Eurosport loses MotoGP coverage

"Dorna would like to thank Eurosport for a partnership which has been of mutual benefit for several years, having helped take MotoGP to new levels of popularity and coverage whilst also offering the pan-European broadcaster impressive viewing figures," said Dorna in a statement.

"The decision is part of Dorna's new strategy of working with national network broadcasters around Europe, always focusing first and foremost on free-to-air coverage to bring MotoGP to wider audiences."

The announcement means that the BBC will get exclusive coverage of MotoGP next year in the UK.

Dorna said that in Spain and Italy, where it has long-term agreements with TVE and Mediaset, negotiations are ongoing about extending coverage to more hours during the weekend.

The company also said that a deal had been signed with a privately owned free-to-air channel in Germany, giving the network exclusive coverage until 2011.

"Meanwhile, negotiations are ongoing in France and other major European territories with various mainstream networks; further details will be announced shortly," the statement added.