraordinary, live up to their manufacturers' claims. The long running series travels to locations around the world, performing extreme and often utterly pointless stunts and challenges to see what the featured cars can do. Celebrities including Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz and Will Smith have all appeared on the show, as a regular segment, where they set a lap time on the famous TOP GEAR track in an ordinary, everyday car. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May hosted TOP GEAR for more than a decade before giving way to a new crew in 2016, including actor Matt LeBlanc and automotive journalists Chris Harris and Rory Reid.
About MotorTrend Group
MotorTrend Group is the largest automotive media company in the world, bringing together Discovery's fast-growing MotorTrend TV, formerly Velocity, and a vast automotive digital, direct-to-consumer, social, and live event portfolio, including MOTORTREND, HOT ROD, ROADKILL, AUTOMOBILE, and more than 20 other industry-leading brands. With a monthly audience of 26 million across web, TV, and print, and 110 million social followers, culminating in 2 billion monthly content views across all platforms, the company encompasses television's #1 network for automotive superfans, a leading automotive YouTube Channel, and the MotorTrend App, the only auto-dedicated subscription video-on-demand service. MotorTrend serves to embrace, entertain, and empower the motoring world.
About Discovery
Discovery, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is a global leader in real life entertainment, serving a passionate audience of superfans around the world with content that inspires, informs and entertains. Discovery delivers over 8,000 hours of original programming each year and has category leadership across deeply loved content genres around the world. Available in 220 countries and territories and nearly 50 languages, Discovery is a platform innovator, reaching viewers on all screens, including TV Everywhere products such as the GO portfolio of apps and Discovery Kids Play; direct-to-consumer streaming services such as Eurosport Player and Motor Trend OnDemand; digital-first and social content from Group Nine Media and a strategic alliance with the PGA Tour to create the Global Home of Golf. Discovery's portfolio of premium brands includes Discovery Channel, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Travel Channel, MotorTrend, Animal Planet, and Science Channel, as well as OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network in the U.S., Discovery Kids in Latin America, and Eurosport, the leading provider of locally relevant, premium sports and Home of the Olympic Games across Europe. For more information, please visit https://corporate.discovery.com/ and follow @DiscoveryIncTV across social platforms.
About BBC Studios
BBC Studios, a global content company with British creativity at its heart, is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC. Formed in April 2018 by the merger of BBC Worldwide and BBC Studios, it spans content financing, development, production, sales, branded services, and ancillaries. BBC Studios' award-winning British programs are internationally recognized across a broad range of genres and specialties. It has offices in 22 markets globally, including seven production bases in the UK and production bases and partnerships in a further nine countries around the world. The company, which makes over 2,500 hours of content a year, is a champion for British creativity around the world and a committed partner for the UK's independent sector.
In the Americas, BBC Studios' operates two production units - one in Los Angeles, responsible for ratings juggernaut and Emmy(R)-nominated Dancing with the Stars and multi-award-winning Life Below Zero, and the other in Brazil, where local productions Dancing Brasil and Bake Off Brasil have become breakout hits. The company manages joint venture relationships with AMC Networks for flagship channel BBC AMERICA (U.S.) - home of original series Killing Eve and global brands Dynasties, Doctor Who, and Top Gear - and with ITV for SVoD service BritBox (U.S./Canada), as well as strategic partnerships in Canada with Blue Ant Media for BBC Earth Channel and Corus for BBC Canada. The company also boasts a franchise management business and a robust linear and digital content sales and co-productions operation.
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