Canal Plus replaces Eurosport as MotoGP rights-holder in France

Beleaguered French pay-television broadcaster Canal Plus has reacted to the shrinking of its sports portfolio by acquiring MotoGP rights in the country.

Canal Plus and MotoGP have announced the deal as running for “multiple seasons”. TV Sports Markets understands the deal will run for five years, from 2019 to 2023. The deal will also cover the Moto2 and Moto3 series.

Sports broadcaster Eurosport currently holds MotoGP rights in France in a four-year deal, from 2015 to 2018. Eurosport initially acquired the rights for three years, from 2015 to 2017, and subsequently extended the deal to cover 2018.

Canal Plus will show all races live on its pay-television channels, with two races per year to be shown on its free-to-air C8 channel, one of which will be the French grand prix.

The broadcaster has been haemorrhaging subscribers in recent years and has lost numerous sports rights, including live rights to domestic Ligue 1 football from 2020-21 – although Maxime Saada, chairman of the Canal Plus board, last week guaranteed Canal Plus would show at least some matches in the new cycle.

Canal Plus does, however, possess a strong motorsports portfolio. It holds rights to: Formula One from 2018 to 2020, IndyCar (which it acquired in 2014, before agreeing a four-year deal from 2015 to 2018), Formula E (via a sublicensing deal with Eurosport) and the French Rally Championship.