Pan-European motorsports channel Motors TV has today (Friday) been acquired by automotive and motorsport digital technology business Motorsport Network in a move that is set to see it switch to become an over-the-top operation.
Motorsport Network, which is headquartered in Miami, said Motors TV, which reaches more than 30 million homes with 130 rights agreements and 700 live events annually, will become the backbone of Motorsport.tv, a performance motoring and motorsport OTT video broadcast network.
Zak Brown, Motorsport.com’s chairman, said: “Today’s news to expand our commitment to automotive from the global digital presence we are building with Motor1.com and our digital motorsport estate including Motorsport.com and Autosport.com into the broadcast arena is a bold step to build a genuinely integrated platform across small and large screen alike.
“The investment will enable us to create the very first dedicated broadcast ‘home’ in our expert areas of performance motoring and motorsport.”
Motors TV was founded in 2000 and today operates five international feeds in six languages originating in France, the UK, North and Latin America and an international feed. Next year will mark its transition from traditional linear broadcasting to a video on demand service with the launch of Motorsport.tv’s new digital platform.
Jean-Luc Roy, Motors TV’s founder, added: “The revised and expanded service will graduate to full HD status in March 2017 and aside from enriching the scope of programming and enhancing the broadcast format, fans will be able to access the home of performance motoring and motorsport via a wide array of platforms from desktop, mobile, tablet, streaming devices, gaming consoles, connected televisions to set-top devices such as Apple TV, Amazon Fire & Roku.
“Motorsport.tv will bring road car and racing fans as well as advertisers together in a home for motoring and motorsport in a fashion that has never previously existed.”
Today’s announcement comes after it was revealed in July that Motors TV was refinancing its operations having been placed into a financial safeguard procedure in its home country of France.
Motors TV was entered into a so-called ‘procedure de sauvegarde’ after requesting such measures from the Tribunal De Commerce De Nanterre. Under French law, a business facing financial difficulties can request the procedure in an effort to negotiate with creditors and reorganise its operations.