Motorsport Network
 | |
| Privately held company | |
| Industry |
Technology Mass Media |
| Founded | 2015 |
| Headquarters | 5972 NE 4th Avenue, Miami, FL 33137, United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Zak Brown (Chairman) |
| Brands |
|
Number of employees | 800 (2018) |
| Website |
motorsportnetwork |
Motorsport Network is an international media and technology company headquartered in Miami, FL and London, UK. The company’s proprietary brands, websites and television operations focus on motor racing and consumer automotive content. The privately held business was founded in 2015 with the acquisition of Motorsport.com and now operates a portfolio of international digital, print, e-commerce & event businesses.
History
Motorsport Network was formed in 2015 and has grown through acquisition, start-up and organic growth and now operates an array of motorsport & automotive digital brands across multiple local editions in 17 languages.[1]
Following the acquisition of Motorsport.com, the company established its headquarters in Miami in 2015 and launched Motorstore.com, an e-commerce platform in April 2016.[2] Later the same year, Motorsport Network acquired its major competitor, the Haymarket Publishing portfolio of motor racing brands, including the renowned Autosport businesses that were established in 1950.
The company opened an automotive division with the creation of the Motor1.com brand that subsequently has been supplemented by the creation or acquisition of a number of other motoring platforms including Autoclassics.com, FerrariChat.com, InsideEVs.com and MotorGT.com.[3]
In early 2017, Motorsport Network took an undisclosed ownership interest in the electric city racing series, Formula E, with its Chairman Zak Brown stating at the CES Show in Las Vegas that there was a ‘discernible trend among our digital motorsport audiences to consume the racing content from Formula E and this has underwritten our decision to invest in the series.[4] In May 2017, Motorsport Network conducted a multi-lingual Global Fan Survey of Formula One, reputed to be the world’s largest fan survey of any sport, with over 200,000 respondents.[5]
In 2018, the executive team was strengthened by the appointment of James Allen, formerly the Financial Time’s Formula 1 correspondent and network commentator with UK broadcaster, ITV as the President of its EMEA operations. Allen’s appointment coincided with the establishment of a European headquarters in London. Allen was subsequently promoted to the position of global President in September 2018.[6] In May 2018, Motorsport Network announced its expansion into the ticketing and race travel sector with the acquisition of BookF1.com, and latterly the Dutch ticket and travel operator, SportStadion.[7] In June of the same year, Motorsport Network announced that it was entering the betting market with the launch of its Motorsport Betting business and the Pit Stop Betting app in the Apple Store and Google Play. Later in June, the company confirmed that it had established an esports joint venture with the ACO, the promoter of the Le Mans 24hrs.[8]
Motorsport Network Businesses
Motorsport Network businesses are divided into two categories of Motorsport and Automotive. The primary businesses are noted below
Motorsport Businesses
Motorsport.com
Motorsport.com is Motorsport Network’s flagship property and the #1 global motorsport website operated across in 17 languages and 21 national editions.
The platform reports across all forms of international and national motorsport including Formula 1, MotoGP, NASCAR & IndyCar on a rolling 24/7 basis, powered by a multi-edition CMS that aggregates & localizes and aggregating news, video, photos and results. Founded in 1994, the platform has been the cornerstone of Motorsport Network and was acquired by the business in 2012.
Current Motorsport.com editions include: USA, France, India, Canada, Germany, Spain, Ukraine, LatAm, Brazil, Australia, Middle East, Switzerland, China, Indonesia, Russia, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Turkey, Hungary & Indonesia.
Autosport.com
Autosport.com is the leading English language website covering international motorsport. Headquartered in Richmond, London and led by editor Glenn Freeman, the website is a digital evolution of the weekly motorsport magazine, Autosport, that was founded in 1950. The website reports on a broad range of international motorsport from Formula One to two-wheeled series including MotoGP and WSB and the brand is known for its authoritative primary source journalism, with staff journalists covering the sport from trackside locations round the world.
Autosport.com formed part of Motorsport Network’s acquisition of Haymarket Media Group’s motorsport businesses in November 2016.
