Curt Cavin

IndyStar

For the first time since 1950, race fans across the entire state of Indiana will be able to watch the Indianapolis 500 live, which IndyStar first said was in the works.

On Wednesday morning, Indianapolis Motor Speedway president Doug Boles announced that officials decided to lift the television blackout. The grandstand has been sold out for weeks, helping IMS come to the decision.

"All suites, reserve seats and infield general admission tickets for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 are sold out," Boles said. "There's no event in the world like the Indianapolis 500."

Indy 500 blackout reaction: 'Huge deal'

Workers will be imported from out of state for security and staffing roles to accommodate the crowd.

The race will air live on RTV-6, an ABC affiliate, and re-air in the evening as has happened through the years.

On May 6, IMS announced that all reserved seats had been sold out.

It’s believed IMS targeted the sale of 75,000 general admission tickets to bring Sunday’s total attendance to about 350,000, a significant increase over recent years in part due to temporary suites being installed in the Turn 1 infield and on the backstretch. Grandstand seats previously removed have been reinstalled to meet demand.

The local blackout is one of the longest-standing 500 traditions, nearly as old as the winning driver drinking milk in victory lane. Hoosiers have seen the race live on TV only twice – in 1949 and ’50 – despite multiple cries for a change.

"The community response has been stunning," Hulman & Company CEO Mark Miles said.

The race typically airs in the evening on ABC affiliate WRTV-6 as a way to attract viewers who attended the race. Last year’s local airing drew a 12.7 rating, the highest for any metered market. Second was Dayton, Ohio, at 9.9 and Louisville at 8.7, according to Nielsen Media. In 2014, the local rating was 12.9.

Nationally, last year’s race drew a 4.2 rating, up 7.7 percent over the previous year. The number of viewers rose from 6.06 million in 2014 to 6.48 million last year.

IMS to consider lifting blackout if Indy 500 sells out

A spokesman for ESPN said Monday that network officials leave the blackout decision to IMS. Earlier this week, Miles noted the lack of data regarding the decision to lift the blackout or not.

“The sense is that everybody goes to the race and watches (the delayed broadcast) when they get home,” he said. “The question is, would (the rating) drop off?”

There will a live version and an evening re-air.

Miles doesn’t seem fazed by the notion of Central Indiana viewers being upset with a one-year-only lifting of the blackout. Years ago, he said, Indianapolis Colts fans were subjected to blackouts when all the tickets weren’t sold.

“I think people could follow (that logic),” he said.

ABC is planning a local lead-in to Sunday’s race. Its SportsCenter crew will be at IMS both weekend days, and in the hour before the 500’s broadcast begins SportsCenter will have Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and receiver TY Hilton as guests.

Lifting the local blackout also allows Hoosiers to watch the race on the WatchESPN app.

"It's an important way to reach people in their cars," Boles said of the app Wednesday.

Available to local viewers regardless of the blackout decision are onboard cameras carried by pole sitter James Hinchcliffe, defending champion Juan Pablo Montoya and reigning IndyCar Series champion Scott Dixon as well as current points leader Simon Pagenaud, Josef Newgarden, Will Power, Graham Rahal, Tony Kanaan, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Marco Andretti, Takuma Sato and Helio Castroneves.

Follow IndyStar reporter Curt Cavin on Facebook and Twitter: @curtcavin