Velocity Lifts The Hood On Supercharged 2017-18 Upfront Programming Slate
–Velocity Unveils 440 Premiere Hours; 3 All New Series; 13 Returning Franchises; 100 Hours of BARRETT-JACKSON LIVE; and Interactive, Multiplatform Coverage of America’s
Largest Auto Show-
(New York) – Velocity, America’s #1 network for automotive fans, today unveiled its supercharged 2017-18 programming lineup including: the return of 13 hit franchises; several new series; 100 hours of live events; and interactive, multiplatform coverage of the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. Each of the 440 premiere hours in the new programming slate is designed to satisfy Velocity viewers’ love for the most credible experts, authentic and engaging stories, bold personalities and compelling information from the exciting automotive world.
Velocity shifted into a new gear in 2016 earning its #1 delivering year ever in Primetime and Total Day among the M25-54 target demo, as well as M18-49, M18+, P25-54, P18-34 and P2+. The network also left 4Q16 in the rearview as its #1 quarter ever in Primetime delivery among M25-54, M18-49, M18+, P25-54, P18-49 and P2+.
“For our audience cars are a second home that fall somewhere between their house, spouse or office,” said Robert Scanlon, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Velocity and Automotive Content. “Velocity understands the emotional connection they feel to the automobile and we’re completely devoted to providing appealing content that gets their engines revving. With a record number of viewers last year, we’d like to welcome even more people to ride shotgun with us in 2017-18.”
Velocity returns to the Lone Star State for the all new series TEXAS METAL (wt). Metal miracles is the name of the game for the team at Ekstensive Metal Works who create some of the biggest, flashiest, most creative builds anywhere. TEXAS METAL(wt) dives into the outrageous truck customizations that Ekstensive’s owner Bill Carlton and his welding team design and build. Crafting record breaking trucks with custom suspensions, 28 inch wheels and full motor conversions, there is nothing that TEXAS METAL (wt) won’t try.
Additionally, two new series highlight the 2017-18 Velocity programming lineup. JDM LEGENDS (wt) takes Velocity viewers into the world of Japanese domestic market restorations at Eric Bizek’s Salt Lake City shop. Viewers can also hop the border to Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada in LAST STOP GARAGE where mechanics are using backwoods ingenuity to create incredible, specially made vehicles to handle the rugged terrain.
Velocity’s #1 and #2 most popular series BITCHIN’ RIDES and WHEELER DEALERS, respectively, come back to help make the Velocity engine run smooth in 2017-18. While the network hits the auction block again in Scottsdale, Palm Beach, the Northeast and Las Vegas for 100 hours of BARRETT-JACKSON LIVE, which was watched by 25 million people in 2016. Joining those key franchises are the return of the network’s signature series CHASING CLASSIC CARS, FANTOMWORKS, UNIQUE RIDES, IRON RESURRECTION, GRAVEYARD CARZ, and the network’s highly rated, Saturday morning “how to” automotive series ALL GIRLS GARAGE, CAR FIX and TRUCK U.
The full list of Velocity’s Upfront programming slate follows below.
Returning Series
BITCHIN’ RIDES
Some great artists work with oil on canvas, others with clay, but for Dave Kindig, iron and chrome are the tools of his creative self-expression and he is an artist at the top of his automotive design craft. From his sprawling 27,000 square foot custom fabrication shop, Kindig It Design, Dave and his team use cars as their canvases to create extraordinary works of art for serious car lovers nationwide. Velocity’s #1 series returns to give audiences another glimpse into the imaginative, creative genius of Kindig’s self-made business.
WHEELER DEALERS
For 13 seasons WHEELER DEALERS has found, fixed, flipped, tested and traded roughly 135 cars on the international market. The international hit series and Velocity’s #2 franchise returns with hosts Mike Brewer and new master mechanic Ant Anstead as they hunt down deals in America – the most exciting, most competitive car market on the planet. From the sunny beaches of southern California to the coldest edges of Maine, WHEELER DEALERS searches coast-to-coast for the best vehicles to buy, restore, test and sell for a tidy profit in all new episodes.
