Next success story?

Deal about to be finalized! F1 rights holder buys MotoGP

Formula 1 rights holder Liberty Media is on the verge of buying the MotoGP World Championship for the equivalent of around four billion euros!

According to "Motorsport-Total", the mega-deal is to be announced in the next few days. MotoGP is currently marketed by the Madrid-based company Dorna Sports.

Liberty Media is said to have turned down offers from Qatar Sports Investments, the sovereign wealth fund of Qatar, and TKO, the media and entertainment group that owns the rights to the UFC fighting sport championship, among others, in the bidding.

Renewed concerns from the antitrust authorities?
The rights to Formula 1 and MotoGP have already been in the hands of a single marketer in the past. However, the Luxembourg-based company CVC Capital Partners had to sell the MotoGP rights in 2006 due to concerns raised by the European antitrust authorities. Liberty Media took over the Formula 1 rights in 2016. However, another merger is likely to bring the antitrust watchdogs back on board.

Turnover doubled
Since Formula 1 has been in the hands of the US group, turnover has doubled from 1.6 billion euros to almost 3.2 billion euros. According to the business magazine "Forbes", the racing series is estimated to be worth around 17 billion euros and is described as the most valuable "sports empire" in the world. A similar success story is now planned for MotoGP.