MotoGP TV Coverage Increases for 2014

A total of 83 networks worldwide will now be broadcasting MotoGP action that includes agreements with several new networks for the 2014 season.  This media growth will undoubtedly increase MotoGP’s audience as newcomers to the sport as well as returning fans will now have viewing access across many platforms simultaneously, including TV, OTT Internet and mobile devices.

Ongoing agreements in key territories will see that MotoGP continues to broadcast to faithful viewers with new innovations and extended coverage planned for this season.

In the USA, FOX Sports 1 will be increasing its coverage this season with a live two-hour program from each Grand Prix, including features, highlights and live coverage of the MotoGP race, with Moto2 and Moto3 broadcast on a delayed basis. MotoGP Qualifying Practice will be streamed live via the FOX Sports GO platform. Viewers will benefit from extended coverage from the two US rounds with customized onsite production from these events.

In the UK, new broadcaster BT Sport will be showing extensive live coverage of the championship over all platforms throughout each Grand Prix weekend, with an in-depth review program on Tuesday evenings following each Grand Prix. BT Sports’ coverage will be hosted on site, as well as from its state of the art studios in London with an exciting presenter line up bringing together experts from the motorcycle world and well known TV personalities.

ITV4 will also be broadcasting an hour long program dedicated to MotoGP at 20.00 local time on the Monday after each GP, which means that British fans this season will have access to more coverage of the World Championship than ever before, including highlights on free to air television.

In Italy this year, another new broadcaster, Sky Italia, launches a dedicated MotoGP channel that will air everything live from Thursday  to Sunday evening, while continuing to offer MotoGP during the following week with highlights, re-runs and archive footage. In parallel, the free-to-air channel Cielo will cover the full championship and will air eight rounds live with a two-hour highlight show on the same-day-delayed basis for the other 10 races.

Spain sees a similar schedule this year with Movistar TV joining the fray as it transmits on its newly launched MotoGP channel, the 18 Grand Prix, from Thursday through Sunday night, with the channel set to become 24/7 in June. Terrestrial channel Tele5 of Mediaset Spain will continue to cover the championship and to have a presence in the paddock as it airs nine races live, with the remaining ones aired the same day with a three-hour delay.

Australian viewers will see Fox Sports Australia return to MotoGP in the 2014 season, together with Ten Network in a deal that combines pay and free TV. Fox Sports will air all practices, qualifying and races live, while free to air broadcaster Channel One will also show each MotoGP race live. For their home race in Phillip Island, both channels will show special coverage produced on-site.

Also new for 2014, City TV in Colombia will follow its local hero Yonny Hernandez and air the MotoGP race from each round, while on the other side of the globe, the Chong Qing Satellite Channel in China will broadcast all MotoGP Races live or on a same day delayed basis for the first time, expanding the reach of MotoGP into new areas of China. Kazakhstan’s MotoGP fans also have something to cheer about, as all races will be shown for the first time on free-to-air network STV, as will fans in Iceland who will be able to watch each MotoGP race live on Sport 2 this season.

For Canadian audiences, MotoGP will still be available on Speed Channel and a highlights program will be broadcast on French speaking network RDS.

In Europe, Sport1 in Germany continues to deliver a mix of free-to-air and pay TV coverage to German viewers while Eurosport this season adds multiscreen coverage for audiences in France. Agreements also continue with Nelonen in Finland, RTBF in Belgium, Fanda TV in the Czech Republic, OTE Sport in Greece, Polsat in Poland, POP TV in Slovenia, TSI in Switzerland, Viasat in Scandinavia and the Baltics, Sportklub in the Balkans, SPORT TV in Portugal, SmartSpor in Turkey, Autoplus in Russia and Sport 5 in Israel.

In other territories, pan regional coverage continues during 2014 on ESPN in Latin America, beIN Sports in the Middle East, Supersport in Africa and Fox Sports in Asia. This is complemented by free-to-air coverage in several territories such as NTV and G+ in Japan, Trans TV in Indonesia, Hang Maes in Cambodia and Meridiano in Venezuela.

Renewed agreements for the 2014 season and beyond with several long-term partners in different territories are testaments to the continued popularity of the sport in key territories. In Hungary and Romania, a renewed three-year agreement will see MotoGP continue to be broadcast on the Digisport channels in each territory; in Bulgaria another renewed agreement will see MotoGP continue to be broadcast on TV Plus.

Viewers in New Zealand see Sommet Sports become the home of MotoGP for the next three years, with complementary highlights coverage again available on free-to-air channel TV3 the weekend following each Grand Prix. Austrian fans will benefit from a renewed agreement for highlights of all GPs on the free-to-air sports channel ORF+, with the opening MotoGP race of the season and several others broadcast live.

In addition to all the new and renewed agreements, many broadcasters are now offering additional coverage to their audiences via a MotoGP second screen application on web or mobile devices, bringing unique live camera angles and data to allow viewers to follow the World Championship in a new and exciting way. Broadcasters in several territories including France, Spain, Italy, the UK and Finland will be offering this to their audiences from the 2014 season onwards.

This year also sees a shift in production culture, with many broadcasters choosing to work with Dorna’s onsite production facilities and play out live programming from each circuit, in order to offer their audiences more personalized programming and a real behind-the-scenes view of MotoGP.