Italian public service broadcaster Rai will continue to air motorcycling’s Motocross World Championship (MXGP) after extending its media rights deal in the country for another three years.
Under the new deal, Rai, which has been showcasing the competition since 2017, retains rights to broadcast MXGP until the end of the 2026 season, starting with the 2024 edition, which is set to begin on March 9 in Argentina.
The agreement was brokered by Infront, the international sports marketing agency, through its Infront Moto Racing division.
Infront Moto Racing holds exclusive television, marketing, and global promotional rights to MXGP in a long-term deal with the FIM, the international motorcycling federation, until 2036.
The Italian MXGP fanbase will have a particular interest in their nations’ drivers Alberto Forato, Mattia Fuadagnini, and Ivo Monticelli, as well as teenage prospects Andrea Bonacorsi and Ferruccio Zanchi, and MX2 champion Andrea Adamo.
The season-ending Italian round on the 20-race 2024 MXGP calendar takes place on September 29.
The new deal comes almost a month after MXGP extended its rights deal in the Netherlands with public service broadcaster NOS covering the 2024 season.
In mid-December, MXGP partnered with the ticketing and spectator management platform Weezevent.
Weezevent is now providing a platform for the new exclusive MXGP ticketing portal, where all tickets can be purchased, to streamline the ticketing process. Online ticket shops made in collaboration with Weezevent for the FIM Motocross of Nations and MXGP VIP have now gone live.
