NEW FIVE-YEAR SUPERCARS TV DEAL

New Five-Year Supercars TV Deal – Photo: InSyde Media

Supercars has secured a new five-year broadcasting deal that will include a lot more free-to-air TV coverage.

By MARK FOGARTY

AUTO ACTION has learned that the new rights agreement will run from next year through 2025.

As expected, Seven Network replaces Channel 10 as the FTA broadcast partner, with fans gaining a big increase in free telecasts from all events.

AA understands that more races will be shown live more often than have been on 10.

Pay network Fox Sports will remain the main broadcaster, as it has been since 2015, showing all Supercars track action at every round live.

An announcement of the 2021-25 Fox Sports/Seven deal, which has been agreed, is imminent.

According to informed sources, the Fox Sports-led renewal is for a lower fee than the existing six-year agreement, which was worth $241 million from 2015 to the end of this season.

But the reduction will be offset by increased free-to-air coverage on Seven and its regional affiliate Prime, resulting in more ‘eyeballs’ watching Supercars.

That will be because Seven draws a much bigger national audience than 10 and also because there’ll be much more airtime.

One of the constant criticisms of the current arrangement has been that for fans not prepared or able to pay for Fox Sports’ comprehensive coverage, the sport’s presence on Channel 10 – and regional partner WIN – was extremely limited.

Channel 10 has telecast around six marquee events each year in simulcasts with Fox Sports, with the rest shown as late-night one-hour highlights on secondary channel 10 Bold.

Supercars teams also complained that the significantly reduced FTA audience adversely affected sponsor interest.

In the new deal from next year, Supercars will feature across the screens of Seven, being shown on the main 7 channel or 7mate, as well as the 7Plus streaming service.

Big events like the Bathurst 1000, Adelaide 500 and, when they return, Gold Coast 600 and Newcastle 500 will be on the main Channel 7.

The outlier, at least initially, will be the Australian Grand Prix round, which will continue on 10 because it has the FTA broadcast rights to the F1 event in Melbourne.

According to an insider, the 2021-25 broadcast rights deal is a win despite being worth less than the existing $40 million a year agreement.

“It’s a good deal,” the informant said. “It’s less money, but a lot more free-to-air coverage.”

The big attraction of Supercars returning to Seven – which held the broadcast rights from 2009-14 – is not only more coverage overall, but more live regular season telecasts.

There will be more races shown live from more rounds, although not all Sunday racing as originally envisaged

Several regular round Sunday races will be live on a Seven channel, but not all.

However, AA understands that the intention is for Sunday racing live FTA coverage to increase during the life of the deal.

Seven will next year become the undisputed FTA home of motor racing, featuring Supercars alongside AFL and cricket as well as extensive coverage of Australian Racing Group categories including TCR and S5000.

Seven boss James Warburton is a former CEO of Supercars and a non-executive director of ARG.

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