– MotoGP will remain with Sky in the long term. As the rights holder and RTL Germany, which has also included Sky since this summer, announced on Thursday, the cooperation was extended prematurely until 2030 inclusive.
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From the 2027 season, the media company will even significantly expand its commitment: For the first time, the rights for Germany will be fully bundled exclusively in both pay-TV and free-TV. For motorsport fans, this means that the broadcast will partially move to free-TV on RTL.
All MotoGP Grands Prix as well as all sprints, qualifying sessions, and practice sessions will continue to be broadcast live on Sky Sport. At the same time, RTL – similar to what is already practiced in Formula 1 – will for the first time have the opportunity to show selected races exclusively on free-to-air television.
Free-TV sublicense from DF1 expires
Until now, the premier class was indeed based at Sky in Germany. However, DF1, the successor channel to ServusTV, held a sublicense and is showing twelve selected MotoGP race weekends live on free-TV this season. This agreement was originally designed for the years 2024 to 2026.
In addition to MotoGP, the new contract still includes the junior classes Moto2 and Moto3. All sessions of both series remain part of Sky Sport’s live coverage. The Bagger World Cup, the Moto4 Northern Cup, and the Red Bull Rookies Cup are also part of the rights package.
The cooperation was extended not only in Germany. RTL Germany also secured the long-term pay-TV rights for MotoGP in Austria and Switzerland.
Number of free-TV races still open
Hans Gabbe from RTL Germany sees the contract extension as the next step in a successful partnership. “In the past three years, our customers have been able to enjoy the fascination of MotoGP and the live coverage from Sky Sport of this spectacular sport,” he says.
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Gabbe further emphasizes: “We look forward to continuing and expanding our partnership by offering MotoGP exclusively in the long term – for the first time also with selected races to an even larger audience on free-TV.”
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On the MotoGP side as well, the extension is seen as an important step for the German market. Alex Arroyo, responsible for media rights at MotoGP, praises the previous cooperation and attributes an important role to RTL Germany in the development of the series in the German-speaking region.
“The extension of our partnership with RTL Germany is another important step to strengthen the presence of MotoGP in Germany,” says Arroyo, praising in this context the “consistently high-quality broadcasts” that have brought fans closer to the action across all platforms.
“Together with Sky, we want to build on this momentum, further increase our reach, and bring the enthusiasm for MotoGP to even more fans in Germany and the entire region,” he adds with a view to the coming years.
The long-term extension fits into RTL Germany’s current strategy following the merger with Sky. Since the completion of the acquisition, the company has increasingly bundled its sports rights under one roof and positioned itself as one of the largest providers of live sports in the German-speaking region.
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Motorsport plays a central role: In addition to MotoGP, the portfolio includes Formula 1, IndyCar, and the World Rally Championship, among others.
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