Motor Trend is an American
sports television network owned by
Motor Trend Group, a subsidiary of
Warner Bros. Discovery through
its sports unit. It primarily broadcasts
automotive-themed programming, including
motorsports
Motorsport, motorsports or motor sport is a global term used to encompass the group of competitive sporting events which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles. The terminology can also be used to describe forms of competition of tw ...
events.
It was originally founded in 2002 as Discovery HD Theater (later HD Theater), the first 24/7
high-definition basic cable network. It featured high-definition programming from its other channels. Redundant after the introduction of high-definition simulcasts for Discovery's networks, it re-launched in 2011 as Velocity—an "upscale male" network primarily featuring automotive programming. Following Discovery's acquisition of a majority stake in the magazine's publisher, it was announced that Velocity would rebrand as Motor Trend on November 23, 2018, as a brand extension of the automotive magazine ''
Motor Trend
''MotorTrend'' is an American automobile magazine. It first appeared in September 1949, and designated the first Car of the Year, also in 1949.
Petersen Publishing Company in Los Angeles published ''MotorTrend'' until 1998, when it was sold to ...
''.
As of January 2015, approximately 85.3 million American households (87.9% of households with television) receive Motor Trend.
History
The network launched nationwide in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...
on June 17, 2002, as Discovery HD Theater; and was the first 24/7 basic cable HD network in the US. The channel was rebranded to HD Theater on September 22, 2007. Programming included shows from Discovery sister networks, such as ''
American Chopper
''American Chopper'' is an American reality television series that airs on Discovery Channel, produced by Pilgrim Films & Television. The series centers on Paul Teutul Sr. (frequently called ''Senior''), and his son Paul Teutul Jr. (also kn ...
'' and Animal Planet's ''
Corwin's Quest'', in addition to original programming such as ''
Sunrise Earth
''Sunrise Earth'' is a nature documentary television series that last aired in the United States in 2008 on HD Theater (originally Discovery HD Theater), which has since been reformatted and rebranded as Velocity. The series focused on presenting ...
'' (which featured footage of outdoor scenes with no narration), and history-focused titles such as ''
When Dinosaurs Roamed America
''When Dinosaurs Roamed America'' (sometimes shortened to ''When Dinosaurs Roamed'' outside of the U.S.) is a two-hour American television program (produced in the style of a traditional nature documentary) that first aired on the Discovery Chann ...
'' and ''
Before We Ruled the Earth
''Before We Ruled the Earth'' is a two-part documentary television miniseries that premiered on February 9, 2003 on the Discovery Channel. The program featured early human history and the challenges human beings faced thousands of years ago. Th ...
''.
As Velocity
By 2011, as high definition feeds of mainstream networks had become more common, HD Theater no longer filled a unique niche. On April 14, 2011, Discovery Communications announced that HD Theater would be re-launched as Velocity later in the year; the re-launch took place on October 4, 2011. The network focused primarily on automotive-oriented programming and other shows of interest to an "upscale male" audience.
As Motor Trend
On August 3, 2017, Discovery announced that it would contribute Velocity into a joint venture with the digital, live events, and direct-to-consumer businesses of automotive publisher
TEN: The Enthusiast Network. Discovery will hold a majority stake in the venture.
In April 2018, it was announced that TEN had been renamed the Motor Trend Group, and that Velocity would rebrand to Motor Trend Network later in 2018. Co-branded with the automotive magazine ''
Motor Trend
''MotorTrend'' is an American automobile magazine. It first appeared in September 1949, and designated the first Car of the Year, also in 1949.
Petersen Publishing Company in Los Angeles published ''MotorTrend'' until 1998, when it was sold to ...
'', the rebranding is part of an effort by Discovery, following its acquisition of
Scripps Networks Interactive
Scripps Networks Interactive, Inc. (SNI) was an American mass media company, which was formed on July 1, 2008, and acquired by and merged into Discovery Communications on March 6, 2018. It was formed in 2008, through the spin-off of the E. W. ...
, to focus more on direct-to-consumer offerings targeting niche topics with "passionate" audiences. ''Motor Trend'' already operates the subscription video-on-demand service ''Motor Trend OnDemand'', and had plotted out international expansion (including a British launch of ''Motor Trend OnDemand'' in the UK in December 2017, and a forthcoming over-the-air Motor Trend television channel in Italy.
