Italian MotoGP coverage to stay with Mediaset until 2011 MotoGP World Championship rights holders Dorna Sports and Italian television network Mediaset have agreed a deal to continue their coverage of the series for a further five years beyond the upcoming season. The extension will run from 2007 to 2011 and was signed at the network’s headquarters in Cologno Monzese today during a meeting between Mediaset vice-president Pier Silvio Berlusconi and Dorna Sports CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta. The agreement allows Mediaset exclusive live terrestrial broadcast rights for every round of the 125cc, 250cc and MotoGP World Championships in Italy and follows impressive viewing statistics for the network during the 2005 edition of the series, when national hero Valentino Rossi claimed the title for the fifth successive season. Mediaset’s live coverage of the MotoGP races was followed by an average of 4,000,000 viewers, representing a 36.8% audience share. As well as enjoying Rossi’s exploits, with the reigning World Champion taking eleven victories from seventeen races, Italian fans were also treated to the emergence of exciting youngster Marco Melandri, who himself took two wins including the season finale at Valencia. The eagerly anticipated 2006 MotoGP World Championship gets underway with the first round of the campaign at Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, on 26th March.