Welcome to Liberty Media Corporation's 2026 third quarter earnings call. During the presentation, all participants will be in a listen-only mode. Afterwards, we will conduct a question-and-answer session. At that time, if you have a question, please press star one on your telephone. As a reminder, this conference will be recorded today, November 5th. I would now like to turn the call over to Hooper Stevens, Senior Vice President of Investor Relations. Please go ahead.
Thank you for joining today's call. This call today will include certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual events or results could differ materially due to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those mentioned in the most recent Forms 10-K and 10-Q filed by Liberty Media with the SEC. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this call, and Liberty expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in Liberty's expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based. On today's call, we will discuss certain non-GAAP financial measures for Liberty Media, including Adjusted OIBDA and constant currency for MotoGP.
The required definitions and reconciliations for Liberty Media can be found on Schedule 1 and MotoGP on Schedule 2, are at the end of our earnings press release issued today, which is available on Liberty's website. Speaking on today's call, today we have Liberty's President and CEO, Derek Chang, Liberty's Chief Accounting and Principal Financial Officer, Brian Wendling, Formula 1's President and CEO, Stefano Domenicali, MotoGP's new Deputy CEO, Carlos Ezpeleta, and other members of management will also be available for Q&A. With that, I'll turn it over to Derek.
Thank you, Hooper, and good morning, everyone. Big day here at Liberty, so let's get started. Our operating businesses are performing incredibly well and had a great third quarter. Our goals at Liberty Media remain unchanged as we continue investing behind two iconic franchises. As you saw this morning, we also completed a significant transaction with Dr. John Malone. I'll touch on Formula 1 first. The underlying business is performing incredibly well, and we continue to see demand for Formula 1 running ahead of what we can supply. We successfully staged the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and achieved record attendance levels. Brian will take you through the quarter and the calendar mechanics, but I'd like to applaud our team for its nimble response to a very dynamic and, at times, challenging year.
We also raced for the first time in Madrid at a brand-new circuit and sold out in year one. We are expanding the Sprint format to 10 races next year while protecting its scarcity. Just a few weeks ago, we announced that we will return to Africa with a race in Rwanda starting early next decade, bringing our racing to every inhabited continent. A huge congratulations to Kimi Antonelli on winning his first championship, to Alexandra and Charles, who welcomed their new baby daughter, Bianca, just this week. Madrid showed us firsthand how Formula 1 races have the potential to transcend from a pure sporting event to an entertainment and business showcase. The circuit's proximity to a global city, its premium hospitality offerings, and broad range of F1 and team activations throughout the weekend make it a compelling destination.
The race weekend is transformed into a broader cultural experience that drives meaningful impact across the city beyond the track. When I think about where this goes over time, I can see Madrid evolving the same way Singapore and Abu Dhabi have, namely a place where sport, spectacle, business, and entertainment intersect. We're continuously developing new ways to expand our sport, whether that's bringing F1 Live to Milan next year, building out our licensing business, or investing in our people and facilities. We are excited about F1's financial growth trajectory. Turning to MotoGP, I feel confident that we've laid important building blocks to accelerating the sport's growth in 2027. With the teams and manufacturers agreement signed this summer, extending out through 2031, we now have a stable framework to co-invest and collaborate together to grow the sport.
This quarter, we strengthened the organization by promoting Carlos Ezpeleta to Deputy CEO and adding new senior executives with deep media and sports experience. Carlos will speak in more detail about the new management team, but these appointments represent an important step forward in accelerating MotoGP's growth and realizing the sport's tremendous potential. I am looking forward to welcoming these impressive individuals to MotoGP and supporting them in executing their priorities. Also, during the Formula 1 weekend in Austin, MotoGP put bikes and riders on the circuit in front of the F1 crowd to promote its own race there next April. It is the first time we have put one sport directly in front of the other's audience while maintaining the authenticity of both sports.
Through the on-track demonstration and Paddock Club presence, MotoGP reached a sold-out crowd of 467,000 F1 fans at the Austin GP and generated over 50 million impressions online across MotoGP and F1 digital platforms. At the Liberty level, I'm pleased to announce that Philip Boeckman joined us from Cravath in October as our new Chief Legal Officer. I would like to thank Renee Wilm for her years of service with Liberty. This morning, we also announced that we have acquired all shares of Liberty Media's high-vote Series B common stock held by Dr. John Malone and certain related entities in exchange for shares of Liberty Media's low-vote Series A common stock and no-vote Series C common stock. As a result of this transaction, John's aggregate voting power declined to approximately 3%. Transaction provides better alignment of voting power and economic ownership for our shareholders while simplifying our capital structure.
