Fox Sports Media Group announced it has signed a new multi-year agreement with Dorna Sports for the U.S. broadcasting rights to the MotoGP World Championship. The agreement will see the 2013 season continue to air on Speed before the channel gets rebranded as Fox Sports 1 on Aug. 1. The series will then air on the new channel.

The future of televised motorcycle racing in the U.S. was left in some doubt when Fox announced it would replace Speed with Fox Sports 1. The new channel focuses on more non-racing sports, securing rights to air UEFA Champions League soccer, Major League Baseball and UFC. The announcement followed news of the World Superbike Championship moving from Speed to the BeIN Sport Network, leaving some to wonder if Speed would also lose MotoGP.

Speed will air the first nine rounds of the 2013 MotoGP championship, including the April 21 Grand Prix of the Americas and the July 21 U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca. The subsequent rounds, starting with the Aug. 18 Indianapolis Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, will air on Fox Sports 1. Continue Reading »

It almost came down to the wire, but the World Superbike Championship finally has a U.S. broadcasting partner. With the first round of the 2013 season set to start this weekend from Australia’s Phillip Island circuit, WSBK has reached a deal with the beIN Sport Network. Speed had aired the series for several years but their broadcasting schedule was not renewed for 2013.

The season opening round will be broadcast live at 8:00 pm EST on Saturday, Feb. 23 (which would be Feb. 24 in Australia where the race is taking place) on beIN Sport. The race will also be streamed live on beIN Sport’s website, though it’s likely only accessible to those who subscribe to the television channel. Continue Reading »