MotoGP™ trackside TV coverage reaches new heights in 2016
As the 2016 MotoGP World Championship arrives in Jerez for the start of its European leg, MotoGP™ Official Rights Holder Dorna Sports S.L. announces a raft of exciting changes in TV coverage, as 90 broadcasters across the globe will show the pinnacle of two-wheeled racing in a new look format this season.
Redesigned graphics, including new opening titles and soundtrack, combined with amplified trackside and social media coverage, will see existing and new broadcasters offer a MotoGP experience like never before. And with the most significant technical rule changes in recent MotoGP history in place this year, the racing promises to be closer than it has ever been.
New Broadcasters
Dorna has several new TV partners this season that will be joining the MotoGP broadcaster line up and bringing the 2016 racing to new fans across the globe. beIN Sports have signed a three-year deal to broadcast qualifying and races in the US, Canada and the Caribbean in both English and Spanish. Two new free-to-air channels add their name to the list, with Albania’s TVS H and Austria’s Servus TV, with the latter stepping up its involvement in preparation for this year’s home race in Spielberg at the Red Bull Ring with an expert line-up to commentate the qualifying and races.
In France, alongside Eurosport France, which will be broadcasting all qualifying practices and races live, public TV station France 3 will be showing the Le Mans MotoGP race live, with the support classes on SDD. All other races will receive coverage in its regular “Stade2 – France2” and “Tout L’esport France 3” shows. Italy’s SKY Italia continues with its 24/7 MotoGP channel, whilst the country’s free-to-air broadcaster 8TV comes on board this year to show eight races live, including Qatar, Le Mans, Mugello, Sachsenring, Spielberg, Brno, Misano, Motegi and Valencia.
In Spain, the full-time coverage offered by Movistar+ will be enhanced by its new channel #0, which will air all post-practice shows live on the Friday and Saturday, with live race coverage on the Sunday. In addition to this, it will broadcast a special two-hour show on the Thursday morning before the Qatar race-weekend gets underway.
Telecinco will continue as the free to air broadcaster in Spain showing the four Spanish Grands Prix live as well and delayed highlights of all other GP’s.
In Finland, a new agreement with MTV3 will see a comprehensive highlights programme of each race weekend broadcast during the week following each Grand Prix, whilst fans in Finland will also be able to watch live coverage of all sessions on MotoGP.com.
New Presenters
Highly renowned presenter and MotoGP personality Suzi Perry will be back in the paddock this season as she joins forces with the BT Sport presenting team, alongside Craig Doyle. Across the channel, Eurosport Germany boasts a modified presenter line-up for this year with 2003 IDM Champion Stefan Nebel, as well as presenters Ralf Waldmann and Jan Stecker coming in to bring their expert knowledge to the broadcast.
Tailor-made TV and Social Media Content
Audiences around the world will benefit in 2016 as Dorna Sports works ever closer with individual channels to provide more production facilities at each track. Ranging from full MCR facilities on site to tailor-made content and features, Dorna is supporting an ever-growing number of broadcasters with production services onsite to help them deliver more customised coverage with a local flavour.
Dorna is also working hand in hand with broadcasters to deliver specific MotoGP content for the networks’ own digital and social media platforms during each race weekend. Special interviews, behind the scenes footage and action clips are all distributed for rights holders to use to promote the upcoming races each weekend to their social audiences.