I would like to thank John for working closely and constructively with the company on this transaction. In addition to being an American business legend, he has served as a leader, mentor, and partner to many of us, including myself. John just reiterated to me the other day that he is very supportive of management and is optimistic about the growth prospects for our businesses. While we now have a different corporate structure, we look forward to continuing to be able to lean on his wisdom and advice. In closing, I remain confident in the growth trajectory of both our world-class assets and excited for all to come. With that, Brian will take you through the financials, and then Stefano and Carlos will cover the operating businesses.
Thank you, Derek, and good morning, everyone. We will start with Formula 1 as always. Just a reminder, I would like to focus on year-to-date comparisons and remind you that it remains best to focus on our business on a full-year basis. Calendar changes continue to be the theme this quarter, but the underlying business, as Derek said, continues to perform incredibly well. As you may recall, results for the first half of the year recognized season-based revenue and costs with respect to a revised 22-race calendar. During the third quarter, we rescheduled the Bahrain Grand Prix, which was held in Malaysia in October, and that brings our expected race count up to 23 races for the year.
For the third quarter, we have therefore realigned proportionate recognition of season-based revenue and costs with that current 23-race expectation, with numbers reflecting the accounting required to have recognized 15/23 or 65% of those season-based revenue and costs through September 30. Note that additional 2026 calendar changes may be necessary as we move through the year. We expect to return to a full 24-race calendar next season in line with the published calendar. The third quarter of 2026 held seven races compared to six races in the third quarter of 2025. Year-to-date, F1 held two fewer races with 15 races held in the current year-to-date period compared to 17 races held last year. Year-to-date revenue was relatively flat despite the lower race count, and adjusted EBITDA declined 5%, driven by that calendar variance.
A decline in primary revenue was driven by lower race promotion and media rights revenue, and the reduction in race promotion revenue was due to the calendar variance, again, with two fewer races held, while media rights revenue was impacted largely by the one-time revenue associated with the release of the F1 movie last year. Media rights revenue was also impacted by the effect of the calendar variance on the recognition of season-based revenue, with 15 out of 23 races staged year-to-date, or approximately 65%, versus 17 out of 24 races last year, or 71% of season-based revenue. These decreases were largely offset by underlying contractual fee increases and strong sponsorship growth. Other revenue increased due to growth in hospitality revenue from strong demand for the Paddock Club, continued momentum in the licensing business, and growth in activities at Grand Prix Plaza.
Partially offsetting this increase was lower F3 revenue due to the sale of cars at the beginning of the new F3 vehicle cycle in 2025. Adjusted EBITDA decreased year-to-date because of the revenue fluctuations and increased expenses. Increased operating expenses included higher expenses related to the delivery of hospitality offerings associated with the Paddock Club, commissions, and partner servicing costs associated with the strong underlying revenue growth, and increased race promotion and higher FIA fees, as well as freight costs. Selling, general, and administrative expenses increased, driven by higher personnel and information technology costs, partially offset by lower marketing costs driven by the non-recurring 75th season launch event last year. Team payments as a percentage of pre-team share Adjusted EBITDA were 58.7% year-to-date and were accrued proportionately based on the 23-race calendar assumption.
For the full year, we still expect to see roughly 200 basis point improvement in leverage on this metric, in line with the average we've seen over the past four years. As a reminder, for the remainder of the term of the new Concorde Agreement through 2030, we expect that payout percentage to remain relatively stable. Team payments are best analyzed on a full-year basis due to quarterly fluctuations in team payments as a percentage of Adjusted EBITDA. Now flipping over to MotoGP, a reminder here that we closed the acquisition on July 3rd of last year, so our financial results prior to the date of acquisition are presented on a pro forma basis as though the transaction had occurred on January 1, 2024. The majority of MotoGP's revenue and costs are EUR-denominated, and as such, are subject to translational impacts from foreign exchange fluctuations.
In the following discussion, I will focus on constant currency results, and similar to Formula 1, I'll also focus on year-to-date comparisons. Year-over-year comparisons are impacted by the mix of races, not just the number, and a reminder that MotoGP flyaway races generally carry higher costs. That includes freight, travel, and IRTA fees. The third quarter of 2026 held five races compared to seven races in the third quarter of 2025. Year-to-date through the third quarter, MotoGP also held two fewer races, with 15 held in the current year-to-date period compared to 17 races held in the prior year period.