Autosport Magazine
Founded in 1950, Autosport Magazine (ISSN 0269-946X) has been in continuous weekly publication since 25 August 1950, covering all aspects of international motorsport including Formula One since the championship’s inception 68 years ago. Kevin Turner is Autosport’s 18th editor and has held the post since May 2016.
Autosport Awards
In a tradition that spans 35 years, The Autosport Awards is an end of season awards ceremony. Hosted at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, the black tie event has played host to drivers ranging from Ayrton Senna, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel to Sir Stirling Moss and John McGuinness.
Autosport International
Autosport International is Europe’s biggest trade and consumer motorsport show. Hosted at Birmingham’s NEC since 1991, the event attracts 95,000 visitors and 600 exhibitors, focusing on trade before opening to the public with a 5,000 seat Live Action Arena.
F1 Racing Magazine
The F1 Racing brand has been built from a foundation of its premium monthly print title, which is the only magazine officially licensed by Formula 1. Established in 1996 and published in 10 languages and 14 editions, F1 Racing today has a growing digital footprint in addition to its international circulation of 80,000 copies per month. F1 Racing’s Editor-in-Chief is Anthony Rowlinson.
Motorsport.tv
Motorsport.tv is an international television broadcast network and OTT platform available in 27m homes in 6 languages in 42 countries and as such, is the world’s largest specialist broadcaster of motorsport.
The network’s content includes live motorsport events, news, documentaries, long-format content, historical/archive programming and studio shows. Available through cable, satellite and pay TV, Motorsport.tv in 2018 also launched a custom-developed OTT platform serving multiple devices including iOS, Android and Apple TV. Motorsport.tv is headquartered in Miami, FL. The company President is Kevin Annison.
Motorsport Images
Motorsport Images is the world’s foremost racing and automotive photo and technical drawing archives with over 23M assets under management.[9]
The group is made up of a portfolio of leading motorsport and automotive photo agencies, including the live photo agency LAT Images, which has contributed 14m racing and automotive photos to the group that date back to 1895 and today has the largest trackside presence of staff photographers at international motor racing events.
The group’s assets also contains the considerable archives of Sutton Images and the associated Phipps archive, the fabled Rainer Schlegelmilch archive and the world’s foremost collection of race car technical drawings illustrated by Giorgio Piola.
BookF1.com
BookF1.com sells tickets and travel solutions to motorsport fans for Formula 1 as well as MotoGP (BookMoto.com) and sportscars (BookWEC.com) and annually supports over 25,000 fan journeys to races. Founded in 2003 by CEO Paul Deason, the company joined the network on May 10, 2018. BookF1 was integrated into a new division, Motorport Experiences, on the acquisition of the Dutch ticketing and travel operator, SportStadion.
Pit Stop Betting
Pit Stop Betting provides motorsport fans with a simple approach to betting via a mobile app that can be operated with a single thumb. The company secured a Gambling Commission license in the UK in 2018 and is applying for licensing in other jurisdictions.[10]
Automotive Businesses
Motor1.com
Motor1.com is Motorsport Network’s flagship platform for its portfolio of automotive businesses. Operating in 9 languages with multiple local editions, Motor1.com delivers over 100 video-led car reviews every month produced by house journalists, alongside vehicle buying guides, car news and localized car shopping by market. Motor1.com currently has editions in the US, UK, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Turkey and Brazil.
Motor1.com is headquartered in Motorsport Network’s offices in Miami. Its Editor-in-Chief is John Neff and the President of its European Operations is Filippo Salza.
InsideEVs
InsideEVs.com is the largest independent electric vehicle content website in the US and was acquired by Motorsport Network in February 2017.
The site provides expert news and information from the rapidly expanding electric vehicle sector for consumer audiences. Its sister site, myeve.com, is a new and part-used electric car marketplace.
Autoclassics
Autoclassics is a Motorsport Network platform launched in 2017. It is a marketplace and information source for collector cars.
