- MotoGP hopes to convert attendees into Silverstone ticket buyers or viewers on Video Pass or TNT
- This is not a “short-term fix” that will suddenly fill Silverstone, says communications director Michael Gibson
MotoGP wants to return to being “one of the mainstream sports in the UK”, according to the series’ new communications director Michael Gibson.
The sports’ heyday in Britain was arguably the 1970s, with Barry Sheene’s back-to-back championships elevating him into popular culture. There was also a surge in popularity in the mid-2000s when free-to-air (FTA) coverage of MotoGP on the BBC coincided with Valentino’s Rossi’s dominance on the track.
However, the past decade has seen a significant decline in visibility, with TNT Sports (then known as BT Sport) taking the series behind a paywall in 2014. Attendances at the British Grand Prix have plummeted over the past decade, with this year’s event moved to August after the 2025 edition failed to attract over 100,000 fans across the weekend.
By way of comparison, Formula One’s visit to Silverstone this weekend is expected to welcome over 500,000 fans.
MotoGP wants to reverse this trend. On Sunday, MotoGP staged its first-ever watch party for the Dutch Grand Prix at the Outernet in central London, hoping to widen the audience and engage new or lapsed fans in the build-up to the meeting at Silverstone.
“Once we understand the fans who’ve been here today, they’ve signed up, they’ve been through the QR code, hopefully some of them have converted into Silverstone ticket buyers or they’ll go and watch [the sport] on Video Pass or on TNT [Sports],” Gibson told BlackBook Motorsport.
“All of this is about engaging new audiences, taking the sport to new places, but also making sure the fans in this country know that we’re committed to this market.”
Gibson acknowledged that watch parties are “not a new phenomenon” but would form part of a long-term strategy to revive MotoGP in wider sporting conversations. As part of this drive, the series will work with the Outernet on other initiatives designed to raise its profile and drive visibility.
“What we’re doing in London is [creating] the start and finish line of a virtual Silverstone track, so we’re connecting the Outernet along out-of-home media across London in the shape of the Silverstone Circuit and producing content of one minute and 57 seconds, which is the lap time record in MotoGP,” he said.
This strategy will continue in the six weeks leading up to the race, while the riders’ press conference for Silverstone will also be hosted at the Outernet. But Gibson knows this won’t instantly solve MotoGP’s problems.
“It’s going to be a long-term thing, it’s not a short-term fix and it’s not going to be short-term results,” admitted Gibson. “Not suddenly are we going to fill out Silverstone in six weeks’ time, but what we’d like to do is convert some interest, create some intrigue, and show that MotoGP has got so much to offer fans of all levels.”
The success of immersive technology specialist Cosm in the US has also encouraged MotoGP to start looking at its method of engaging with fans differently.
“These spaces give you an opportunity to do things slightly differently,” Gibson said. “I look at Fifa and the Adidas relationship they built with Cosm in the US, which brings together the broadcast elements of what they’re delivering for the tournament to life.
“These sort of premises give us an opportunity not only to do these sort of events, but to be ever-present in markets that are important to us, like the US and the UK.”
Visibility is only one benefit. As events become more successful, Gibson wants there to be more opportunities for merchandise sales and partner activations, unlocking new revenue streams.
“We had the people who have come through here today, 15 to 20 thousand… and I think that’s a huge opportunity for us, not only with existing partners but also to take to potential partners,” he said.
“The appetite is huge, and I think that can really be of great value to not just MotoGP as a brand, but also to all partners associated with it.”
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