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BTCC retains free-to-air coverage with extended ITV deal

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The British Touring Car Championship will remain on free-to-air television until at least the end of the 2029 season after agreeing an extended deal with ITV.

The new contract takes effect from next season and will see the series – and its various support championships – remain on both ITV4 and ITVX, with seven hours of race day coverage from each of the ten events.

Saturday qualifying will continue to be shown on the ITV YouTube channel, with fans outside the UK and North America able to access the race day action via the BTCC YouTube channel.

With extensive highlights programmes also continuing, the series will benefit from more than 400 hours of coverage per season, with the new deal extending a partnership that started back in 2002.

“I’m extremely pleased and proud to have finalised our new contract with the ITV Network, thus continuing our excellent and continually expansive broadcast partnership for the BTCC and its support championships into an incredible 27th year,” series chief executive Alan Gow said.

“This new contract underlines my unwavering commitment to continue to keep the BTCC as freely accessible to as many people as possible… rather than for it to be hidden behind a paywall. My policy has always been for the BTCC to have the widest reach achievable, and our long relationship with ITV makes that happen.

“In fact, the BTCC is the only UK motorsport that has live, free-to-air coverage of an entire championship on mainstream linear television. Thanks to our great partners at ITV, long may that continue.”