MOTORSPORT: Seven returns to touring cars

The Seven Network, once the home of motorsport in Australia, is back on the touring car track for 2020.

The free-to-air broadcaster has snapped up the rights to the booming carsales TCR Australia Series and its high-octane supporting championships, including S5000 single-seaters and the old-school V8s of the Touring Car Masters series, run by the Australian Racing Group.

It is also heading back to Bathurst, where it was the host broadcaster during the boom days of the Bathurst 500, for two new TCR events.

Financial details of the deal are a closely guarded secret, although the rights’ fee is unlikely to be anywhere near major sports or Supercars racing.

Seven has won the rights away from SBS, which was the first to broadcast TCR competition in Australia through this year’s start-up season.

It intends to provide a minimum of six hours of live coverage on TCR race weekends, simulcast on 7 Plus, its BVOD service.

Unlike the Supercars television coverage, which is split between Foxtel and Ten, there is no pay-TV connection.

“Motorsport has long been a passion of ours at Seven, and we’ve led the way with innovative coverage of iconic Australian motorsport for decades,” says Lewis Martin, Head of Network Sport at the Seven Network.

“We’re thrilled to be broadcasting these great motorsport events from next year.

“This agreement marks the next step in our commitment to motorsport, and we look forward to working with Australian Racing Group to bring these events to Australians live and free from 2020.”

Ironically, the broadcast deal was initiated by a former ARG director James Warburton, also a former CEO of Supercars, whose original contact with Seven was the catalyst for him being hired as CEO of Seven West Media.

The television contract is another major success for ARG, which has provided spectacular growth for TCR racing as well as taking on the management rights for other leading categories including S5000 and TCR.

“The maiden season of TCR Australia has been hugely successful with fantastic feedback from drivers, teams, commercial partners and, most importantly, from fans,” says ARG director, Matt Braid.

“ARG is extremely pleased to announce our new broadcast partnership with the Seven Network and look forward to continuing to develop the TCR Australia Series, and the new S5000 Championship with the support of Australia’s leading Television network.”

The TCR broadcast deal comes as the current contract for Supercars is about to go into its final season, with the rights deal for 2021 and beyond seen as a key factor in the ongoing success of the category but also a potential spark for a change of ownership.

As yet there is no indication of the likely bidders for the Supercars deal, but Seven’s move into TCR could see it emerge as a potential rival to Ten on the free-to-air side of any future deal.