Confusion surrounds TV coverage of the Supercars at next year’s Australian Grand Prix.
By MARK FOGARTY
If the F1 AGP goes ahead in mid-March as planned, Supercars will have to juggle conflicting broadcast rights
The complication is Seven taking over from Ten, which is the nominated free-to-air AGP broadcaster.
To remain a round of the Supercars championship, the AGP could be switched from Ten to Seven.
The F1 AGP has to be shown on free TV because of anti-siphoning rules that mandate all major Australian sporting events are screened on an FTA channel.
Pay network Fox Sports will continue with both F1 and Supercars next year, but FTA rights for Supercars switches back to Seven.
The potential broadcast conflict raises questions over Supercars TV coverage at the AGP.
Supercars supremo Sean Seamer is adamant the V8s will only race at Albert Park as a championship round.
“At the AGP, we’ll be racing for points,” Seamer declared. “We’ll work through that with Fox and Seven once the event’s confirmed.
“The first thing we have to do is get the event confirmed and then we’ll work through the coverage.”
The preferred date for the AGP is March 14.
Whether it goes ahead as the opening round of the 2021 F1 world championship will depend on Australia easing border restrictions.
Comments from both Supercars and the AGP’s organisers suggest FTA rights to the F1 event could change.
Ten relinquished the local FTA rights to F1 last year, but retained the AGP under anti-siphoning requirements, sharing coverage with Fox Sports.
The Australian Grand Prix Corporation maintains the decision on FTA coverage is up to F1 and primary rights-holder Fox Sports.
It could switch to Seven to align the F1 and Supercars rights, as well as complying with the anti-siphoning laws to show it on FTA TV.
Questioned closely on the AGP TV arrangements, Seamer retorted: “Look let’s just get the AGP locked in and then we can talk about the coverage. We’re burning a lot of airtime on ifs, buts, maybes.”
When further pressed on the three-into-two networks dilemma, he enigmatically commented: “Or only one”.
He would not elaborate.
Supercars has been on the Melbourne GP program since 1996, missing only 2006 due to a money dispute. Supercars is paid more than $1 million to appear at the AGP.
Until 2018, they were non-championship races, when an F1 alignment between Fox Sports and Ten was finally achieved.
Fox Sports has the primary Australian F1 broadcast rights through 2022.
Once the AGP’s date is confirmed, it will be included in the Supercars championship and FTA coverage will be matched.
So don’t be surprised if the AGP joins Seven’s return as the home of car racing next year.
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