Aside from providing free and premium listings for classic car sales, the site also has an extensive editorial offering spanning news, features, market analysis, buying guides and coverage of major events in the classic car calendar. David Lillywhite is Autoclassics Global Editor-in-Chief, and Geoff Love is the CEO.
FerrariChat
FerrariChat is an online Ferrari community founded in 2000, the community site has in excess of 165,000 registered owners made up of Ferrari owners and enthusiasts who have contributed over 11m posts to the site.
FerrariChat incorporates an auction platform to enable Ferrari sales within a dedicated community environment, as well as providing classified listings, all of which operate across desktop and responsive mobile versions.
MotorGT.com
Launched in 2017, MotorGT.com is the world’s first global supercar marketplace, listing thousands of new and pre-owned supercars for sale. MotorGT.com also introduces a range of new tools that track relative prices and time for sale to help buyers make informed purchase decisions.
RideApart
RideApart is Motorsport Network’s motorcycle platform, providing news, reviews and feature content including seasonal, technical and how-to topics for motorcycle owners and enthusiasts.
Other Motorsport Network Businesses & Holdings
Formula E
Motorsport Network is a shareholder in Formula E Holdings Limited, which operates the ABB FIA Formula E Championship.[11]
Motorsport Stats
Repository of motor racing results, data and analytics
Giorgio Piola
Technical motorsport drawings
Motorsport Jobs
Platform for motorsport industry recruitment
Motormarket
Motorsport industry marketplace
Duke Video
The largest independent motorsport video archive including F1, MotoGP, WRC and the Isle of Man TT
Motorsport Pro
An online store for motorsport competitors retailing race clothing, helmets and safety equipment
Major Acquisitions, Launches and Disposals
- 06 July 2018 Acquisition of SportStadion ticketing and travel agency (NL)
- 29 June Launch of Pit Stop Betting (GB)
- 10 May 2018 Acquisition of BookF1.com ticketing and travel agency (GB)
- 06 Feb 2018 Acquisition of Duke Video motorsport archive (GB)
- 11 Jan 2018 The launch of MotorMarket.com (GB)
- 03 Oct 2017 The launch MotorGT.com (US)
- 22 Aug 2017 The launch of Motorsportjobs.com (US)
- 09 Aug 2017 Acquisition of Schlegelmilch Archive (DE)
- 24 Jul 2017 Motor1.com launches in Hungary through acquisition (HU)
- 12 May 2017 Motor1.com launches in Australia through acquisition (AU)
- 07 Apr 2017 Motorsport Network acquires Sutton Images (UK)
- 16 Mar 2017 Motor1.com launches in the UK (UK)
- 28 Feb 2017 Motor1.com launches in Spain (ES)
- 08 Feb 2017 Motor1.com acquires InsideEVs.com (US)
- 07 Jan 2017 Motorsport Network acquires interest in Formula E (UK)
- 06 Oct 2016 Motorsport Network acquires Haymarket Media Group’s motor racing portfolio (UK)
References
- ↑ "Auto racing fans can cheer on. No more zooming around the web required". Miami Herald.
- ↑ "Global Digital Media Company Motorsport Network Launches Motorstore.com". Retrieved 14 September 2016.
- ↑ "Motorsport Network France se réorganise". CB News (in French).
- ↑ "Motorsport Network buys stake in Formula E". F1i.com. 8 January 2017.
- ↑ "F1 Global Fan Survey results revealed". FOX Sports. 2017-05-26. Retrieved 2017-06-09.
- ↑ "James Allen nommé président EMOA de Motorsport Network". Msn.com (in French).
- ↑ "Motorsport Network moves into ticketing sector with BookF1.com purchase". SportBusiness. 11 May 2018.
- ↑ "Le Mans eSport Series coming soon". Philippine Daily Inquirer.
- ↑ "Motorsport Images presents over 23 million snapshots of history". Autoclassics.com.
- ↑ "Pit Stop Betting aiming to freshen up motorsport scene". SBC News. 2 July 2018.
- ↑ "Motorsport Network to be digital media partner to the FIA World Endurance Championship 2018-2019 Super Season". FIA World Endurance Championship (in French).