On Monday morning, American media giant Liberty announced it had acquired 86% ownership in MotoGP in a deal worth €4.2 billion.
The deal – set to be completed by the end of 2024 – will see Liberty hold ownership of motorsports' two biggest championships in Formula 1 and MotoGP, though the latter will continue to be independently run by Dorna.
OPINION: Why MotoGP fans must be patient with Liberty
Since buying F1 in 2016, Liberty has been able to bring the series to a much broader audience and boost its profits, with much of that down to its expansion in America.
The news of Liberty’s takeover of MotoGP has led to fears among fans that the series could undergo detrimental changes under the new ownership.
But during an investors call on Monday 1 April, Liberty Media’s president and CEO Greg Maffei said the company has no plans to fundamentally change MotoGP.
“On monetisation versus growing the support, I think that’s kind of a false dichotomy in some respects; I think they go hand in hand,” Maffei said when asked about Liberty’s plans to grow MotoGP against its own needs to make money.
“What we really saw in F1 was, as we grew the fanbase your monetisation became easier because your partners – whether they be broadcast partners, promoter partners or sponsor partners, and whether they’re looking at branding or activation, and more and more at activation – it’s all part and parcel.
Source: Autosport