It’s almost time for the 2019 season to begin and as it does, millions of fans around the world will be watching as broadcasters beam MotoGP™ worldwide. They reach more than 400 million people across Europe, Asia, North America, South America and Oceania, making MotoGP™ a truly global sport. Live and on demand ways to watch have never been better – with Dorna now providing broadcasters with even more ways to enhance their enjoyment of the sport such as 360 live on-board video and multiscreen options to get the best of the action from every angle.
In addition, MotoGP™’s social media reach and following is also continuing to grow organically and consolidate the sport’s position as the biggest social media presence in motorsport. More than 13 million people keep up to date on Facebook, MotoGP™’s Instagram account has 6.7 million followers and Twitter nearly 2.5 million. Well over a billion video views on all digital platforms – in addition to nearly two million subscribers to MotoGP™’s YouTube channel – also show the incredible online presence of the Championship and its content.
Some of the biggest changes for this season are in Europe. In France, MotoGP™ hits a new high as the sport welcomes Canal+ to the family. One of the points of reference in the TV sport industry and the country for high-quality and award-winning sports broadcasting, this new addition will ensure world-leading coverage for MotoGP™ in an important European market – as well as providing coverage across Francophone Africa. Circuit-focused in-depth reporting with a high calibre team, Canal+ aims to get to the heart of every event.
In Spain, the arrival of DAZN – the world’s premier OTT sports streaming provider – revolutionises the way viewers can consume the sport. The live and on demand service broadens horizons for MotoGP™ and supports the strategy to enlarge audiences at only €4.99 a month in one of the sport’s biggest and most successful markets, bringing a new vision to sports broadcasting. That’s in addition to a bolstered free-to-air presence in Spain, with a 60-minute highlights show just hours after the end of the race as well as two Grands Prix shown live on Telecinco/Be Mad and TV3: Argentina and Valencia.
2019 also marks a change in other key European markets as ServusTV expand their top quality coverage from Austria to include Germany, as well as amplifying their presence on site. Across the rest of the continent, in-depth coverage of MotoGP™ continues from Albania to Switzerland, from Finland to Portugal, and from the Czech Republic to the UK – with partners ranging from Eurosport, BT Sport, Viasat and SKY Italy to Cytavision and SPORTV.
Down Under, a renewal with Fox Sports Australia and Network 10 means fans can continue to enjoy their top-quality coverage for three more years from 2019, and SKY and TV3 remain partners in New Zealand. Further north, Fox Sports broadcast across the region of South East Asia and Trans7 continue their coverage in the key market of Indonesia. In Thailand, the home of the newest GP on the calendar, Fox Sports’ incredible in-depth coverage is also complimented by free-to-air PPTV.
In China, Tencent and GuangdongTV bring MotoGP™ to the most populous country in the world, and in Japan, G+, NTV, Hulu.com – direct to viewer, multiscreen coverage – and Nittele broadcast MotoGP™ in the land of the rising sun. Sony continues to bring the Championship to fans in India and the subcontinent.
For 2019 it’s all change in Russia as the Motorsports TV group take the helm from 2019, with their coverage set to span all nine time zones in the world’s biggest country, and Saran remain a partner of MotoGP™ in Turkey after renewing their contract. In Africa, partner SuperSport will show all races and qualifying sessions live all season – and that’s in addition to Canal+ as co-exclusive broadcaster in the French language across the continent.
In North America, a one-year contract extension sees BeIn Sport continue their coverage of the world’s fastest motorcycle racing Championship in the USA and Canada, and there’s exciting news for further south too: a renewal with ESPN means ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN+ will continue to cover MotoGP™ across much of Latin America, from Mexico to Argentina. Brazil can keep up with MotoGP™ on Globosat and Sport TV. In addition, Televicentro come on board in Honduras and Canal 4 will show MotoGP™ in El Salvador, enhancing coverage in Central America.
“We’re delighted to have this incredible depth and quality of broadcasters around the world,” begins Manel Arroyo, Managing Director of Dorna Sports. “We capture every facet of this sport we can and our partners allow us to bring the best of MotoGP to millions of people worldwide. Dorna has managed the television rights of the MotoGP World Championship for 28 years and we continue growing and pushing boundaries – just as the racing does on track. This level of sport and competition deserves the best coverage possible and we constantly push to innovate, from graphics and new cameras to new ways to provide a top level product to our millions of fans – including new formats and ways to consume.”
Wherever you are, get in gear for the season opener in Qatar and enjoy the ride as another incredible year of MotoGP™ begins.
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