Sky Television wins back rights to Formula 1

Friday, 16 December 2022

TVNZ will get the cricket for three years, but Sky TV will have Formula 1, as Spark drops out of sports market.

Sky TV has won back the rights to Formula 1, which will allow it to broadcast and stream races starting with the Bahrain Grand Prix in March.

Sky made the announcement on the same day that Spark announced it would close down its Spark Sport streaming service, which had previously had the rights to the world’s top motor sport.

Spark secured the rights to Formula 1 racing and a raft of other motor sports in 2018, billing it as one the top attractions of its Spark Sport streaming service which it launched the following year.

But Spark announced on Friday that it would shut down Spark Sport during the second half of next year and transfer its extensive cricket rights to TVNZ.

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Spark also expects to transfer most of its remaining rights, which include the right to show UEFA Champions League football in the 2023-24 season, to TVNZ.

But its rights to Formula 1 terminate anyway at the end of this year.

Sky said it had secured rights to Formula 1 for “multiple years” in a deal that would see all races shown on Sky’s platforms from January “along with support content and analysis from Sky UK’s world-class team”.

It promised to show the Melbourne Grand Prix and highlights of each F1 race free-to-air. Sky owns free-to-air channel Prime.

Sky chief executive Sophie Maloney said it knew from its research that many of its customers were very keen for it to get Formula 1 back on Sky.

“We also expect it to attract new customers, particularly to our streaming service Sky Sport Now,” she said.

“Our commitment to attracting new and diverse sports fans and to delivering to all New Zealanders, is also clear in the free-to-air aspects of this deal,” she said.

Formula 1 media rights director Ian Holmes said viewership of Formula 1 races on TV and at the races had “reached new heights” this year.

“2023 will be bigger again,” he said.