Mediaset has acquired free-to-air rights in Spain for two MotoGP motorcycling championship races in 2019 in a sublicensing deal with OTT operator DAZN, according to reports. DAZN reached a similar agreement with Catalan-broadcaster TV3 earlier this month.
The Mediaset deal comprises coverage of the opening and closing races of the championship in Argentina and Valencia, respectively. It also includes qualification sessions for the two races and highlights programmes for each of the championship’s 19 races.
The main race coverage will be broadcast on Mediaset’s Telecinco channel, while the qualifying and highlights will be shown on its Be Mad channel.
The sublicensing agreement broadly replicates the free-to-air deal DAZN signed earlier in February with Catalan public-service broadcaster TV3. TV3’s deal differs in that it also includes coverage of the Moto2, Moto3 races at the Argentina and Valencia events.
The Argentina and Valencia Grands Prix will be held on March 31 and November 17, respectively.
DAZN will launch its Spanish OTT service in March, with MotoGP one of its prime rights assets having agreed a four-year rights deal, covering the 2019 to 2022 seasons.
Along with MotoGP, DAZN has also secured other premium sports rights in Spain including football’s English Premier League and basketball’s EuroLeague.