V8 Supercar racing will be seen live in New Zealand after SKY Television was awarded the media rights to the Championship for the next five years, starting with six and a half hours coverage of this weekend’s blockbuster Clipsal 500 in Adelaide.
SKY Television secured the five-year broadcast rights to televise all V8 Supercar Championship events in New Zealand. The agreement spans to the end of 2017.
“We welcome SKY Television to the V8 Supercar family and look forward to a fantastic and enduring partnership,” V8 Supercar CEO David Malone said.
“We are delighted our approach to SKY has led to this new partnership as our ever-growing New Zealand fan base is incredibly important to us. We are certain partnering with SKY ensures the ultimate package for the fans, the sport, our teams and our invaluable partners.”
All V8 Supercar races will be broadcast live on SKY Television on Saturdays and Sunday. Signature events, including this weekend’s Clipsal 500, will also feature Friday coverage.
SKY will broadcast both 250 km races live from Adelaide this Saturday and Sunday; as well as ARMOR ALL Qualifying and the ARMOR ALL Top Ten Shootout on Friday.
“In more recent times the time difference between New Zealand and many of our events has been problematic for our New Zealand viewers on free to air television,” Mr Malone said.
“The agreement with SKY Television delivers full coverage of all races across the season. This was particularly imperative for us when we began the negotiations.
“For these reasons SKY Television is a fantastic broadcast partner for our sport in New Zealand.”
Richard Last, Director of Sport at SKY was enthusiastic about welcoming V8 Supercars to SKY Sport;
“V8’s are a fantastic addition to SKY Sport, I know there will be a lot of very happy SKY customers with this news. The SKY Sport team are passionate about all sport and are looking forward to delivering V8 Supercar races to motorsport fans.”
The V8 Supercar Championship commences with the epic Clipsal 500 where 28 brand new cars and four manufacturers – Holden, Ford, Mercedes and Nissan – go head to head for the first time.
Kiwi motorsport fans will be able to support the four New Zealand drivers Shane van Gisbergen, Scott McLaughlin, Fabian Coulthard and former A1GP driver Jonny Reid on the grid. Kiwi great Greg Murphy will also drive for the Holden Racing Team in the Endurance Cup.
Murphy is also vying for a place on the grid at the ITM400 Auckland in April if he can secure backing to enter a Holden Racing Team supported wild card entry.
This weekend there will be multiple replays of ARMOR ALL qualifying one and two, the ARMOR ALL Top Ten Shootout and both Races across all SKY Sport channels. New Zealand viewers should check the SKY Television EPG for full details.
As part of this arrangement Sky Television has agreed to provide full coverage of the ITM400 Auckland at Pukekohe on short delay on free to air television. Full details will be announced shortly.
Details for this weekend’s broadcast are:
Friday March 1:
ARMOR ALL Qualifying 1: 5.30pm SKY Sport 2 LIVE
ARMOR ALL Top Ten Shootout: 6.30pm SKY Sport 2 LIVE
Saturday March 2:
Race 1: 5.00pm SKY Sport 2 LIVE
Sunday March 3:
ARMOR ALL qualifying: 1.30pm SKY Sport 2 LIVE
Race 2: 5.00pm SKY Sport 2 LIVE
Well, you’ve lost myself and a lot of friends as a viewer, I refuse to help fund large greed-built companies.
Hi John,
I like you find Sky a pain in the butt
I have been a motor racing nut for the last 60 years both as a competitor and spectator. My wife a myself live on the pension (so be it)so Sky is out of the question.
Try the links below, I am sure you find something there
Gary Shaw
http://cricfree.tv/live/index.php
http://www.sport.net/LiveTV/v8-bathurst_225783
http://www.motorstv.com/?country=uk
Me too. I can’t justify paying for TV. I stopped following F1 for the same reason.
Jim Richards said at Bathurst years ago to all aussie fans ( YOU ARE ALL A PACK OF ARSEHOLES) now V8 Supercars can join the arsehole club.
Great no ads and we get to see race 1 on Saturday. Makes a change from rugby.
Awesome got to watch it all on Sat real time without annoying advert breaks
I am disappointed of this change.Like many others I find it hard to justify the cost of paid TV when I have other bills topay.I have stop watching Rugby,F1 and now V8 SUPERCARS
looks like i wont be able to watch v8 supercars for the next 5 years that sucks!!!!
