WTCC secures rights deals for race markets, launches second screen service

Eurosport Events, promoter of the World Touring Car Championship, has agreed broadcast rights deals in host markets for its forthcoming races in Hungary and Morocco, along with launching a new second screen service to enhance coverage of the motor racing series.

Hungarian public-service broadcaster MTVA’s M4 Sport channel will broadcast the WTCC event at the Hungaroring in Budapest on April 22-24.

Meanwhile, the Race of Morocco on May 6-8 at Circuit Moulay El Hassan in Marrakech will be broadcast by free-to-air state channel 2M.

Eurosport Events also brokered a deal for media group Central European Media Enterprises’ (CME) free-to-air Dajto channel to broadcast the Race of Slovakia in its home market, with the event having taken place at the weekend. The deals bring the total number of broadcasters currently televising the WTCC to 87 across 188 countries worldwide.

In other news, Eurosport Events has launched the new WTCC Premium TV app following testing of the platform during the season-opening races at Circuit Paul Ricard in France earlier this month.

Available to users through mobile apps and online, WTCC Premium TV offers live broadcasts of all on-track action, special features such as a timeshift rewind function and live pause, no geo-blocking and archive footage from the last two WTCC seasons. Users can also choose to view live action from 10 on-board cameras.

WTCC Premium TV is being made available for €14.95 ($17) for a weekend or €99.95 for a season. François Ribeiro, head of Eurosport Events, said: “The service combines the expertise of Eurosport Events and NPTV to deliver an interactive experience that no fan of the WTCC has ever enjoyed before. It’s the perfect complement to the live global broadcasts.”