Revenue decreased at MotoGP year to date, driven by a decline in race promotion from holding two fewer events, a reduction in contractual media rights revenue, and a decline in other revenue due to MotoGP's new hospitality agreement with Quint, whereby MotoGP now recognizes hospitality revenue and costs on a net basis. Partially offsetting this decline was underlying contractual increases in race promotion and sponsorship revenue. Adjusted EBITDA also declined year to date, driven by the reduction in revenue. Cost of MotoGP motorsport revenue did decline due to the impact of two fewer races held, which resulted in lower event organizational and freight expenses, as well as the lower hospitality costs associated with the new hospitality agreement with Quint. Looking briefly at corporate and other results, year to date, revenue was $18 million, which relates to rental income generated by Grand Prix Plaza in Las Vegas.
Corporate and other Adjusted OIBDA was a loss of $36 million, and this includes the Grand Prix Plaza rental income as well as corporate expenses. At quarter end, Liberty Media had cash and liquid investments of approximately $2.3 billion, which included $1.3 billion of cash at F1 and $199 million of cash at MotoGP. The total principal amount of Liberty Media's debt was approximately $5.5 billion at quarter end, which included $3.3 billion of debt at Formula 1 and $1 billion of debt at MotoGP, with $1.2 billion of debt at the corporate level.
In August, Liberty Media issued $690 million aggregate principal amount of new convertible notes due 2032, and the proceeds will be used to repay the 2.25% convertible senior notes in 2027, as well as we purchased a capped call that will fund additional costs associated, potential costs associated with the 2027 convertible notes and for general corporate purposes. F1's $500 million revolver and MotoGP's EUR 100 million revolver both remain undrawn, and at quarter end, Liberty Media's net leverage was 3.0 times. Formula 1 and MotoGP are both in compliance with their debt covenants at quarter end. With that, I will turn it over to Stefano to discuss Formula 1.
Thanks, Brian. What an incredible season we have had so far. After a thrilling championship battle so far this season, I want to congratulate Kimi Antonelli on becoming the youngest driver in Formula 1 history to win the Drivers' Championship, and also congratulate his Mercedes team, who are poised to win the Constructors' Championship. I also want to applaud Red Bull and Ford on their first victories together under the new partnership in Formula 1. We expect the great racing to continue as we head into the final races of the season, with a number of drivers battling to finish second and the teams pushing hard to secure their position in the Constructors' Championship. The incredible level of competition continues to translate directly into strong fan engagement.
Season to date through Austin, we have welcomed 5.8 million fans and had 18 consecutive sold-out events, with 11 races setting new attendance records. Audiences are up, our social channels continue to grow, and the feedback from our fans in our surveys has been overwhelmingly positive, reflecting both the quality of the racing and the drama of the storylines week after week. I'm proud to say that we again demonstrate F1's ability to solve challenges by successfully staging the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, and the event was a resounding success, reflecting the resilience of our business model and the incredible ability of our teams and partners to find creative solutions to ensure we can go racing. In fact, it was the biggest Grand Prix attendance ever at Sepang, drawing 261,000 fans.
I want to again thank His Majesty the King of Bahrain, His Royal Highness Prince Salman, His Majesties the King of Malaysia, and their respective governments, together with the President of the FIA and our promoters, for their continued partnership and flexibility during a dynamic year. I will also note that the disruption we experienced in the Middle East this year does not change our long-term regional strategy and ongoing partnership with our promoters. This year, we currently remain scheduled to complete our calendar this season, and at this stage, continue to plan to finish the season in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. We will continue to monitor the situation, and as always, the safety and security of everyone in the sport will remain our first and foremost priority.
We remain committed to bringing Formula 1 to fans everywhere, and we continue to expand both the racing itself and our geographic footprint to make that happen. Looking further ahead, we recently announced several exciting additions to our 2027 calendar and beyond. We are kicking off the 2027 season with the F1 Live, an expanded format of the event in London in 2025. The week-long activity will take place in Milan, with three core components, including a Formula 1 showcase, a fan festival, and a live show. We look forward to sharing more details soon. 2027 will see an expansion of our sprint format to 10 sprint races, up from six this year. The format continues to add excitement to our events whilst providing valuable additional inventory and commercial opportunities for our partners.
