RiderTua.com – After the billion dollar acquisition of Dorna Sports, Liberty Media explained that they have no intention of changing the ‘face’ of MotoGP, because they believe the current conditions still offer extraordinary emotions. On Monday morning (1/4), the giant American company Liberty Media announced that they had acquired 86% of MotoGP shares in a deal worth 4.2 billion euros (approximately IDR 72.4 trillion).
The deal will be completed by the end of 2024 and will see Liberty retain ownership of two major motorsport championships: Formula 1 and MotoGP, the latter of which will continue to be managed independently of Dorna. Since acquiring F1 in 2016, Liberty has been able to bring the four-wheel racing series to a wider audience and increase profits, thanks in large part to its expansion into the United States.
Liberty has no intention of changing the ‘face’ of MotoGP after being acquired
News of Liberty’s acquisition of MotoGP has fans worried that the series could suffer adverse changes under new ownership. However, on Monday, April 1, Liberty Media president and CEO Greg Maffei said the company had no plans to radically change MotoGP.
Asked about Liberty’s development plans in MotoGP, Maffei said: “I think it’s a false dichotomy in some ways in terms of monetization and increasing support… I think the two go hand in hand.”
“What we see in F1 is that as the fan base grows, so does the revenue, whether the partners are broadcast partners, promoters, sponsors and whether they pay attention to things like branding and activation… are all integral parts. As enthusiasm grows , demand is increasing, and society is growing, everything is flowing into a positive dynamic. And I feel in F1 all these elements come together. And I think there is potential there. here too.”
“This is a fantastic product, we have no intention of changing the sport. It is a fantastic sport, with a huge fan base, offering great competition and excitement.”
Liberty’s goal is to open it up to a wider audience and business partners of all kinds. And according to Greg Maffei those things go hand in hand. Liberty representative and Dorna sporting director Carlos Ezpeleta has repeatedly underlined that MotoGP cannot be held on a street circuit (like F1).
This is in response to fans’ comments on social media that MotoGP could follow the path F1 has taken in recent years, when its calendar expanded with more street circuits.
