The MBC Group has acquired the rights to the FIA Formula One races. The broadcaster will offer F1 racing free-to-air.
The deal gives MBC five-year exclusive rights to broadcast the races, commencing last Friday with live coverage of the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
Last month, premium broadcaster BeIn Sports said it did not renew its Formula 1 contract for the Middle East and North Africa rights due to rampant piracy.
“This marks the return of the world’s biggest motorsport event to a free-to-air network in the MENA region, following years of being available on subscription-only networks,” MBC said in a statement.
The Formula One World Championship is the highest class of single-seater auto racing regulated by the FIA, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile.
MBC will air all stages of the tournament, including training sessions, qualifiers as well as the Grand Prix finale day.
Special technical and logistical arrangements have been put in place to cover the Formula One tournament from March 15 to 17 for regional fans, MBC added.
After the Melbourne championship, the event returns to the Middle East for the Formula 1 Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix 2019 from 29 to 31 March. The final event of the season, the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2019 will take from 29 November to 1 December.
