Bridgepoint (Dorna) buys Infront (SBK)

Yesterday it became official that the European Commission had approved the acquisition by Bridgepoint, the company that owns Dorna, of the company that organises the World Superbike Championship, so Dorna now controls Infront.

The acquisition was authorised by the European Commission, and it was taken for granted that Infront was going to be bought by Dorna (Bridgepoint), specifically by the British investment fund Bridgepoint, which owns Dorna, the company that holds the rights to the World Motorcycle Road Racing Championship.

At first it seemed there could be problems, but the European authority has concluded that this acquisition would not pose any problem for competition, since the two companies’ activities overlap only in some sectors, not in their entirety, and the effects would be limited, as the sector would still have other major operators.

That is why it has given the green light to the acquisition, which had been notified on 15 November, so Bridgepoint will now hold Infront. We do not know what the real consequences will be for the Superbikes. The only thing is that the possibility of TVE having the SBK rights now seems very remote, since if it is part of MotoGP it would go to Telecinco, and I don’t think they will be keen to broadcast two championships. But that last point is my own speculation; I hope I am wrong and we can watch the Superbikes on some channel.

Source | EFE