Velocity officially rebranded as Motor Trend on November 23, 2018.
International versions
In Canada,
Discovery Velocity
Discovery Velocity is a Canadian Category B specialty channel owned by CTV Specialty Television, a joint venture of CTV Specialty Television Inc. and Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a Canadian version of the U.S. channel formerly of the same nam ...
launched on February 12, 2015. The channel was, originally, the Canadian version of Discovery HD Theater, and had been branded as
Discovery World immediately prior.
In some markets, Discovery operates similarly-themed channels known as
Discovery Turbo
Discovery Turbo (previously known as Discovery Turbo MAX in Australia) is a pay television channel devoted to programming about transport. It is similar to Discovery Velocity and Motor Trend. It was also briefly available as an on-demand service ...
(Asia-Pacific, Latin America, UK/Ireland),
DTX (Europe, except UK/Ireland), and
Motor Trend
''MotorTrend'' is an American automobile magazine. It first appeared in September 1949, and designated the first Car of the Year, also in 1949.
Petersen Publishing Company in Los Angeles published ''MotorTrend'' until 1998, when it was sold to ...
(Italy), which feature a similar focus on automotive-themed programs.
Programming
As Discovery HD Theater
*''
Before We Ruled the Earth
''Before We Ruled the Earth'' is a two-part documentary television miniseries that premiered on February 9, 2003 on the Discovery Channel. The program featured early human history and the challenges human beings faced thousands of years ago. Th ...
'' (2003)
*''
Dinosaur Planet'' (2003)
*''
Insectia
''Insectia'' is a Canadian nature documentary program that premiered on the Discovery Channel on February 4, 1999. The show's host, Georges Brossard, explains the life of insect
Insects (from Latin ') are pancrustacean hexapod inverte ...
'' (1999-2001)
*''
Sunrise Earth
''Sunrise Earth'' is a nature documentary television series that last aired in the United States in 2008 on HD Theater (originally Discovery HD Theater), which has since been reformatted and rebranded as Velocity. The series focused on presenting ...
'' (2004-2008)
*''
When Dinosaurs Roamed America
''When Dinosaurs Roamed America'' (sometimes shortened to ''When Dinosaurs Roamed'' outside of the U.S.) is a two-hour American television program (produced in the style of a traditional nature documentary) that first aired on the Discovery Chann ...
'' (2001)
As Velocity/Motor Trend
Event coverage
In 2015, Motor Trend (then known as Velocity) and Discovery Channel acquired the broadcast rights to
Barrett-Jackson
Barrett-Jackson is an American collector car auction company headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona. It was founded by Scottsdale business partners Tom Barrett and Russ Jackson. They initially launched a car show, Fiesta de los Autos Elegantes, in 1 ...
's automobile auctions, previously held by
Fox Sports
Fox Sports is the brand name for a number of sports channels, broadcast divisions, programming, and other media around the world.
The ''Fox Sports'' name has since been used for other sports media assets. These assets are held mainly by the F ...
.
Mike Joy,
Chris Jacobs, and
Ray Evernham host the ''Barrett-Jackson Live'' broadcasts on the two channels.
In April 2018, it was announced that Discovery and Motor Trend Group had acquired the North American broadcast rights to the
FIA World Endurance Championship
The FIA World Endurance Championship is an auto racing world championship organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) and sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The series supersedes the ACO's former Interco ...
, beginning with the
2018-19 "super season", also replacing Fox Sports. The first and last hours of most events are televised by Motor Trend (with the entire events streaming on ''Motor Trend'' digital platforms), and there is live flag-to-flag television coverage of the
1000 Miles of Sebring and
24 Hours of Le Mans
The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active endurance racing event. Unlike fixed-distance races whose w ...
. The broadcasts are produced by
Eurosport
Eurosport is a group of pay television networks in Europe and parts of Asia. Owned by Warner Bros. Discovery through its international sports unit, it operates two main channels— Eurosport 1 and Eurosport 2—across most of its territorie ...
, Discovery's pan-European sports network.
