Eurosport races to Portuguese F1 deal

Discovery Communications-owned Eurosport has snagged rights to Formula One racing in Portugal.

The two-year deal gives the sport channel operator exclusive rights to the Formula One World Championship for three seasons, starting 2016.

The deal with Formula One Management gives Eurosport all of the races from the championship. Formula 1 will sit alongside MotoGP, Le Mans 24 Hours, the FIA WTCC, the World Superbike Championships in Eurosport’s motorsport coverage.

Peter Hutton, CEO, Eurosport (pictured), said: “Securing these exclusive rights in Portugal further demonstrates our strategy to acquire key properties on a local as well as a pan-regional level, along with our commitment to put the greatest events, and capture the best sporting moments, on Eurosport.”

Discovery and Eurosport have increasingly been moving for exclusive, local and premium sport rights. Eurosport has recently secured Wimbledon tennis rights in Belgium, Europa League football in Scandinavia and Singapore and PGA golf in Norway.

Discovery, meanwhile, has scooped Europe-wide TV and multiplatform rights for the Olympics between 2018-2024 in a US$1.45 billion deal.