Supercars not concerned by Network Ten issues
Supercars is confident that Network Ten being placed into voluntary administration won’t affect its free-to-air broadcast deal.
Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Ford
Edge Photographics
Network 10, which broadcasts six Supercars rounds live, has fallen into voluntary administration following the decision from major shareholders to not guarantee a $250m loan to replace an existing $200m debt facility.
Ten today announced in a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange confirming that KordaMentha had been appointed as voluntary administrators.
“The administrators have advised the company that they will work closely with management, employees, suppliers and content partners while they undertake a financial and operational assessment of the business,” read the statement.
“During this period, the administrators intend to continue operations as much as possible on a business-as-usual basis.
“The directors of Ten regret very much that these circumstances have come to pass. They wish to take this opportunity to thank all Ten employees and contractors for their commitment and enthusiasm for Ten’s programmes and business.”
Ten plays a key role in the broadcast of motorsport in Australia, with free-to-air deals for Supercars, Formula 1, and MotoGP through an agreement with rights holders Fox Sports, a pay TV service.
For Supercars the agreement includes live coverage of major races (Adelaide, Townsville, Sandown, Bathurst, Gold Coast, and Newcastle).
All MotoGP races are broadcast live on sister channel One, while the F1 deal includes 10 live races.
Ten also runs a weekly motorsport news show called RPM.
While the problems raise questions over the future of the network, Supercars is unfazed by the situation in terms of its own deal.
The series is understood to hold its agreement with Fox Sports, an agreement that includes free-to-air coverage but isn’t between Supercars and Ten.
While not confirming the particulars of the deal, a Supercars spokesperson told Motorsport.com: “It’s business as usual for us. We don’t expect any changes to the free-to-air broadcast schedule.”
Fox Sports declined to comment on the situation.
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