Original
*''All Girls Garage''
*''American Icon: Muscle Car''
*''
Ant Anstead Master Mechanic''
*''The Auto Firm with Alex Vega''
*''Auto/Biography''
*''
Barrett-Jackson Live''
*''Biggest And Baddest''
*''Bitchin' Boot Camp''
*''
Bitchin' Rides''
*''Cafe Racer''
*''Car Fix''
*''
Chasing Classic Cars''
*''
Dallas Car Sharks
''Dallas Car Sharks'' is an automotive reality show currently airing on Motor Trend that takes place in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It documents four competing car dealers (JD Cole, Martha Davis, Ash Rabah, and Tommy Spagnola) as they buy u ...
''
*''Drift This''
*''FantomWorks''
*''Faster with Finnegan''
*''Fastest Cars in the Dirty South''
*''
Inside West Coast Customs''
*''Iron Resurrection'' starring Joe and Amanda Martin
*''Garage Squad''
*''Junkyard Empire''
*''Kings of Crash''
*''Life Size''
*''
Mike Brewer's World of Cars''
*''Miracle Ball''
*''Motorhead Garage TV''
*''MotorTrend: Working from Home''
*''
NASCAR 2020: Under Pressure''
*''
NASCAR All In: Battle for Daytona''
*''One of a Kind''
*''Patrick Dempsey: Racing Le Mans''
*''Pikes Peak: On the Edge''
*''Restoration Garage''
*''RMD Garage''
*''
Roadkill
Roadkill is an animal or animals that have been struck and killed by drivers of motor vehicles on highways. Wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC) have increasingly been the topic of academic research to understand the causes, and how it can be mi ...
''
*''Saw Dogs''
*''South Beach Classics''
*''Speed Is The New Black''
*''Tech Toys 360''
*''Texas Metal''
*''
Top Gear America'' (Reboot)
*''Turn n' Burn''
*''Unique Rides''
*''What's In The Barn?''
*''What's My Car Worth?''
*''Wheels That Fail''
Acquired
*''All Star Dealers''
*''
American Hot Rod''
*''Car Crazy''
*''
Desert Car Kings''
*''
Destroyed in Seconds''
*''Eurosport on Velocity''
*''Fat and Furious''
*''
Fifth Gear''
*''
Get Out Alive''
*''
Graveyard Carz''
*''
How It's Made: Dream Cars''
*''
HowStuffWorks
HowStuffWorks is an American commercial infotainment website founded by professor and author Marshall Brain, to provide its target audience an insight into the way many things work. The site uses various media to explain complex concepts, termi ...
''
*''I Could Do That!''
*''Kidnap & Rescue''
*''
MotorWeek''
*''Nature's Deadliest''
*''
Overhaulin'''
*''
Salvage Hunters: Classic Cars''
*''
Stacey David's GearZ
Stacy or Stacey may refer to:
Places
In the United States:
* Stacy, California, an unincorporated community
* Stacy, Kentucky
* Stacy, Minnesota, a city
* Stacy, Virginia, a village
People
* Stacy (given name)
* Stacy (singer) (born 1990), ...
''
*''
Some Assembly Required''
*''
Top Gear (UK)''
*''
The Detonators
''The Detonators'', published in 1985, is a novel in the long-running secret agent series ''Matt Helm'' by Donald Hamilton
Donald Bengtsson Hamilton (March 24, 1916 – November 20, 2006) was an American writer of novels, short stories, ...
''
*''UFOs Over Earth''
*''
Verminators
''Verminators'' is an American reality television series. It is produced by Original Productions of Burbank, California and broadcast in the United States on Discovery Channel, Canada on Discovery Channel (Canada) and the UK on Virgin1. The program ...
''
*''
Weird or What?
''Weird or What?'' is a series on the Discovery Channel and History (Canada) hosted by William Shatner (except for the U.S. version of Season 1, where his segments were replaced by a fourth story). Each episode contains three separate stories ...
''
*''
Wheeler Dealers''
*''
Wheeler Dealers: Trading Up''
*''World's Most Expensive Rides''
References
External links
*
{{Sports television in the United States
Motor Trend Group
Warner Bros. Discovery networks
Television channels and networks about cars
English-language television stations in the United States
Television channels and stations established in 2002
2002 establishments in the United States
Turner Sports