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Formula 1 owners have made MotoGP’s US audience a top priority after the European Commission approved the acquisition of 4.3 billion euros for the Motorcycling Championship.
The committee approved the acquisition of Liberty Media, MotoGP’s Madrid-based owner Dorna on Monday.
The agreement creates a sports and entertainment group consisting of two top brands from Motorsport.
Liberty Media, part of the US billionaire John Malone Empire, has almost doubled F1’s annual revenue to $3.4 billion since acquiring it in 2017.
Particularly popular in the US, Docuseries brought the sport’s colorful personality and great ego to a larger audience with exclusive interviews and other footage.
“Growing in America is our main goal (from MotoGP)” “We will do everything we can to increase our popularity in the state.”
Ezpereta said Liberty’s immediate priorities are to strengthen the race profile in Austin, Texas, and is the only one currently taking place in the US. Liberty has added Formula 1 races to Miami and Las Vegas as well as Qatar and Saudi Arabia since becoming the sport’s owner.
Liberty Media Chief Derek Chang©Matt Nager/ft could make MotoGP more accessible to fans as they host races closer to the city.
Liberty Media chief Derek Chang said Motogp, riders including Spain’s Jorge Martin, called Martinator, could make it more accessible to fans by hosting races closer to the city.
“There’s a big difference in having a racetrack that’s three hours away from a big city and more than 15 minutes,” Chang said, adding that MotoGP still has room for growth in Europe where most races are held.
Still, MotoGP cannot replicate the success of Formula 1 on the so-called street circuits of cities due to increased safety concerns.
Dorna’s management team, including Ezpeleta’s son Carlos, holds a 16% stake in the company.
Carlos Ezpereta said there is more to Liberty’s weapon than a drive to survive. F1TV has been launched. F1TV has launched a streaming service that allows subscribers to watch F1 documentaries and analytical shows. Chan believes that MotoGP’s own service, Videopass, will benefit from Liberty’s fundamental technology.
Carlos Ezpeleta said it is important to tailor content to a specific market with an emphasis on MotoGP’s fast action and storytelling to deliver sports characters.
He hopes the annual Curtain Razor of the season will be held in Bangkok at the end, and in the new city in the future.
“It’s one of the biggest goals in these new markets. (We guarantee) we have a presence all year round, and it’s going to happen in the city,” he said.
Additional reporting by Barbara Mones of Brussels.
