FEBRUARY 27, 2003

RTL to pay $91m a year for F1 TV rights in Germany

The RTL network has concluded a new four-year deal with the Formula One group to continue its coverage of F1 in Germany. The company is reportedly paying $91m a year for the races which are amongst the most popular TV shows in the country, thanks mainly to Michael Schumacher's recent successes with Ferrari.

The news is a big boost to Formula One and is one of a number of big new deals which Bernie Ecclestone has managed to pull off in recent months to help boost the revenues of the company, which has suffered because of the lack of interest in the pay-per-view services it has been offering in recent years.