Eurosport Secures Long-term Superbike Rights

Eurosport has extended its broadcasting deal with the British Superbike Championship through until the end of the 2020 season. The agreement was confirmed ahead of the final weekend of the 2013 season at Brands Hatch, which saw Alex Lowes become the youngest ever British Superbike champion after his second-place finish in the last race on Sunday.

The 23 year-old clinched the title ahead of three-times winner Shane Byrne.

According to a statement from BSB series promoter MotorSport Vision, the new deal will see the broadcaster awarded ‘exclusive TV and digital worldwide’ rights – which Eurosport had already secured until the end of the 2015 season.

British Eurosport devotes much of its Sunday afternoon schedule to the championship, with the series forming part of ‘Superbike Sunday’, combining coverage of the World Superbike Championship. 

From 2014, British Superbike Championship (BSB) coverage will be extended to include Saturday’s qualifying sessions and British Supersport sprint race.

British Eurosport managing director David Kerr said: ‘MCE British Superbikes continues to be one of the strongest set of rights on the channel, so extending the term of the deal and adding even more depth to our coverage is fantastic news.’

‘Working with a dynamic rights holder like MSV allows us to go beyond the traditional broadcaster relationship and spend time discussing what we can do together in the best interests of BSB.’

Stuart Higgs, series director of British Superbikes, added: ‘Eurosport is well known as the home of bikes particularly in the UK and MCE BSB has been the cornerstone of that programming for some time. They understand bike racing and the series, have a strong, growing and loyal viewing audience and they understand how we want the series to grow.’

‘In addition, being part of the Eurosport family means we now have a far wider global distribution, including the USA through Discovery Velocity. Overseas markets are a key consideration for us and it is an area we want to grow over the term of this deal.’