Viacom18 secures exclusive MotoGP rights for India

The network will bring the biggest year of highest-class motorcycle racing starting from March 24 with Portuguese GP.

Viacom18 announced a new rights deal that will see MotoGP exclusively live-streamed on JioCinema and Sports18.

The coverage will tip off with the Grand Premio de Portugal. The network will offer an exhaustive live presentation that will include practice sessions on Friday and Saturday, qualifying and the Sprint on Saturday and the main race on Sunday.

The MotoGP World Championship is the highest level of motorcycle racing in the world, in which the most skilled riders compete on world-class, high performance, fastest prototype motorcycles on the planet, made by leading manufacturers. The 2023 season, the biggest series to date, will witness 21 races across 18 countries, including the milestone 14th round in India as MotoGP will make its debut in the country.

MotoGP fans in India will be able to catch all the action from the pinnacle of two-wheeled racing through this new partnership as the 11 teams, and 22 riders of MotoGP will arrive at the Indian shores for the Grand Prix of India from September 22-24. Including the Moto2 and Moto3 races, the India round will feature 80 riders and 40 teams during the race weekend.

“MotoGP is one of the most dramatic racing events in the world and Indian sports fans are in for a treat as the series makes its historic debut in India this September,” said Viacom18 sports head of strategy and partnerships Hursh Shrivastava. “We look forward to giving sports fans in India the world’s best motorcycle racing show possible and widen our fanbase through our diversified offerings.”

​​Dorna CEO, Carmelo Ezpeleta added: “We have a lot of fans in India and we’re excited to be able to bring the sport to them. India is also a key market for the motorcycle industry and therefore, by extension, for MotoGP as the pinnacle of the two-wheeled world. We are very excited that Viacom’s reach across India will bring MotoGP to all corners of the country and allow more fans to watch this incredible sport.”

Pushkar Nath Srivastava, COO of FairStreet Sports, the promoters of the India race and the Broadcasting Rights licensee, shared his enthusiasm about the collaboration: “We are confident that Viacom18 is the ideal partner to showcase the exhilarating sport of MotoGP in India. Their extensive reach on both television and OTT platforms, combined with their commitment to launching and promoting sports, perfectly aligns with our vision for the historic debut of MotoGP in the country. The increased accessibility would help galvanise our youth and create a new generation of talented riders to represent our nation on the global stage.”

The addition of the MotoGP strengthens Viacom18 Sports’ diversified portfolio of world-class sporting events, including the TATA IPL, TATA WPL, Diamond League, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 ™, NBA, LaLiga, Serie A, Ligue 1, and select BWF events.