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February 13, 2015
Network Ten Extends Long-Term Formula 1® Agreement.
Formula 1® Australian Grand Prix Live On TEN For Next Five Years.
Network Ten Strikes New Partnership With FOX SPORTS.
More Formula 1® Coverage Than Ever Before on Australian TV.
Key Formula 1® Races Live On TEN And Tenplay, Including Australian
Grand Prix, For Next Five Years.
• For The First Time On Australian TV: All Practice Sessions Broadcast In
Full On FOX SPORTS.
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Network Ten today announced it had extended its long-term partnership of more than a
decade with Formula One Management to broadcast the FIA Formula One World
Championship™ until the end of the 2019 season.
The new deal incorporates the final year of Network Ten’s existing agreement in 2015,
making the new broadcast deal five years, which is great news for Australian motorsport
viewers and cements Network Ten as the home of big event motorsport.
Network Ten will be the official broadcaster of the Australian round of the FIA Formula One
World Championship™ for the next five years. The practice sessions, qualifying sessions 1, 2
and 3, and the race – all held at Melbourne’s Albert Park – will be broadcast live, with
minimum guaranteed coverage of 25 hours across three days in each year of the deal.
Adding to that, recently retired Formula 1® motor racing champion, Mark Webber, will
commentate the race in 2015 and 2016, taking the Australian Grand Prix to a new level.
Network Ten’s iconic motorsport panel program RPM will also showcase Formula 1®
qualifying and practice highlights in every episode on race weekends. RPM, broadcast on
Sunday afternoons, will present Formula 1® content, including all the significant action from
practice and qualifying, along with all the key interviews.
Network Ten has also struck a partnership with FOX SPORTS, sub-licensing it the rights to
show all Formula 1® practice, qualifying and races live across the duration of the deal.
A significant motorsport partnership is now cemented between Network Ten and FOX
SPORTS through the most extensive motorsport broadcast arrangement in history,
combining the three key Australian motorsport properties: Formula 1®, V8 Supercars and
MotoGP.
Network Ten will broadcast 10 Formula 1® races in 2015 in simulcast with FOX SPORTS. FOX
SPORTS will also show another 10 Formula 1® races, with Network Ten broadcasting a 60minute highlights program of each of those races on ONE at 9.30pm on the Monday night
following the event.
The extended deal guarantees that the key Formula 1® races will be available live on
Network Ten for the next five years. It also means Australians will be able to see more
Formula 1® across multiple platforms, a move that will increase the sport’s presence and
popularity.
Chief Executive Officer of the Formula One group, Bernie Ecclestone, said: “I am very happy
to continue working with Network Ten and also with FOX SPORTS and am confident that
their coverage will work out extremely well.”
Network Ten will also feature pre-race and post-race Formula 1® shows on all its
international race coverages. Hosted by Network Ten’s Matt White and expert
commentator Alan Jones, the pre-race show will provide a detailed review and expert
analysis from qualifying, as well as a comprehensive preview of the race.
A thorough post-race review and analysis will also be provided at the end of races that are
broadcast on Network Ten.
Every Formula 1® race that Network Ten broadcasts, including the pre-race and post-race
shows, will continue to be available via live streaming at www.tenplay.com.au.
Network Ten is the home of big event motorsport television, boasting the Formula 1®
Australian Grand Prix, MotoGP and – from next month – the biggest V8 Supercars events
(including Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 and the Clipsal 500) and RPM.
Network Ten Chief Executive Officer, Hamish McLennan, said: “Formula 1® is one of the
great global sports and we are delighted to be able to extend Network Ten’s long and
successful relationship with Formula One Management.
“We are also delighted to bring FOX SPORTS on board as our partner. The new deal is a
great step forward for Formula 1® in Australia and will ensure bigger and better coverage
for motorsport fans.
“Many Australians love motorsport and we are proud to be able to bring Formula 1® to
them. Formula 1® is a very important part of our strategy of giving Australians premium
sport, live and free. The Australian round of the FIA Formula One Championship™ is one of
the most-watched sporting events on Australian television each year and we’re delighted
that it is on Network Ten,” he said.
Network Ten Head of Sport, David Barham, said: “We are pleased to extend our broadcast
deal with Formula One Management to ensure that Australian motorsport fans can watch
the Formula 1® Australian Grand Prix live on TEN for the next five years.
“Our coverage of Formula 1® is world class. This new deal further demonstrates the
network’s commitment to premium motorsport and our strategy of bringing big, live
television events to Australians.”
FOX SPORTS Chief Executive Officer, Patrick Delany, said: “FOX SPORTS is enormously proud
of the partnership with Network Ten across the three motor sport categories in MotoGP, V8
Supercars and now F1. This new partnership means FOX SPORTS will broadcast Formula 1®
how it is meant to be, with every race, every qualifying and every practice live and in High
Definition, making sure our subscribers won’t miss a second of the action.
“We couldn't be more thrilled that we can now give motorsport fans exactly what they want
to live and breathe their passion, adding to an already incredible year of sport on FOX
SPORTS.”
For more information, please contact:
Laura McLachlan
National Sport Publicist
Network Ten
P: 03 9275 1343. M: 0401 644 061.
E: lmclachlan@networkten.com.au
Michael Earsman
Senior Manager, Communications
FOX SPORTS
P: 02 9776 2464. M: 0438 350 580.
E: michael.earsman@foxsports.com.au
About Formula 1®
Formula 1®, which began in 1950, is the world’s most prestigious motor racing competition and is
the world’s most popular annual sporting series. In 2013 it was watched by over 450 million unique
television viewers from 185 territories. The 2014 FIA Formula One World Championship™ runs from
March to November and spans 19 races in 19 countries across five continents. Formula One World
Championship Limited is part of the Formula One group, founded by CEO Bernie Ecclestone, and
holds the exclusive commercial rights to the FIA Formula One World Championship™. For more
information on Formula 1® visit www.formula1.com.
F1, Formula 1, FIA Formula One World Championship, Australian Grand Prix are registered
trademarks. All rights reserved.