OPENING TV DATES CONFIRMED
TOP-FLIGHT speedway roars back to Eurosport and discovery+ this month – with the first set of televised fixtures now announced.
Newcomers Leicester kick off the live Sports Insure Premiership coverage at the Pidcock Motorcycles Arena, Beaumont Park on Monday May 22 when they face last season’s runners-up Sheffield.
And that means a headline clash between top Australian stars Max Fricke and Jack Holder – who took their country to FIM Speedway of Nations glory last summer, but who race for the Lions and Tigers respectively in the UK.
All seven Sports Insure Premiership clubs are featured, with each venue to be visited in the first seven broadcasts, and once again there will be a total of 18 shows, including full coverage of the play-offs.
Defending champions Belle Vue first feature on Bank Holiday Monday, May 29, when they visit Wolverhampton.
Televised meetings will take place on a regular basis on Mondays throughout the summer, with the schedule also including the Sports Insure British Final at the National Speedway Stadium on August 14.
Several changes and innovations are planned for the live coverage, including a dedicated push-off area prior to each race, and improvements to the arrangements for post-meeting reaction and interviews.
Sports Insure Premiership CEO Phil Morris will be in attendance at each televised meeting to act as race director.
The opening seven meetings on the schedule are:
May 22 – Leicester v Sheffield ; May 29 – Wolverhampton v Belle Vue ; June 12 – Ipswich v Sheffield ; June 19 – King’s Lynn v Leicester ; June 26 – Peterborough v Belle Vue; July 10 – Sheffield v Ipswich; July 17 – Belle Vue v Ipswich.
With the vast majority of Mondays featuring two or three Sports Insure Premiership fixtures, viewers will continue to receive action and score updates from the other meetings, starting with coverage of Wolverhampton v Ipswich on May 22.
Morris said: “We’re all very excited to get the televised coverage underway, and I know our colleagues at Eurosport are all keen to get started as well.
“We’re always looking to enhance the product and there are a number of new ideas and innovations which will come together over the course of the season.
“The first seven fixtures have been chosen to ensure that, weather permitting, we visit all seven tracks in the early stages of this year’s coverage, and there are a number of very attractive fixtures already on the TV list.”
Jamie Steward, Senior Director, Production and Broadcast, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports UK added:
“We’re excited for the 2023 season to get underway. British Speedway has become a highlight of Monday nights across Warner Bros. Discovery platforms, and we look forward to delivering to fans what will no doubt be another thrilling season.
“This year we’re delighted to be able to tap into another passionate two-wheel fan base and broaden the audience through BT Sport subscribers and demonstrate to them what British Speedway has to offer.”