We are also thrilled to welcome Portugal and Turkey back to the calendar next year, giving our sport the opportunity to reach new fans. We recently announced a landmark 10-year agreement to bring the Formula 1 African Grand Prix on the calendar in the early 2030s. This race will mark our return to the African continent for the first time since 1993. We have always seen Africa as an important part of Formula 1's future, but we are determined to return in the right way, with the right partner, and with a long-term commitment and clear vision for creating meaningful impact. With Rwanda joining the calendar, in the near future, we will be racing on every inhabited continent in the world. Africa is estimated to be home to more than 100 million Formula 1 fans already, with almost 60% of fans in key sub-Saharan markets under the age of 35.
The long-term growth opportunity here is enormous. I want to thank His Excellency President Paul Kagame, the government of Rwanda, the Rwanda Development Board, and the FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem for their partnership in securing this opportunity, and we could not be more excited about what this means for the future of Formula 1. Turning to fan engagement, growth in global TV audiences continue in the third quarter, with several events, including the Italian and Dutch event, recording double-digit percentage growth. Our social and digital profile continued to thrive as well. We grew our social media following to 129 million, up 16% year-over-year, and our total YouTube views have now surpassed 1.7 billion, up 30% year-over-year, with 75 million hours of watch time. Our YouTube highlights views reached 217 million, up 25% year-over-year, with 16.2 million hours watched.
Diving into more details around our business, momentum continues to accelerate in our hospitality business. Looking ahead to next year, our 2026 Paddock Club sales will commence in early November, and we already see great momentum with an increase in team and customer requests. We expanded our premium hospitality offering, launching with LVMH a new dining experience, The Out Lap, in Belgium, the Netherlands, Monza, and Madrid. After a successful launch, we plan to make it available at all our European races in 2027. Our collaboration with Soho House and Lewis Hamilton House 44 also continued to be a standout success as well and will grow from nine locations this year to 13 in 2027. Austin also hosted the second iteration of our Gordon Ramsay F1 Paddock Experience, as well as the debut of the Paddock Bar by Formula 1 at the iconic downtown Sagebrush venue.
The Paddock Bar by Formula 1 was an off-track experience in the heart of Austin and highlights the way in which we are expanding the race weekend experience beyond the track and for our fans. The race itself generated over $1 billion in economic impact for the city this year. We have also continued to expand our Paddock Club capacity. In Monza, we added a Paddock Club extension, increasing capacity by 15%. In Austin, we opened a brand-new Paddock Club space within the Turn 1 structure, increasing our capacity also by 15%. With demand so strong, we are also exploring opportunities for adding Paddock Club capacity in 2027 at China, Silverstone, Austria, and several other races to meet this growing demand. We are also gearing up for the Las Vegas Grand Prix in two weeks' time, and this year progress has been phenomenal.
Ticket revenue, including hospitality, is pacing ahead of sponsorship, has already surpassed 2025 levels. We are bringing the whole city to life with programming across the race weekend, kicking things off with our second F1 Business Summit and closing the event out with our Sphere after-party featuring the Backstreet Boys. Looking ahead, the Las Vegas Grand Prix remains key, not just to our local community partners, for whom it has generated over $3 billion in cumulative economic impact so far, but to our U.S. brands and growth strategy as well. Our licensing continues to build momentum with new agreements signed, including Leica, where together we are going to be launching a bespoke Formula 1 edition to match acclaim globally. We also extended our Disney partnership throughout 2028 and are now including Disney and Pixar Cars under the expanded partnership.
This quarter, we opened three additional F1 flagship stores, plus new off-track F1 hubs at the Austin race and in Mexico. The expansion of our F1 hub underscores our new philosophy of getting deeper into the city in which we race, and it is a popular fan activation, nucleus which continues to support our overall retail sales growth. In Austin, we saw record-breaking levels of merchandise sold. In gaming, we built upon our existing licensing partner with Mattel, announcing a gaming collaboration to integrate the F1 Hot Wheels cars into the Hot Wheels Infinite Rush video game. Releasing next year, the game will feature all 22 official F1 cars. I am also proud to share that our licensed traveling F1 exhibition won the Best Touring Exhibition award at the GXG Awards in Madrid this October, which is a significant industry-wide recognition.
