German broadcaster RTL will end its Formula media rights deal. The free-to-air broadcaster has confirmed that it will not extend its 30-year association with F1.
The Formula 1 uninterrupted run on the company platforms since 1991 with come to an end after the KOVID-19 impacted 2020 season.
The inability to match the rapidly growing F1 media rights package has led to the company’s exit from the lost partnership.
“When you have competitors in the game who are prepared to offer double as much as you can then you are forced into a position of having to withdraw,” RTL’s Head of Sport Manfred Loppe said in a statement.
“We have transferred Formula 1 over three decades with great love and passion, as well as a courageous willingness to innovate and invest. The greatest-reaching and most emotional, unforgettable moments of the premier class in racing remain forever connected to RTL.”
“The competition for TV rights has changed. added RTL Managing Director Jorg Graf. “We are now going with all our strength and passion to focus on football as the number one TV sport.”
RTL has shown Formula 1 Grand Prix since 1991 and has been and has brought to the German fans some of the epochal races featuring behind the wheels legends like Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg.
Formula 1 is also available in Germany on subscription service Sky Sport.