Viasat Takes Exclusive Rights to FIA World Rally Championship

STOCKHOLM: Viasat Broadcasting has acquired the exclusive broadcasting rights to the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) for Sweden, Norway and Denmark for the 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons.

WRC will be broadcast on Viasat Motor in Sweden and Norway and on TV 2 Sport in Denmark. The 2010 WRC season comprises 13 events, each with multiple stages, starting with the Swedish Rally February 12 to 14 and ending with the Rally of Great Britain November 12 to 14. For each event, coverage will include a 26-minute shakedown preview, 26-minute daily highlights from Friday’s and Saturday’s competition and 52 minutes of event highlights on the Sunday of each event. Viasat Broadcasting current holds rights for further motorsport events such as Formula One, MotoGP and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and the Indy Racing League from the U.S.

Stian Kleppo, the head of Viasat Sport Norway, commented, "The World Rally Championship is epic motorsport with adrenalin-fuelled driving on everything from gravel to snow and ice. It’s a perfect addition to the already strong motorsport rights we have. With WRC, Formula One, MotoGP, NASCAR and Indy Racing, we are not only offering Sweden’s/Norway’s only dedicated motorsport channel but are also offering the best motorsport content there is."

Simon Long, ISC’s CEO, added: "As the World Rally Championship enters an exciting new era it is great news that the championship will reach millions of TV viewers in Sweden, Norway and Denmark with Viasat Broadcasting. WRC has a huge following across Scandinavia, home to some of the world’s greatest drivers and iconic stages. Coming on the back of the exciting announcement that Finnish Kimi Räikkönen will compete in the 2010 Championship, it is fantastic that Scandinavian fans will have access to quality coverage of the whole season at a time when one of their region’s heroes take to the stage to compete at the pinnacle of rallying."