I know me to they could of had it on both tv3 and sky for the people who don’t have sky and cant afford it.
Coin is short these days no sky tv will be at my house
Dont have sky…Now no V8’s……Whats next??????
I get the feeling V8 Supercars are going to lose a lot of Kiwi followers because of this agreement………May make them watch the ” other ” NZ V8 Races instead………Bummer..!
This totally sucks. Well not only has this left V8 Supercars with one less fan watching but it’s the death blow to a 20 year old tradition between me and my son, every Bathurst day in all those year come hell or high water it’s our special day together, we’ve never let a thing get in the way of that day. Feet up, junk food and a beer or two infront of the telly. Yes we do spend time together other than that but Bathurst weekend was our weekend. Well i for one will be writing to V8 Supercars and let them know just what their decisions mean to average people.
I’m one of Burt Munro’s grandsons so motor racing has been in my blood for over 50 years. Eighteen months ago I was diagnosed with terminal cancer and wasn’t likely to make Christmas 2010at one stage. The love of life, great people and passion for racing have kept me going. I was determined to see this new phase of this incredible event. It’s not about me by a very long stretch, however there are a lot of us out there. We are sick to the stomach of greedy selfish fat cats and corporations determining how we are allowed to live our lives. There are good people out there who simple can’t afford most things. Take away this right and it will bite you one day. Also a huge kick in the guts when the tax payer contributes to some of the running of these events.
With what little time I have left, I can’t justify setting up sky. Your not even decent enough to allow us just to pay for what we would like to watch without having to sign up for all the other garbage. Shame all you directors and CEO;s don’t get to experience massive personal tragedy more often in your lives. Perhaps it would enable you to put greed second and allow you all to make decisions with a degree of compassion and fairness? Yeh right , I can see another beer add? Irrespective, I’m sure you get to enjoy your lives.
Another ex fan here.Sky insist on customers taking lots of unwanted content in their expensive packages, but still plague us with adds.
V8 Supercars and their advertisers have lost another viewer.
Sorry, can’t afford Sky either. Just loved watching the super cars and no Bathurst either!!!!!!!!!.. More Aussie sport going to the pack. I am 68 my wife 67 and we have been mad keen motor sport supporters all our lives, well remember Levin, we both went to the very first and last meetings at the old Bay park , the very first GP at a dusty but great Pukekohe. Bugger, now now more super cars,.
The best coverage of v8 Supercars we have ever had,by far {Adelaide}.I have now got Sky For V* Supercars coverage, At some $70 a month believe me TV3’s effort was rubbish by comparison.
Well good on ya.I agree TV3’s effort was rubbish.
I’m sure there will be unhappy fans but there will be a hell of a lot of very very happy ones two.Now we can watch full coverage live.Remember when free view came out they had a V8 supercar channel as well how long did that last.I for one are with you sky GOOD ON YA, and come on kiwis its a user pay world out there.For those of you with no sky I suppose you don’t have a pc or mobile phone.Noahs arc left years ago.:-)
Arrogant. No Sky does not mean tech Luddite.You might have too much disposable income but a hell of a lot of Kiwis can’t afford it. Since such a great result for Kiwi drivers Sky could be slightly patriotic and give us delayed coverage on Prime.
That’s rich V8 Supercars and sky have blocked New Zealand from any internet coverage so it doesn’t matter if you have a PC or smart phone your still screwed .I would be quite happy to have Pay per view and not have to pay for all the other crap that I don’t want .Roll on more internet companies out bidding sky for coverage rights the sooner they go bust the better.
Un happy Ex V8 Supercars fan
For those on a very limited income, paying to watch sky is not an option. Yes I have a computer, but TV is the way to watch Bathurst. Peering at a small screen (especially for us older folk) is no pleasure. Maybe you will learn that one day. Aside from that fact, Sky is just a money grabbing outfit who frankly don’t give a toss about their audience. It all comes down to Money…………..which most Kiwi’s don’t have much of. So therefore, like many others I too will be missing out on supercars. I too agree that Sky programmes are absolute rubbish. Why should any viewer pay for stuff they don’t want to see? there is enough rubbish on freeview, without having to pay for even more. Just be thankful people that you don’t live in the USA. They have who knows how many channels, and none is actually worth wasting time watching.
The point is V8SC have snubbed half of NZ’s audience by going to SKY.
