MotoGP Moves to ESPN: What the New TV Deal Means for the USA

• Term: 2027 and 2028 seasons, covering the USA and Latin America
• USA: Grands Prix live or same-day delayed on ESPN’s channels
• Latin America: ESPN and Disney+, plus a free-to-air option for Argentina and Brazil

The Motorcycle World Championship is getting a new TV partner in the USA. MotoGP and ESPN announced a media rights deal for the 2027 and 2028 seasons on November 12, 2026. In the United States, the sports broadcaster takes over from Fox Sports, whose agreement expires at the end of the current season. In Latin America, on the other hand, ESPN is an old acquaintance, having shown MotoGP there since 2002. For the promoter, which belongs to US group Liberty Media, the deal is an important building block for raising the championship’s profile across the Americas.

What does the new TV deal between MotoGP and ESPN cover?

ESPN becomes MotoGP’s exclusive rights holder in the USA for two years and keeps the rights in the key markets of Latin America. In the United States, broadcasts run on the network’s traditional TV channels, while Latin America additionally gets streaming on Disney+.

The contract starts immediately after the Fox agreement ends, so there will be no gap. The joint statement gives no financial details. With the switch, MotoGP hopes to significantly increase its visibility across the Americas and win new viewers.

Carlos Ezpeleta, MotoGP’s Deputy CEO, calls it an important milestone for growth in the Americas. For him, ESPN is “the ideal platform for us to continue expanding MotoGP’s reach”. He wants to reach new viewers without neglecting the existing fan base. Freddy Rolón, who is responsible for ESPN’s global sports business, recalls almost 25 years of cooperation in Latin America. For him, the deal shows how a partnership in one region can extend to other markets of the network.

Will every MotoGP race be shown live on ESPN?

Not necessarily. In the USA, the Grands Prix will be shown either live or delayed on the same day; MotoGP and ESPN have not yet decided which races will only air as a recording.

This is exactly where the new contract differs from the previous one. When it started in 2025, Fox Sports had promised to show every race live. Sprints and Grands Prix aired on FS1 or FS2, supplemented by the Fox Sports app, midweek replays and individual races on Fox Deportes for Spanish-speaking viewers. At the home race in Austin in 2025, the sprint aired on FS2 and the Grand Prix on Fox Business.

For ESPN, the announcement explicitly refers to the Grands Prix. There is no information yet on the Saturday sprints. Streaming also leaves a question open: for the USA, the statement names ESPN’s channels and platforms, while Disney+ is only explicitly listed for Latin America.

Why has MotoGP changed broadcasters so often in the USA?

In recent years, US contracts were mostly short and often signed very late. As a result, viewers repeatedly had to search for where the races could be watched.

Until 2020, MotoGP was on beIN Sports, followed by four years on NBC. There, broadcasts moved back and forth between different channels, and many races were not shown live. TNT Sports took over in 2024, followed by Fox in 2025. Both deals were only announced a few hours before the season opener.

Counting the years 2020 to 2028, ESPN is already the fourth US partner in nine seasons. What is new this time is the timing: almost four months separate the announcement on November 12, 2026 from the season opener in Buriram on March 7, 2027.

What changes for MotoGP viewers in Latin America?

For Latin America, much stays the same: ESPN continues to show MotoGP there on its channels and via streaming on Disney+ in the Premium plan. New is the option to pass selected races in Argentina and Brazil on to local free-to-air broadcasters.

The cooperation in the region began in 2002, the first year of the premier class’s four-stroke era. Since then, ESPN has brought the races to 18 countries. By the end of the contract in 2028, that adds up to 27 seasons together. Argentina and Brazil in particular are considered especially important markets for MotoGP, and both countries will host their own Grand Prix in 2027.

What role does Liberty Media play in the move to ESPN?

Liberty Media owns both MotoGP and Formula 1 and has declared the US market one of its most important priorities. ESPN’s large reach is meant to help MotoGP grow in North America in a similar way to Formula 1.

Liberty agreed to buy MotoGP in 2024 at a valuation of 4.5 billion US dollars (around 4.1 billion euros at today’s exchange rate). In Formula 1, by contrast, the partnership with ESPN in the USA ended after the 2025 season; since then, Apple TV has shown the races there exclusively. In Latin America, however, Formula 1 remains with ESPN, likewise until the end of 2028 in 18 countries, though without Mexico and Brazil. This means both Liberty championships expire with the same broadcaster in Latin America at the same time.

Three races in the Americas to kick off the 850cc era

The new contract begins with the 2027 season, in which MotoGP enters a new technical era with 850cc engines. Right away in spring, the Americas take center stage. The official season launch takes place in Rio de Janeiro, followed by three Grands Prix on the continent within just three weeks: Goiânia in Brazil on April 4, Buenos Aires on April 11 and Austin, Texas on April 25.

For Buenos Aires, it marks a return to the calendar: the world championship will race at the Autódromo Oscar y Juan Gálvez for the first time since 1999. This means three of the 22 races in 2027 take place in the Americas. The region is also represented on the premier-class grid, for example by Brazilian Diogo Moreira and Colombian David Alonso.

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