Source: REUTERS/Rodrigo Antunes
[Saba Sports News] The British Financial Times
has reported that Liberty Media, the owner of Formula 1 (F1), has plans to
acquire MotoGP, the premier motorcycle racing series, from Dorna Sports for
£3.4 billion. The transaction is expected to be finalized within the next few
years, with detailed cooperation agreements and future plans yet to be
determined. This acquisition is seen as an opportunity for Liberty Media Group
to expand its influence and status in the global sports event market,
representing a significant strategic move in the field of event entertainment.
However, there are concerns among some media outlets that Liberty Media Group
may face scrutiny from competition regulators. Since acquiring F1 in 2017,
Liberty Media Group has been actively enhancing F1’s presence in the United
States. This includes initiatives such as creating a special event theme song,
collaborating with Netflix to produce event documentaries, and significantly
increasing the number of races held in the United States. These efforts have
yielded positive results, leading to a substantial rise in the overall
commercial value of F1 events. In the previous year, F1 generated £2.5 billion
in revenue, marking a 25% increase. Some fans have speculated that if Liberty
Media Group successfully acquires MotoGP, they may follow a similar operating
model to that of F1. This could potentially involve the production of a MotoGP
event documentary to be released on Netflix.