SEVEN and FOXTEL set to announce new broadcast deal for SUPERCARS this week

After months of negotiations, a new five-year deal broadcast for Supercars is now close to being announced.

TV Blackbox confirmed Seven was the frontrunner in July and now AFR is reporting the new deal is set to be announced as early as tomorrow.

The new deal is expected to see Seven broadcast six marquee races per season.

Under the new arrangement, Foxtel will remain as the primary broadcaster with full access to all races and practice sessions.

The new deal is expected to be for five years and for a smaller financial figure than the current six-year $241 million deal between Foxtel and 10.

The new deal will likely involve a ‘revenue share arrangement’ where Foxtel, Seven and Supercars will be expected to attract sponsors and split revenue for the broadcast. Coverage for events will continue to be produced by Supercars TV unit.

Foxtel recently extended its NRL broadcast deal until 2027, and the decision to extend with Supercars provides further long-term certainty for its sports streaming venture Kayo.

Due to Seven’s existing sports commitments to broadcasting sports including AFL, Horse Racing and local state-based footy leagues, its expected much of Seven’s Supercar coverage will be broadcast on HD multi-channel 7mate and streaming platform 7plus.

The male-oriented 7mate is considered a good fit for the sport with the channel already the home of several motoring programs. Since becoming CEO of Seven in August last year, James Warburton has already signed a deal to make 7mate the home of ARG Motorsport.

Warburton is a keen fan of motoring and was the CEO of Supercars from 2013 to 2017. As part of that role, he negotiated the current broadcast agreement between Foxtel and 10. Warburton is also still a minor shareholder in Archer Capital, the parent company of Supercars.

The decision by 10 to exit Supercars at the completion of the current broadcast deal comes after it was recently revealed the network had lost $227 million in 2019.

TV Blackbox understands 10’s decision to walk away from Supercars was due to the sport becoming unprofitable for the network. The structure of the deal created an environment where 10 had been competing against Foxtel and Supercars for a limited slice of the advertising market.

The end of the Holden vs Ford rivalry and loss of drawcard driver Scott McLaughlin had added to a believe at 10 that ratings for the sport were likely to decline.

In July, a 10 spokesperson confirmed the networks decision to exit the sport telling TV Blackbox;

“Network 10 has enjoyed a great relationship with the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship over the past six years and it’s been a privilege to bring our audiences world-class racing.

“We look forward to finishing on a high with the 2020 Bathurst 1000 in October. We wish the drivers, crews and all those behind the scenes the very best for the 2021 season.”