FANTOMWORKS
Every car has a story and if you can prove to restoration expert Dan Short that you love your vehicle and want the job done right he MAY accept you as a client. FantomWorks is a bustling shop based in Norfolk, Va. with a busy production pipeline. From concept to execution, Dan and his team handle anything and everything in-house as they meticulously restore some of America’s favorite rides. Old cars come with new obstacles every week including irate car owners, personality clashes, cost overruns, parts problems and walk-outs. Come along for the ride in an all new season.
CHASING CLASSIC CARS
Collector car archeologist Wayne Carini, returns to pursue one-of-a-kind autos in secret stashes – homes, garages and barns – throughout America in season nine of the hit series CHASING CLASSIC CARS. Carini meets with some of the most admired collectors in the high-end car market, as well as restorer experts and artisans, making it his business to find and restore the world’s rarest vehicles to their original beauty.
GARAGE SQUAD
Countless car aficionados have bought a less than perfect version of their dream car hoping their amateur mechanical chops would return that lackluster ride to glory. Too often dreams of automotive grandeur are wrecked by a lack of money, time and knowhow, leaving garages cluttered with cars, car parts and tools gathering dust. Fortunately, many of these well-meaning automotive enthusiasts are setting pride aside and opening their garage doors to Velocity’s GARAGE SQUAD whose #squadgoals include hearing the powerful rumble of a rebuilt engine; seeing the sun glare off a newly polished, rejuvenated bodywork; feeling the rush of hefty horsepower; and bringing joyful tears to even the most hardened car owners.
RESTORATION GARAGE
Get into high gear and rev up for a busy season with lots of cool cars at the Guild of Automotive Restorers where David Grainger and his team salvage rare, classic gems from around the world. Grainger’s automotive mavericks spin rust into gold, but not without hitting a few bumps in the road. RESTORATION GARAGE finds Grainger and his friend and investment partner Larry Burns scouring elite auctions for four-wheeled treasures to fix and flip. Meanwhile shop manager Thomas Douglas keeps the restoration garage machine running smoothly.
GRAVEYARD CARZ
Host Mark Worman takes his “Mopar or No Car!” credo seriously as the first person in history to recreate Mopar® – the beloved 1970 Chrysler assembly line process. Ride along for new episodes as Worman, his best friend Royal, daughter Allysa and Will Scott bring audiences more history, more tech and more Mopar expertise. Relive the American muscle car phenomenon of the late 1960s and early 1970s one hour at a time on GRAVEYARD CARZ.
IRON RESURRECTION
From motorcycles and cars to boats Discovery Channel’s BIKER BUILD-OFF winner Joe Martin brings new life to old iron at his shop Martin Bros Customs outside of Austin, Texas in Velocity’s IRON RESURRECTION. Working with his wife Amanda, and best friend Shag, this custom shop oversees every phase of restoration – from design, fabrication and mechanicals to the final paint job. IRON RESURRECTION has it all – the search for hidden gems, the haggling needed to buy them, the big time re-build by experienced designers and fabricators, and finally an eye-popping reveal and final sale.
UNIQUE RIDES
At Long Island, N.Y. based shop, Will Castro and his Team Unique crew create exceptional custom vehicles for some of the most popular tastemakers in movies, music, TV and sports. He’s made four wheeled dreams reality for the likes of N.B.A. superstar Lebron James, songwriter Jason Derulo, N.F.L. wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr., P. Diddy, N.Y. Yankees pitcher CC Sabathia, actress Pamela Anderson and more. UNIQUE RIDES takes viewers inside Castro’s extraordinary business, creative and production process as he and his team deliver the automotive dreams of the world’s most demanding clientele.
ALL GIRLS GARAGE
Automotive expert hosts Cristy Lee, Rachel De Barros and Bogi Lateiner work behind the gears on complex automotive projects that rival those undertaken by their male counterparts. In each episode the women repair, modify and restore all types of vehicles, and reveal some tips and tricks for the weekend mechanic in all of us.
CAR FIX
Step inside the essential “how to” car series featuring the talents of Lou Santiago and Jared Zimmerman. The dynamic duo of Santiago and Zimmerman showcase special hands-on vehicle projects including modifications, upgrades and repairs using high-end performance and aftermarket products that car junkies cannot wait to get their hands on.
