V8 Supercars fans will pay less than expected for live coverage of the championship on Fox Sports next season following the release of Foxtel’s revised pricing structure.

The combination of the subscription television provider’s new basic ‘entertainment pack’ and sports channels will cost $50 per month after a price reduction, which comes into effect on November 3.

The timing coincides with the repackaging of Fox Sports’ programming that will see Speed TV Australia and Fuel TV replaced by Fox Sports 4 and 5.

Aside from limited-time offers, the essentials/sports combination that would allow full access to the V8 Supercars coverage next year currently costs $74 per month.

Access to High Definition, which will be available for all of the V8 Supercars coverage, continues to be a $10 per month addition.

The reduced pricing marks a concerted push from Foxtel to increase its market penetration, which has stagnated at little over a third of the population in recent years.

“We know that many Australians are aware of the amazing content and technology that Foxtel offers but feel that the price is not right for their budget,” said Foxtel CEO Richard Freudenstein.

“A $25 entry point that gives access to over 40 popular channels in our Entertainment Pack will cause millions of people to have another look at Foxtel.”

V8 Supercars’ 2015-2020 media rights deal will see Fox Sports broadcast 1,140 hours of content, including every practice, qualifying and race live.

The races will also be available live and on demand via the internet-based Foxtel Play and Foxtel Go services.

Details of ‘Triple Play’ packages, bundling Foxtel television, broadband and home phone services will be revealed in the new year.

Network Ten will take over the free-to-air V8 Supercars rights from the Seven Network next year, but will broadcast just six events live, with same-day highlights packages for the remainder of the schedule.

The combined $241 million rights deal is a financial boost for the category, but has thus far been met with a largely negative response from V8 Supercars fans unused to paying for coverage.

Despite the backlash, current V8 Supercars CEO James Warburton, a former executive at both Seven and Ten, has predicted a significant increase in total viewer numbers next season.

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Driving Events

Motorsport Services

Driving Events is a Queensland-based motorsport training and driver development company delivering professional on-track and driver safety programs across Australia. Driving Events has built a strong reputation over nearly 15 years for delivering high-quality driver...

Driving Events is a Queensland-based motorsport training and driver development company delivering professional on-track and driver safety programs across Australia. Driving Events has built a...