Owned streaming platforms and television broadcast deals: the case of the World Rally Championship

Abstract

This article focuses on the World Rally Championship (WRC) and their media and broadcast strategy. They changed from broadcast television to a global Over-The-Top (OTT) streaming service, while still utilising regional television deals. A series of semi-structured interviews were conducted with key members of the WRC Promoter GmbH, WRC stakeholders and industry stakeholders. Details on how the formation of an owned streaming service came and the effect it has had on the commercialisation of the Championship are explored. Our research seeks to understand the implications on sports entrepreneurship and streaming technology on the broadcast management of niche sport, as the majority of sports management research has been into mega-sports. The findings state that an owned streaming service deepens the relationship with the fans and changes the negotiation power between a sports organisation and a television broadcaster.