In April, it was announced that Liberty Media would acquire MotoGP’s holding company, Dorna, in a deal worth $6.9 billion.
That relied on a number of regulatory approvals in key jurisdictions, including Australia.
According to Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, those approvals have all now been received, leaving the European Commission as the final gatekeeper to the deal.
“We are making progress with the European Commission, which is our only remaining regulatory jurisdictional hurdle,” Maffei told analysts.
“We continue to expect the year-end closure.”
The MotoGP acquisition caught the attention of the European Commission following questions by a Belgian member of the European Parliament in October.
Pascal Arimont raised concerns regarding the market position Liberty Media would hold with MotoGP given it also has interests in Formula 1.
He also noted the difficulty Andretti Global, or any new operation, has in entering F1, raising antitrust concerns in the process.
In 2006, CVC Capital owned the commercial rights to both F1 and MotoGP but was forced to divest the latter by the European Commission.
Arimont’s questions to the European Parliament, now missing from its website, followed similar concerns raised by Formula E founder Alejandro Agag.
“From the point of view of competition law, I think there are significant challenges,” Agag told the Financial Times in September.
“The leverage that this merger will give the resulting entity in terms of negotiating with broadcasters will be significant and I think the European Commission will look very carefully at this deal.”
Despite the attention of the European Commission, it is expected the deal will conclude in line with Liberty Media’s expectations.
Liberty Media has completed its capital raising ahead of the MotoGP deal’s conclusion, selling a $1.2 billion slice in Formula 1 to generate the cash.
MotoGP has recently extended its rights agreement with FIM through until 2060 while the 2025 calendar will feature 22 races.
The championship will also sport new branding for the new season.
