With Sellout, Indianapolis 500 Local TV Blackout Lifted; ABC Telecast to Air Live Nationally

ABC’s telecast of the 100th Indianapolis 500 on Sunday will now air live across the entire United States with this morning’s announcement by Indianapolis Motor Speedway of the first complete sellout in the history of the iconic event.

With the sellout, the long-standing practice of blacking out the live television broadcast in Indianapolis has been lifted and Indianapolis ABC affiliate WRTV-TV will air the race live. WRTV-TV also will continue its traditional 7 p.m. ET re-air of the race telecast. .

It will be only the third time that the race will be broadcast live on television in Central Indiana and the first time since 1950.

ABC, which is televising the Indianapolis 500 for the 52nd consecutive year, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway have one of the longest-running active relationships between a network and a sporting event, with the race first airing on ABC’s Wide World of Sports in 1965. ABC’s first live telecast was in 1986.