Foxtel, the Australian pay-television broadcaster, has renewed its rights to motorcycling’s FIM Speedway Grand Prix World Championship through a sublicensing deal with event promoter Discovery Sports Events (DSE).
Under the deal, Foxtel will broadcast live coverage of the championship on its Fox Sports channels.
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DSE was appointed global promoter of all FIM speedway events in a 10-year deal back in 2020, replacing the IMG-owned BSI Speedway agency.
Last year, DSE announced it would unify all speedway categories under a single Speedway Grand Prix banner to increase the strength of the sport.
The upcoming championship was originally slated to have 12 rounds, however, due to the suspension of the grand prix in Russia and uncertainty around hosting events in Australia, there are now only 10 rounds currently scheduled.
Organizers have previously said they are hopeful of staging an event in Australia before the end of the season.
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By GlobalDataThe 2022 season begins on Saturday (April 30) in Croatia, before heading to Poland for four rounds, the Czech Republic, Germany, the UK, Denmark, and Sweden.
These latest rights will join Foxtel’s motorsports portfolio which includes exclusive rights in the country for the prestigious Formula 1 series. It shows live coverage of every race on its linear television channels and Kayo Sports streaming platform.
Foxtel’s rival, Nine Entertainment, meanwhile, has acquired rights to several smaller motorsport properties, including the inaugural SpeedSeries tour, the IndyCar Series, the FIA World Rally Championship, and the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Meanwhile, Czech Republic broadcaster CT Sport and Croatian channel SPTV will provide live coverage of the Speedway GP’s being held in their respective countries after acquiring domestic free-to-air rights in the Czech Republic and Croatia.
CT Sport will air live coverage of the FIM Speed GP of the Czech Republic being staged at Prague’s Marketa Stadium on May 28 on its linear television channel and streaming platform CT Sport Plus.
François Ribeiro, Head of Discovery Sports Events, said: “We have a real desire to bring the FIM Speedway events to a wider global audience and we cannot wait to bring our fans in the Czech Republic all the action from Prague and highlights of the whole Speedway GP season in partnership with CT Sport.”
SPTV, meanwhile, will broadcast the FIM Speedway GP of Croatia on its FTA channel, with a one-hour highlights show on national public broadcaster HRT after the race.
Live coverage of both races will also be available in the countries through the Eurosport App.
Ribeiro added: “Viewers are in for an epic evening of racing on SPTV and we look forward to more Croatian sports fans seeing just how exciting the racing is when the 2022 Speedway GP season launches at Speedway Stadion Milenium on April 30.”
