Advanced Television

Canal+ wins F1 rights race

May 5, 2017

By Colin Mann

Canal Plus has retained the exclusive live rights to cover Formula One in France, together with feeder series Formula 2 and GP3, for the 2018, 2019 and 2020 seasons, following a consultation process with Formula One Management (FOM).

The operator has been a broadcast partner of Formula 1 since 2013, and says it is proud to offer its subscribers motorsport’s leading world championship until 2020. Between March and November Canal+ subscribers will be able to view live all Grand Prix practice and qualifying sessions.

“The Canal Plus Group is delighted to have secured the rights to Formula One until 2020 and to be able to continue offering its subscribers this great championship exclusively live,” declared Maxime Saada, Managing Director of Canal + Group.

“This outcome is reward for the efforts of Canal Plus’s sports editorial team led by Thierry Cheleman. He was able to make an editorial difference to this major event, which earned him the award for best broadcaster in 2014,” he noted. “The bid success will also work to the benefit of [parent company] Vivendi, which will be able to build on the partnership with FOM in areas such as digital, with Dailymotion, gaming and music.”

Notably, 2018 will see the return of the French Grand Prix to the Le Castellet circuit, near Marseilles. after an absence of several years, when Canal+ will put on a special broadcast effort to mark the occasion.

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