---
title: "MotoGP’s Exciting Photo-Finish in Qatar Boosts Viewership Ratings Worldwide"
description: "MotoGP motorcycle racing viewership reaches new heights in 2018, with more than 400 million viewers across the globe."
date: "2018-03-19"
modified: "2018-03-19"
authors:
  - name: "Jerry Perez"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19383/motogps-exciting-photo-finish-in-qatar-boosts-viewership-ratings-worldwide"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "Racing"
tags:
  - "Ducati"
  - "Marc Márquez"
  - "MotoGP"
  - "motorcycle racing"
  - "Qatar"
  - "racing"
  - "Racing News"
  - "Valentino Rossi"
  - "yamaha"
---

# MotoGP’s Exciting Photo-Finish in Qatar Boosts Viewership Ratings Worldwide

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/03/b0376a25-cd89-4070-abc3-5a418b4e93a8.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Sunday's [MotoGP Grand Prix of Qatar](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19354/johann-zarco-claims-pole-position-for-the-2018-motogp-grand-prix-of-qatar>) was exactly what the doctor recommended to Dorna, the motorcycle racing series' managing body. A successful season-opening race is important for many reasons, such as pleasing deprived racing fans who have waited months to see their wheelin' heroes back in action, but primarily for the business side of MotoGP.

Much like [Liberty Media and Formula 1](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/18780/ecclestone-calls-on-liberty-media-to-make-formula-1-electric-by-2021>), Dorna is on a mission to repackage the sport of MotoGP into a [more attractive "product"](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19344/future-motoe-racing-teams-meet-during-motogps-visit-to-qatar>) that sponsors will desire to buy into. This weekend's nail-biting race, where Ducati's Andrea Dovizioso edged-out Honda's Marc Marquez to the win by a ridiculous 0.027 seconds, couldn't have helped their cause more. According to a statement, MotoGP has now amassed 22 million followers across its various social media platforms and recently surpassed 12 million likes on Facebook and 5 million followers on Instagram.

![message-editor%2F1521470984098-f182f4c6-2614-4129-b27d-09549a0e73b2.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1521470984098-f182f4c6-2614-4129-b27d-09549a0e73b2.jpg>)
*MotoGP*

![message-editor%2F1521470994159-5e8c1901-5531-4d30-98ba-433dfc78bb60.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1521470994159-5e8c1901-5531-4d30-98ba-433dfc78bb60.jpg>)
*MotoGP*

When it comes to television, 2018 sees an expansion from 91 to 101 broadcasters around the world, and you can bet that all of them liked what they saw on Sunday. The final laps of the race featured several passes among the top six riders, with the action surrounding Dovizioso, Marquez, and [Valentino Rossi](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19278/motogp-champ-valentino-rossi-signs-new-two-year-deal-with-yamaha>) heating up as the laps wound down. In the end, it came down to the final corner on the final lap, when cameras struggled to differentiate between the Honda and Ducati riders because they were so close to each other that they looked like *one* motorcycle.

![message-editor%2F1521471051489-36efff35-6e93-4c87-a5e2-221c184f78b6.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1521471051489-36efff35-6e93-4c87-a5e2-221c184f78b6.jpg>)
*MotoGP*

![message-editor%2F1521471058340-571080da-edaa-4f67-8216-92f39f96e1ff.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1521471058340-571080da-edaa-4f67-8216-92f39f96e1ff.jpg>)
*MotoGP*

"It’s a pleasure to be able to capture [every aspect of our wonderful sport](<https://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/19209/motogp-brings-rain-to-the-desert-with-artificially-enhanced-test-in-qatar>) and broadcast it to the world,” said Manel Arroyo, Managing Director of Dorna Sports. "We have a highly competitive Championship that usually goes down to the wire at the end of the season, with a group of incredible contenders for the title and ten riders battling it out for second. This will be the 27th year that Dorna has managed the television rights of the MotoGP World Championship and we do it with the same level of passion as ever."

MotoGP was one of the first world-class sports that launched its own subscription-based streaming service, just like what [Formula 1 is about to do this year](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/15343/formula-1-to-stream-online-for-2018-but-in-limited-markets>). Their smartphone-based service hasn't stopped the series from partnering with TV networks and developing cutting-edge products to cater to tech-savvy audiences. In the U.K. and Ireland, *BT Sports* and MotoGP will soon launch "360 OnBoard," which will provide live 360-degree footage from select motorcycle-mounted cameras.

## Author
Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/drive_jerry/>)