TRUCK U
TRUCK U is the how-to series dedicated exclusively to trucks, 4x4s and SUVs. In each episode, monster-truck expert Matt Steele and master mechanic Bruno Massel get their hands dirty on various projects that are crucial to serious off-roading and truck performance.
ISLE OF MAN TT
Velocity is bringing viewers seven nights of same-day motorcycle racing coverage from the annual Isle of Man TT, arguably one of the most well-known road races in the world. With riders of all categories topping speeds approaching 200 miles per hour – on closed public roads – the route twists through mountains, fields and towns, offering an awesome motorsports viewing experience.
TOYMAKERZ
TOYMAKERZ is for big boys who like exotic, rare toys of the vehicular variety. Driven by the life and creations of David Ankin, owner of Toymakerz, Inc., the series follows his team as they bring unrivaled ingenuity and a unique skill set to motorized builds for a wide array of customers.
New Series
JDM LEGENDS (wt)
The Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) is a fast rising car counterculture among a particularly younger generation of enthusiasts. JDM vehicles are made in Japan for the Japanese market but differ greatly from what’s exported to America. In Salt Lake City, Eric Bizek and Trey Cobb are rising stars on the JDM scene who do one-of-a-kind, pain-staking work restoring 70s era Japanese automobiles for uber-loyal customers.
TEXAS METAL (wt)
Metal miracles is the name of the game for the team at Ekstensive Metal Works. For more than two decades they’re built a reputation for giving customers exactly what they want. Whether it’s tricked out trucks with wild hydraulics or facelifts for classic muscle cars, Ekstensive does restorations, rebuilds, metal work, paint, interior or accessories bigger and better.
LAST STOP GARAGE
LAST STOP GARAGE is a funny, adventurous series about a ragtag team of master mechanics in North West River Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Their garage, CRB Automotive, is the only business in their tiny remote town, and the mechanics is use backwoods ingenuity to fix and build cars, trucks or other vehicles that kind tame the rugged terrain.
Live Events
VELOCITY WEEK @ SEMA SHOW 2017
Velocity is bringing car super fans inside America’s largest car confab – the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. New for this year, Velocity is taking a multiplatform approach to cover every inch of the show’s one million square feet with: a primetime nightly one-hour special featuring industry experts, automotive personalities, new products, vehicle reveals and more; live digital and social media content; and the network’s wildly popular fan experience Velocity Live that is exclusive to SEMA Show.
BARRETT-JACKSON LIVE
Velocity’s BARRETT-JACKSON LIVE brings viewers roughly 100 hours of Barrett-Jackson’s biggest, most exciting auctions including Scottsdale, Palm Beach, the Northeast and Las Vegas where bidders compete to take home the world’s most sought-after, unique and valuable automobiles. Velocity also extends the thrilling experience to viewers at home with the interactive game Auction Insider. Auction Insider allows viewers to test their appraisal skills by guessing the hammer price on cars crossing the block via their laptop or mobile device.
About Velocity
Velocity, a division of Discovery Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK), is the only upscale men’s cable network that focuses on thrilling automotive for its viewers. Velocity programming is diverse, intelligent and engaging, capturing the best of the human experience as told by the top experts in the field. Formerly HD Theater, the fully HD network is available in 71 million homes, and viewers can enjoy their favorite shows anytime, anywhere through Velocity Go – the network’s TVE offering featuring live and on demand access to complete seasons. Audiences can also connect with Velocity at Velocity.com, as well as on Facebook at facebook.com/VelocityTV or on Twitter @Velocity.
About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the leader in global entertainment reaching 3 billion cumulative subscribers in more than 220 countries and territories. Discovery satisfies curiosity, entertains and inspires viewers with high-quality content through global brands, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Investigation Discovery, Animal Planet, Science and Turbo/Velocity, as well as U.S. joint venture network OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network, and through the Discovery Digital Networks portfolio, including Seeker and SourceFed. Discovery owns Eurosport, the leading pan-regional sports entertainment destination across Europe and Asia-Pacific. Discovery also is a leading provider of educational products and services to schools, including an award-winning series of K-12 digital textbooks, through Discovery Education. For more information, please visit www.DiscoveryCommunications.com.
