Instead of its usual home on Seven and 7plus as part of the SpeedSeries program, coverage of the GT Festival at Phillip Island will be live and free on the GT World official YouTube channel.

Australian viewers will also be able to watch via Foxtel and Kayo.

The upcoming GT Festival is not part of the Motorsport Australia- and ARG-promoted SpeedSeries calendar this year and is independently run by the SRO.

GT World Challenge Australia will also be supported by Monochrome GT4 Australia and Meguiar’s Australian Production Cars.

Spectators wishing to attend can do so for free.

The high-profile commentary line-up will include Bathurst 12 Hour staple Richard Crail and five-time Bathurst 1000 winner Garth Tander.

Commentary regulars Cameron van den Dungen and Jonathan Simon will also be part of the coverage.

“Between the Bathurst 12 Hour, Porsche Carrera Cup and of course Fanatec GT World Challenge Australia, I’ve been lucky enough to be part of the highest quality GT racing in this part of the world for years, and the GT Festival will continue that trend for sure,” said Craill.

“This year’s Fanatec GT Australia has been a blockbuster. The racing has been as intense as any GT3 championship in the world and you go into every race not knowing who will come out on top which is everything I think as fans we want from top-level motorsport like this.

“In GT4, the battles in each class have been red hot and there’s potential to be even more spicy again.

“It’s a strong on-air team. Our job is to tell the stories within the paddock while explaining a sometimes intricate sport to ensure it is entertaining and engaging for those watching at home. We have the people to do that for this event so I can’t wait to get stuck in at the Island.”

The AVE-produced broadcast coverage on Saturday will begin at 2:15pm AEST and concludes at 5pm. Sunday’s coverage will start at 11am AEST and finishes at 2pm.

Expanded coverage has been confirmed with podium presentations and post-race interviews part of the program.