International pay-TV broadcaster BeIN Sports and motor racing’s top-tier Formula 1 (F1) have today unveiled a major, decade-long, rights tie-up in the Middle East (including Turkey) and North Africa.
Sportcal (GlobalData) understands the total value of the 25-country deal, which will run from the start of the upcoming 2024 campaign until the conclusion of the 2033 season, is over $500 million across the 10 seasons.
The acquisition of these rights represents a major rights coup for Qatar-based BeIN, which already holds exclusive F1 rights in Asia-Pacific, in a 10-country deal running through 2025. Indeed, the agreement means it now covers F1 action across the most countries out of any broadcast arrangements the series has.
BeIN has previously held F1 rights across MENA, for the 2014-18 cycle. However, as a result of several factors, including large-scale digital piracy of its sporting content towards the end of that period from Saudi-based pirate networks, it did not renew these for the 2019-23 cycle. Instead, rights across MENA went to Saudi Arabian broadcaster MBC.
Sportcal estimated the value of the MBC-F1 tie-up as worth $50 million per year.
Through the tie-up, BeIN Sports’ linear channels and TOD over-the-top (OTT) platform will cover every practice, qualifying, and sprint session live, as well as all the action from the Grands Prix themselves. There will be commentary in Arabic, Turkish, and English, while BeIN will also show racing from the F2 and F3 support series.
The deal has been unveiled with one of the four Middle Eastern F1 races - the Bahrain Grand Prix - set to start proceedings for the 2024 campaign, on March 2. Following that, there will also be races in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi (the season finale).
F1 views MENA as one of its main growth markets, with its on-the-ground presence having grown steadily since Bahrain held its first race in 2004.
Yousef Al-Obaidly, BeIN Media Group’s chief executive, has said: “BeIN continues to be the undisputed home of sport across MENA and Turkey, with Formula 1 the centre-piece of our incredible portfolio. We look forward to creating thrilling Formula 1 experiences for millions of fans and growing a new generation of followers through exciting regional content and innovative broadcasting.”
In terms of its other MENA top-tier sports rights, BeIN holds rights in those markets to top-tier European soccer, NBA basketball, and the Paris 2024 Olympics, amongst other properties including US Open tennis.
Stefano Domenicali, president and chief executive of Formula 1, added: “Since Formula 1 first raced in Bahrain in 2004, we have seen the growth of a passionate fanbase in the Middle East who love to go racing. With BeIN, we have found a partner who elevates the broadcast experience and creates best-in-class programming that delivers against our mission to showcase the drama and spectacle of Formula 1 for our fans at home.”
F1 has recently struck a multi-year rights deal in Romania, with the free-to-air network Antena.
Antena 1 will freely broadcast every race of each F1 season live through the end of 2026 both on its linear TV channel, and its OTT platform AntenaPLAY.
The 10-team 2024 F1 season will feature a record 24 races and will run from March 2 through to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on December 8.
Other tie-ups unveiled in the last few months include deals in Germany, Austria, Spain, and Belgium.
In addition to the live coverage, the F1-BeIN deal across MENA also includes an exclusive content partnership in those markets, through which the two parties will work together to create “content specifically focused on the large and passionate audience in the MENA region.”
