British Touring Car Championship bosses pen new ITV Sport deal
British Touring Car Championship bosses have signed a new five-year ITV Sport broadcast deal, guaranteeing the category free-to-air coverage until at least the end of the 2021 campaign
The broadcaster, which began showing the BTCC in 2002, was already committed to covering the championship up until the end of '16, but has finalised a fresh extension.
The entire British Touring Car Championship race day will continue to be shown on ITV4.
Series director Alan Gow said: "This is fantastic news and yet more evidence that the BTCC is right at the top of its game.
"Not only is this the lengthiest broadcasting contract in the BTCC's history but it's also the longest sports contract signed by ITV4 - a real testament to the standing of the BTCC, not only in the motorsport world but also within mainstream sports broadcasting.
"It's been a busy few months but to have now secured our title sponsorship with Dunlop, tyre and technical supply contracts plus this unparalleled new ITV deal makes it all so worthwhile.
"And the fact that we enjoy more live free-to-air television than even F1 in the UK is testament to not only the BTCC but also the dedication and passion expressed by the ITV Sport team."
The ITV network screened more than 230 hours of BTCC coverage in 2015.
BTCC highlights will continue to be aired on ITV4 as well, and a live stream from BTCC qualifying will be shown on Saturday afternoons.
Highlights programmes will be available to watch via the newly-launched ITV Hub.
"ITV's coverage of the BTCC for nearly 15 years has borne witness to the growth of this wonderful series," ITV director of sport Niall Sloane said.
"I'm delighted that this new deal allows us to continue our long-term partnership and bring the superb on-track entertainment provided by the BTCC free-to-air to viewers."
Be part of the Autosport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments