At £170 to £180, depending on the exchange rate, subscribing to MotoGP’s Videopass for a season has never been a priority for me.
Compared to attending an event, Videopass is a cost-effective and highly convenient option. Every race from every class and an extensive back catalogue are available at a click of the mouse and without any annoying geographical restrictions.
Compared to the cost of going to Silverstone on race day, you are choosing between one race in person or the season consumed from the sofa. The snacks on the sofa are better too.
But putting £180 towards the next adventure has always seemed the better option. Why watch bike racing when the sun is shining?
MotoGP End-of-Season Deal
For the past couple of years – and this year is no different – there has been a deal on the MotoGP website where for €20 (about £18 at today’s rates), you can watch the last races of the season and have access to the back catalogue until the end of March the following year.
Having only watched a few YouTube highlight videos and a couple of the MotoGP races that were available on terrestrial TV, I knew who was in the title chase and the most likely outcome, but I couldn’t tell you the details of how it all unfolded.
Not knowing who won which race or any of the dramas from the season, I’ve invested my €20 and will consume all of the MotoGP, Moto2 and Moto3 over winter. If I start after the last race in Valencia and watch one per week, I should end up back in Valencia in early March.
Is this how MotoGP should be consumed? More aligned with a weekly soap opera than a live sporting event? It is how we ingest all other forms of serialised entertainment, even if we do have to dodge the spoilers.
WorldSBK and BSB
At £35 (roughly) for a year, Eurosport, which covers BSB and WorldSBK, is a much more cost-effective package. Greg Haines can get overly excited while commenting on WorldSBK, and for the avoidance of doubt, you will be repeatedly reminded that Jonathan Rea is a six-time world champion.
Yet, this is a small price to pay for the dry humour and top-class insights from James Whitham, Chas Davies and the other pundits.
The Eurosport website isn’t as slick, but there is a lot of motorcycle-related content to keep you entertained over winter, even if the adverts can be annoying when watching the edited highlights, but that is what helps keep the price down.
Clarity
We are not associated with MotoGP or Eurosport. We receive no kickbacks, commissions or revenue from either of them. We just thought they were good winter deals.
