Foxtel and the Ten Network have procured a deal with the V8 Supercars which will hand them the broadcast rights for the Australian touring car championship from 2015.
The $241 million deal is set to make Fox Sports, as well as Ten, the home the V8s for six years, starting 2015. Every practice, qualifying session and race, as well as support categories, will be telecast in HD on pay TV and free-to-air.
“This is a tremendous and significant deal for our sport,” said V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton.
“It is a great boost to our amazing race teams and fans and will lead to unprecedented coverage on multiple platforms for our sport, never before seen on such a scale.”
Ten had previously had the commercial rights to the Australian touring car competition between 1997 and 2006, before Channel Seven and its subsidiaries took over. Channel Seven’s current deal is said to be worth $18 million per year.
Fox Sports HD is set to offer viewers the opportunity to be able to watch every minute of V8 action live and in high definition, says Fox Sports CEO Patrick Delany.
“We will focus on innovating coverage to take fans closer to the action, the heroes, the stars and the insights,” Delany said at the announcement on Wednesday.
For Network Ten this would the coming of a full circle, with MotoGP and Formula One already being shown exclusively on Ten.
With the V8s completing the trio, Ten will be the home of motorsport on free-to-air television.
Richard
Guest
Cameron. I acknowledge your comment however I must beg to differ. Out of sight out of mind is the problem. During the early years of this century Rugby used to out rate both League and AFL until the FTA networks capitulated and caved in to Newscorp. There is no doubt that it would require a determined effort by everybody involved ARU,SANZAR, FTA networks to re-establish the code in peoples mind. Watch the scramble to snare the TV rights for the 2015 RWC. The combined number of viewers that watched the recent Lions tour and the annual Bledisloe cup matches are equal to NRL numbers, and they, NINE and NEWSCORP experienced a significant decline in viewer numbers during 2014. PAY TV numbers are in decline and now is the ARU & SANZAR time to swoop. Look at the way in which SEVEN manage their AFL rights and this summers tennis. TEN are also using multiple channels for the BIG BASH cricket series.
Cameron Mee
Roar Guru
About Super Rugby, unfortunately Super Rugby, especially non-Australian matches, do not have the drawing power to warrant being shown live on free to air. Look at the Test matches, they are regularly smashed by AFL in the FTA ratings when matched up against each other
Daniel Bradley
Roar Rookie
Great to see V8 Supercars returning to what is the home of motorsport. Channel 10 did a fantastic coverage of the sport in the 2000s decade and it looks like that the premier home for free-to-air sport is Channel 10, not Channel 9. Of course, like the AFL coverage, Foxtel will get the whole package of every practice, qualifying and race session but 10's coverage will just be as good. Not sure who will replace Matt White as lead commentator. They might try and bring back Leigh Diffey even though he is in America covering Formula 1 for NBC or maybe even put Greg Rust since he's done a great job in covering V8 races in the past plus MotoGP races. Channel 7 did a great coverage of V8 Supercars by providing as much detail in the sport but the shifting with AFL which resulted in races being cut short so then Channel 7 could cover AFL was a big issue along with the commentary being somewhat dull at times. I wonder if Mark Larkham will shift to Channel 10 and continue with his pre-race diagrams and drawings.
Richard Egan
Guest
Yes they can if the dollars are spent intelligently.Remember NEWSCORP/Foxtel have only 28% audience penetration to spread over all their viewing options. Sport whilst being the most watched option does not dominate to any major extent therefore what is the true percentage watching sport on Pay TV. compared to FTA. Australians love sport and will watch in large numbers if promoted professionally. Remember also that every time the FTA networks pass on a sporting event they eventually forfeit the right to keep it on the anti siphoning list. How many sports have already been removed from this protection zone? Once it is gone it is gone forever.
trimmers
Guest
can FTA continue to pump big dollars into sport with the advertising dollar on the decline?
Connar Olsen
Roar Rookie
Great News! Ten is definitely the home of Motorsports & now after taking the Twenty 20 Big Bash Cricket Tournament TV Rights, they must now look to the TV Rights for the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, Wimbledon Tennis, 2016 Rio Olympics & Australian Masters Golf which all comes up after 2015. Shame that Ten missed out on the Melbourne Cup Spring Racing Carnival & the Australian Open & Hopman Cup Tennis TV Rights.
Jorji Costava
Guest
Maybe so, but AFL wants all the money and to cut out the middle man. No need to have Uncle Rupert involved any longer.
Richard Egan
Guest
Foxtel/Newscorp will take everything that they can. The boofheads & bum lickers at FTA networks will collectively wake up one of these days and realise that the cupboard is empty. Nothing left of what were their Jewels. SPORT. Then cry foul . WAKE UP FTA MANAGERS. AFL,NRL, SOCCER,THE OLYMPICS, The RUGBY WORLD CUP , and many other sports can co-exist on FTA & Foxtel/Newscorp together. Possibly from 2015 V8 Supercars as well from 2015. WEE WHERE THE F.....G HELL IS SUPER RUGBY. Why can't SANZAR call for bids from both FTA/ FOXTEL NEWSCORP instead of just FOXTEL NEWSCORP
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
AFL already have their own dedicated channel on Fox Sports, so how much more do they want. Get a Fox Cricket channel in there too or something, there are plenty of games to watch in a year and some get missed even though the standard three Fox Sports channels have to double and triple up programmes at the same time.
Willam
Guest
Plus I hope it includes support categories that will be a shown a week later as highlights or whatever 7 have been doing to those support categories.
Willam
Guest
Albert Park of course as well as it is part of Formula 1 GP. Pukekhoe should be included as well as the Perth round and races live outside of Australia/NZ
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Sandown would have to be in there too, it's part of the Enduro Cup.
William
Guest
What the hell as I thought Pukekhoe will be included as well as Sandown and Phillip island. Stuff you V8s as you suck big time on this deal. What a shame. Resign V8s head James as you suck big time
Jorji Costava - The Guru's Guru
Guest
Heard on the grapevine horse racing wants to get its own fta station. Why not, the dodgy advertising guys have their own selling their robotic vacuum cleaners and oils of saudi arabia women's cosmetics and what not. AFL is going to have it's own tv network via internet in a couple of years. Take a look at their media department and the setting up of AFL films recently.
Jorji Costava - The Guru's Guru
Guest
Thought I heard on SEN that the tv deal means, Bathurst, Gold Coast, Sydney and Adelaide will be available on Ten on FTA. The rest all pay tv only. There might have been a couple of other races that were included, but I heard the big ones being mentioned.
Jawad Yaqub
Roar Guru
Yeah I was thinking about that, surely Ten wouldn't be able to cram every inch of coverage onto both channels, especially on weekends where F1 and MotoGP are on closer to home. My guessing is that whoever has Foxtel will be the big winners, with HD coverage and every session including practice (what 7 doesn't currently do). Hopefully they get Neil Crompton to continue as lead commentator and have Greg Rust, Daryl Beattie and maybe Mark Larkham doing pit lane duty.
Richard Egan
Guest
Another sport developed into a minor sport from a major sport by the seven network. Once again Newscorp/Foxtel will emerge the winner as a result of Seven getting bored. What will be next Horse Racing or AFL.
Bayden Westerweller
Roar Guru
Glad to see V8s finally back at Ten, even if we have to wait another twelve months or so! My hope is that their support role at the Australian GP will now become a fully fledged championship round, it would surely boost crowd numbers. I guess the only concern is whether Ten shows all rounds outside of marquee events - Adelaide, the enduros and the finale, and whether they are live. Surely they can at least screen it on One by then as the digital switchover will have been in effect for some time. Bring on 2015!