Viacom18 on Friday said it has secured exclusive MotoGP rights for India. It said MotoGP will be exclusively live-streamed on JioCinema and Sports18. The coverage will kickstart with the Grand Premio de Portugal. This comes at a time when MotoGP will be making its debut in India this year in September.
The MotoGP World Championship is the highest level of motorcycle racing in the world, in which the most skilled riders compete on world-class, high performance, fastest prototype motorcycles on the planet, made by leading manufacturers. The 2023 season will witness 21 races across 18 countries, including the milestone 14th round in India as MotoGP will make its debut in the country.
“The network will offer an exhaustive live presentation that will include practice sessions on Friday and Saturday, qualifying and the Sprint on Saturday and the main race on Sunday,” it said in a statement.
“MotoGP is one of the most dramatic racing events in the world and Indian sports fans are in for a treat as the series makes its historic debut in India this September. We look forward to giving sports fans in India the world’s best motorcycle racing show possible and widen our fanbase through our diversified offerings,” said Viacom18 Sports Head of Strategy and Partnerships Hursh Shrivastava.
Key market
The broadcaster said that MotoGP fans in India will be able to catch all the action as the 11 teams, and 22 riders will arrive for the Grand Prix of India from September 22-24. Including the Moto2 and Moto3 races, the India round will feature 80 riders and 40 teams during the race weekend.
Dorna CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta added, “We have a lot of fans in India and we’re excited to be able to bring the sport to them. India is also a key market for the motorcycle industry and therefore, by extension, for MotoGP as the pinnacle of the two-wheeled world. We are very excited that Viacom’s reach across India will bring MotoGP to all corners of the country and allow more fans to watch this incredible sport.”
Ideal partner
“We are confident that Viacom18 is the ideal partner to showcase the exhilarating sport of MotoGP in India. Their extensive reach on both television and OTT platforms, combined with their commitment to launching and promoting sports, perfectly aligns with our vision for the historic debut of MotoGP in the country. The increased accessibility would help galvanise our youth and create a new generation of talented riders to represent our nation on the global stage,” added Pushkar Nath Srivastava, COO of FairStreet Sports, the promoters of the India race and the Broadcasting Rights licensee.
The broadcaster said that the addition of the MotoGP strengthens its sports portfolio, which includes the Tata IPL, Tata WPL, Diamond League, NBA, LaLiga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and select BWF events.