I don’t have to see the races live and I don’t mind them forcing you to pay to see them live. I just want to see them, or a decent highlights package – preferabbly with 1-2 days of the race.
Otherwise there’s no point.
I like most of the others who have posted comments dont have and can’t afford sky it seems like money and greed are the big problems here it seems that the only way i can now see the supercars is by going to Auckland for a weekend fat chance of that ever happening on our income This is a kick in the guts for all of us true motorsport fans
Isn`t it a bugger when Kiwi`s seem to dominate the V8SC events, either on the track or off, there is a Kiwi doing something to improve the Race Format. This must be the Aussies way of getting back at us……Where is the Fair Play in that……….we help them out at their Game, why don`t they let us watch it without the ” snatch, grab and take ” attitude…!
Whatever, Thats the end of V8SC in our house. Just as well we now have the NZV8 Supertourer. Go the Kiwis. Jamie Who?
For the 1st time I didn’t go to the track this year. Can’t follow them on telly, no point going to the track.
Thank the stars for V8STs.
I cannot afford and have need of SKY TV within my home, I would have dearly enjoyed to watch the racing on V8Spercars internet subscription service but as a Kiwi we are blocked from this also by the monopolistic giant that is SKY… Good move for SKY users, bad move for the majority of your NZ fan base MR Malone!
sky u suck give us back Bathurst all about money tho aye not the fans i had sky once for a month never ever again the crap they put on is rubbish and omg the replays 40 odd bucks for what a zillion replays I don’t think so give the little man a freaking break u money hungry pricks
have watched bathurst 1000 since the early 1970s,really looked forward to it every year.now retired and certainly cant afford sky tv.v8 super cars have shown a huge disregard for NZ fans and supporters.less greed and more fan support required.
Sky are ferkin scum..
Short sighted decision again. Well there goes following the racing! Bathurst and the V8s will ultimately be the losers as their interest base disperses to other interests.
I can afford Sky but frankly just can’t stand watching supposed “ad free programming” that has as many self serving “future programming” ads as free to air! They just plain mislead on that point! The programming on sky overall is so crap and ad infested it is not worth subscribing for the odd feed they may have stolen.
RIP V8 watching.
I hate that as kiwis we are now having to pay for something that is just as much apart of our motorsport heritage as the Ozzie’s yet now we have to pay for it. BS is what this is
Pretty disappointing to go to the V8SC website to find “Live Streaming world wide except NZ” come on sky give us a fair deal!!!, I would pay per view $10 to stream it in good quality, time to get their head out of the sand and wake up to more sensible viewing options, I’ve never going to get sky just to watch one or two events per year, anyhow I did find somewhere to stream it legally, quality was marginal but I did get to watch the great race today, was a cracker.
Missed the news when it was announced, I hope it never goes back to free to air, the coverage of the whole series was rubbish, the live feeds are at a awesome time of day now on Sky and for viewing qualifying and Aussie afternoon races, no more wasting a Sunday arvo with coverage full of ads on 1 or 3, then waiting till 12am to watch a race I knew who had won, once live coverage starts its ad free till the end, and no 6pm news during Buthurst!!Well worth my Sky account and long may it continue !!
Sky might be money grabbers but then they have to pay the money grabbers who run supercars. the thing with the likes of sky tv is you need to take out a subsciption for other stuff you may never watch, most of wich is repeated. be ok if could get just a sports channel or two on a casual basis.
I have sky but can’t afford the leap to sky sport. Shame on you v8 supercars. Lots of kiwi fans lost and through no choice of their own.
While I understand the arguments about cost the fact is that professional sport costs money and we simply don’t/wont all pay $100 a ticket to go to the events live. We choose the cheaper option of the pub, friends, pay tv or indeed dont watch. Yes I have sky sport and yes I watched flag to flag and have to say that the no adds policy that Sky had (that the foxtel viewers in OZ who also pay hard earned money had to endure every 3 mins) was awesome. I actually commented more than once while watching it that it was nice to actually get the whole show for a change. I felt like my months subscription was actually worth it. My money stays with Sky till I get another option that lets me enjoy the show in the way that I want to watch it.
That sucks ! We only watch motorsport so why would we want to pay for full Sky Sports to watch the ITM500. Such a shame for NZ. It should be free to watch when they are racing in our country.