Think back to the end of December. True, it was only a month ago, but it's a long time to be delayed if you're a company that expected a certain deal it was undertaking to already be in the rearview mirror. And that's exactly what's happening with Liberty Media and its intended acquisition of Dorna, the international rights-holder for MotoGP, WSBK, and several other motorcycle racing series.
Back in December, the European Commission (which is the European Union's executive arm) announced that it would subject Liberty Media's proposed acquisition of Dorna Sports to a more in-depth investigation.
At the time, the EC said its concerns include "serious competition concerns" regarding licensing broadcast rights within EU countries, because Liberty Media already owns Formula One. And quite frequently, says the EC, MotoGP is its only true broadcast competitor. So if Liberty Media owns the rights to both series, there is effectively no more competition with either one.
Add to that the fact that another Liberty company, Liberty Global, operates broadband service in several European countries, and the EC also mentions here that it raises additional concerns about the viability of broadcast competition in those markets.
When the EC initially announced its investigation in December 2024, it also announced that it would make a decision within 90 days. The deadline was then set at May 14, 2025 to make a final decision according to that original announcement.
That's no longer the case, though. On January 22, 2025, the EC updated its official records to note that the original May 2025 deadline has now been extended by 20 business days. The new deadline for a decision about the legality of the Liberty Media/Dorna Sports merger is now set to expire on June 16, 2025. Considering that Liberty Media expected to have this merger completed by the end of 2024 (and crucially, before the start of the 2025 MotoGP season), that must clearly present a bit of a monkeywrench in its plans.
Why did the EC tack on 20 more business days to consider the matter? It gave absolutely no further information regarding the reasoning behind this decision; it just simply announced that it had pushed the deadline out. As always, when there's more information to share, you'll find it here at RideApart.
Do you think this merger is a good idea, either for motorsport fans or for the motorcycle racing series that Dorna Sports currently holds the rights to? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
