MOTORSPORT: Nine to battle Seven

A broadcast battle between the Nine and Seven networks is set to change the face of motorsport coverage in Australia.

It should also deliver more content and more variety for viewers, but shift the focus even further away from traditional free-to-air channels.

Nine will use its new Stan Sport platform to spearhead the battle, with over-the-top streaming of the second-tier racing from the Australian Racing Group and its rebranded SpeedSeries championships.

The Stan plan also includes everything from IndyCar racing in the USA to the Le Mans 24-Hour classic and the World Rally Championship.

The new deal is a sharp contrast to the long-term deal between Foxtel and Seven for coverage of Supercars racing, as well as Formula 1 and MotoGP racing.

It also highlights the differences between two of the new partners in the ownership of Supercars.

Although the SAFE consortium recently purchased Supercars for a likely $90 million, one of the major shareholders is the Australian Racing Group.

As yet, there is no indication of any conflict between the partners or if the Nine-versus-Seven battle is part of an umbrella strategy to increase the coverage of all motorsport.

The other missing piece of the broadcast package is the price that Nine is paying for what is now called the SpeedSeries.

But the Stan plan is built around a subscription model instead that will deliver streaming coverage – ad-free live and on-demand – of every race of every round in the SpeedSeries championship and the TCR Australia Series, S500 single-seaters, Trans Am, Touring Car Masters and GT World Challenge categories it includes.

There will also be a highlights package on one of Nine’s subsidiary channels, likely to be Nine Gem.

“The SpeedSeries is a fantastic addition to our growing line-up of exclusive Motorsport and highlights our approach to bringing premium content to Stan Sport customers all year round,” said Martin Kugeler, acting CEO of Stan.

“This partnership will see the SpeedSeries become the cornerstone Australian Motorsport content on Stan Sport, in addition to our recently secured international line-up including IndyCar, WEC, WRC and Formula E.”

The Nine deal is a major coup for ARG, whose first SpeedSeries round is at Race Tasmania later this month.

“This is a major partnership for the Australian Racing Group, our categories, events and partners that will take us to a new level,” said Matt Braid, CEO of ARG.

“This partnership with Stan Sport comes at a time when they are growing rapidly and are becoming the destination for Motorsport viewers in Australia.

“The combined audience reach, engagement and promotional opportunities across Stan Sport and the wider Nine business offers an unrivalled level of coverage our motorsport categories and events have never had before.”

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