MotoGP on Eurosport India: Will brands and Gen Z join the race?

New Delhi: It was a heartbreaking year for India’s motorsports enthusiasts as MotoGP cancelled the Bharat Grand Prix due to the extreme heat waves that enveloped the Buddh International Circuit in Noida.

However, all is not lost for Indian fans. The championship’s commercial rights holder, Dorna, has signed a fresh contract with the government of Uttar Pradesh, confirming that the Bharat Grand Prix will be on the calendar from 2025 to 2027.

Carlos Ezpeleta, Chief Sporting Officer of MotoGP rights holder Dorna Sports, confirmed the news in a press conference on Thursday.

Considering the fact that two-wheeled transportation accounts for nearly 75% of the total number of vehicles used in India daily, the premier motor sporting event is a goldmine for advertisers, as the inaugural Grand Prix at Buddh saw more than 100,000 fans, a number only witnessed by cricketing properties such as the World Cup.

Viacom18 secured the exclusive MotoGP rights for India in 2023, and the event was exclusively live-streamed on JioCinema and Sports18. This time around, Warner Bros. Discovery’s Eurosport India announced a new three-year agreement with MotoGP in India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the Maldives, until 2026 inclusive.

Eurosport India’s coverage of MotoGP, including Moto2 and Moto3, will expand the sport’s reach and fanbase nationwide.

Speaking of what’s in store for the advertisers, Ezpelata said, “MotoGP itself has various advertising opportunities not just for two-wheeler manufacturers but also for brands across the F&B category, as the GP is brimmed with entertainment options such as music festivals and fares, giving advertisers who participate in the event a global reach.”

While cricket tends to monopolise most of the sporting channels in India, Ezpelata believes that apart from being the biggest two-wheeler market in the world, India is a country where a sport like MotoGP is well-suited because it is easy to understand, thrilling, and most importantly, exciting.

Banking on the growing motorcycle culture in India, Eurosport India eagerly awaits fans with its linear TV offerings. 

When asked about replicating the bone-chilling experience of MotoGP on OTT, Arjun Nohwar, Managing Director, South Asia at Warner Bros. Discovery, said, “In terms of the digital rights, we are right now not going to stream MotoGP on digital platforms. The races will be subsequently put up after the event on Discovery+.”

Despite being the world’s third-largest TV market, Eurosport India will still face the challenge of attracting the Gen-Z audience, who prefer consuming content on smartphones over linear TV. Experts suggest that lacking an OTT presence could hinder Eurosport India’s appeal to this demographic.

Commenting on the challenge of creating a loyal fan base that tunes in to Eurosport India consecutively for the next three years, Nohwar said, “Eurosport India plans to build a strong fan base by first spreading the word, just making more people aware that MotoGP is happening, and Eurosport is covering it. We also plan on partnering with various domain leaders who enjoy a significant following in their space to promote MotoGP in the country. 

Additionally, we will use our pre-existing linear TV networks, our social platforms, and partnering with different ecosystems to create educational and awareness content to convert the casual fans into much more ardent and dedicated super fans.”

It should be noted that the broadcaster is open to the idea of bringing in national motorsports events on the Eurosport linear TV channel if it means a higher engagement for MotoGP.

Talks of popularising the sport at a grassroots level also brought in questions about why Eurosport signed Shikhar Dhawan as the brand ambassador for the MotoGP campaign in India.

Providing a comprehensive answer to the question, Nohwar replied by saying, “He is electric as a superstar and is surprisingly a big biker and MotoGP enthusiast. His infectious energy, his charisma, his relatability, and his wide appeal felt like a meeting of the minds.”

Campaign featuring Shikhar Dhawan: 

Diving deeper into the press conference, Ezpeleta confirmed the rumours, stating that the Bharat Grand Prix will take place in March at the Buddh International Circuit. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether the Bharat Grand Prix will be a season opener or not.

“I believe that March is a much better time of the year to hold the GP. It will also be one of the first events of the season, giving extra exposure and interest in the Grand Prix. Last year, several engineers were concerned about the high temperatures on that weekend in 2024, which led to the cancellation of the event itself. 

Scheduling the GP six months from now in March will give time for all the preparation as we have ironed out some of the issues with the Uttar Pradesh government. There is no speculation, and we definitely will be racing at the circuit in March,” said  Ezpeleta.

Concluding the conference with his last remarks, Ezpeleta said, “It's a complicated year because of Ramadan and as you all know, we normally start our season in Qatar. Since it will not be possible next year to start the season in Qatar, the Bharat Grand Prix may be the season opener as well. In 2023, Dorna faced problems with the visas, which was not a fault of the government of Uttar Pradesh or the promoter, but those issues have also been ironed out.”