Viaplay secures additional motorsport rights in The Netherlands
Published on 26 April 2023 by Niels Hendrix
Viaplay Group keeps building its impressive sports portfolio with the acquisition of the media rights to a broad range of world-class motorsport for the Dutch subscribers. In addition to the Formula 1 package, Viaplay will show acclaimed series such as DTM, Ferrari Challenge, and the famous Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance race.
This season Emil Frey Racing debuts with their team in the DTM series, featuring Dutch rookie driver Thierry Vermeulen and the experienced racing driver Jack Aitken. The 20-year-old Vermeulen has previously been competing under the banner of Verstappen.com Racing, which features in sim racing and real life motorsport. The previous season Vermeulen competed in the ADAC GT Masters championship, and is now reaching his goal of competing in the DTM championship with the support of Max and Jos Verstappen.
Thierry Vermeulen is excited to take the big step to DTM and the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup as early as 2023: “It may be an early opportunity, but I am happy to grab it with both hands. After all, it has always been my dream to drive in DTM, which I believe is the top of GT3 with the best manufacturers and where the best teams and drivers compete for the championship. Therefore, it was essential to work with a professional team, ready for this big challenge and I am very happy that we found the perfect partner with Emil Frey Racing, who will debut in DTM as well this year. I am extremely excited to be driving a Ferrari 296 GT3 and I am also delighted to have Jack Aitken as team mate, who is an experienced and fast driver, I can learn a lot from. It's also fantastic news to be part of Viaplay's motorsport lineup.”
The new Viaplay motorsports deal also includes multiple of the world’s other top class racing series, ensuring that Dutch viewers can follow numerous local drivers live on Viaplay.
Rune Knudsen, SVP Sports Continental Europe & Baltics: "We are thrilled to expand our motorsport rights portfolio in The Netherlands with these exciting new acquisitions. The addition of the DTM series, with a Dutch driver makes it even more special. Besides DTM many great race series and events will be available to our subscribers, with one of the absolute highlights being the Nürburgring 24 hours on the Nordschleife. More than 200 teams will compete for glory on this famous track. Our viewers will be delighted with the world-class motorsport action they can experience live on Viaplay."
Viaplay’s new motorsport rights in the Netherlands will include the following series: DTM, ADAC GT Masters, ADAC GT4 Germany, GP Confidential, FastZone, Ferrari Challenge, 24h Nürburgring, Formula Regional, Formula 4 Italy, FIA Truck Racing and Porsche Camera Cup Germany.
Notably, the offering will include multiple races from the famous Zandvoort track and feature many Dutch drivers, building on Viaplay’s already strong local presence in the Dutch market.
