MotoGP Joins Liberty Media’s Motorsport Empire
Liberty Media Acquires Majority Stake in MotoGP Rights Holder Dorna Sports
Negotiations between Liberty Media and Dorna Sports have concluded positively, with Liberty Media officially becoming the new owner of the MotoGP World Championship.
The American media conglomerate has acquired 86% of Dorna Sports, the company that holds the commercial rights to MotoGP, in a deal valued at $4.3 billion. The remaining 14% will be retained by Dorna CEO Carmelo Ezpeleta and Chief Operating Officer Enrique Aldama, both of whom will continue in their leadership roles.
With this acquisition, Liberty Media now owns two of the world’s most-watched motorsport championships—Formula 1 and MotoGP. The company had previously purchased Formula 1 in 2017 for $8 billion.
Liberty Media has announced plans to replicate its global success with Formula 1 by launching new initiatives aimed at expanding MotoGP’s popularity worldwide.
The first meeting of the newly formed Board of Directors is scheduled to take place in the coming days at Dorna’s headquarters in Madrid. The board’s initial focus will be on MotoGP’s commercial operations. Strategic enhancements are expected in areas such as broadcasting rights, ticketing, advertising, sponsorships, and brand promotion.
