The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, motor-racing’s world governing body, and the European Broadcasting Union, the consortium of free-to-air broadcasters, have extended their production and distribution agreement for the remainder of the 2012 World Rally Championship season.
As part of the agreement, the EBU’s production subsidiary, Eurovision Production Coordination, will continue to produce the season’s programming in high definition.
“Since forming a relationship with the FIA in March this year, the EBU has successfully secured consistent and efficient worldwide distribution of the FIA World Rally Championship, notably by drawing on its solid links with its members, but also by engaging with other broadcasters,” the federation said.
The federation also said the EBU had added “prestigious” new networks to the championship’s portfolio of broadcast partners, including Rai, TVE and SVT, the public-service broadcasters in Italy, Spain and Sweden, respectively.
The 2012 championship has been without a permanent promoter – a role which covers media rights distribution – since the federation terminated its deal with North One Sport before the start of the campaign after claiming the agency had breached its contract.
An announcement of a new permanent promoter, expected to be confirmed at a World Motor Sport Council meeting on June 15, was postponed until the council’s September meeting.