The exhibition has now visited 11 cities and four continents, with more than two million tickets sold to date. Commercially, we have continued to make great progress, also extending our media rights relation with DAZN in Spain, Portugal, and Andorra through 2030, and renewing Liqui Moly sponsorship in a new multi-year agreement. We have more exciting announcements to come as we head into the year-end. While there remains strong momentum across every part of our business, we believe Formula 1 has an exciting growth journey ahead, and we are more confident than ever that the foundation we continue to build today will drive enduring value for our partners and stakeholders for the years to come. Avanti tutta, full speed ahead. Now, I will turn the call to Carlos to discuss MotoGP. Ciao.
Good morning, and thank you, Stefano. MotoGP Group is entering a period of transformational change, and we are pleased to continue that journey with the support of Liberty Media. The sport is in a fantastic place, with another season of close competition and incredible racing. Our vision for growth remains the same, to share MotoGP's raw energy and defiant spirit with the world through compelling storytelling, world-class racing, and cultural moments that extend our reach far beyond the track. We have made tangible progress laying the foundations to accelerate our sport's growth. In September, we strengthened our executive team with an impressive slate of new leadership hires, including new chief commercial strategy, operating, and media officers, amongst others. These appointments build on the addition of Vince Russell as chief financial officer earlier this year. I would like to spend a moment discussing our updated organizational structure.
Denitsa Batchvarova joined us in September as chief strategy officer, bringing two decades of strategic leadership experience across finance, sports, and entertainment, most recently with UFC and TKO Group Holdings. Joining us in January 2027, we have Louise Young, who has been appointed as chief operating officer following more than eight years with Formula 1, most recently as chief race promotion officer, bringing deep experience working with promoters, circuits, and governments, which will be invaluable as we expand our global calendar. Chief Commercial Officer Ryan Norys will join MotoGP from Tottenham Hotspur to oversee partnership, sponsorship, licensing, hospitality, marketing, and digital. Samir Pabari will become chief media officer, having previously held senior leadership roles at the NFL, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Manchester United. In addition to being responsible for our media rights operations, he will also oversee the commercial growth of MotoGP's direct-to-consumer streaming service.
Together, this team brings proven experience scaling some of the most successful properties in global sports and entertainment, and I am excited to have them on board. The strength of the sporting product has never been clearer. This season has delivered extraordinary racing, unpredictable storylines, and fierce competition across the grid. As we approach the final rounds, Marc Márquez is on the verge of another historic championship win. The real story has been the depth of talent and competitiveness throughout MotoGP, which continues to set the benchmark for racing worldwide. That competitiveness has supported strong fan engagement both on and off track. Season to date, through Indonesia, five races have set new circuit attendance records. Our digital and social momentum also continues to build. We ended the quarter with 63 million total followers across platforms. TikTok delivered standout growth, with engagement up over 60% and viewership up over 40%.
Looking ahead, we will launch our 2027 in Rio de Janeiro with a spectacular celebration that brings our sports directly to the heart of the city. We're planning a bike exhibition along Botafogo Beach, bringing together every rider, team, and manufacturer in front of a global audience. The program will also feature internationally acclaimed artists alongside leading Brazilian musicians and entertainers, celebrating Rio's vibrant music scene and creating a full festival atmosphere for our fans. Now in its third year, our season launch event has become a defining moment in our calendar and a powerful global showcase for our sport. We also announced a new race weekend format starting next season, designed to make the on-track action even more exciting for fans. Sprint Qualifying will become its own separate session, with qualifying one and qualifying two moving to Saturday morning.
The new structure is built to make the weekend easier to follow whilst ensuring each day delivers its own meaningful sporting outcome. We believe this will create additional storylines throughout the full race weekend, make the format more intuitive for new fans, and further support our ongoing commitment to safety by creating a clearer and more balanced competitive schedule for riders and teams. On the team side, this has been one of the busiest transfers windows in recent memory, with a total of 17 rider movements out of 22 riders as teams finalize their 2027 lineups. The MotoGP grid will also welcome five new riders next season, including Moto2 graduates Daniel Holgado, Izan Guevara, David Alonso, and Senna Agius, as well as reigning World Superbike champion Nicolò Bulega.
The influx of young and exciting talent underscores the strength of our riders' development pathway and reinforces confidence in the long-term future of the championship. A key part of our growth strategy is taking MotoGP to new audiences through complementary sports entertainment platforms. Recent examples include our activation alongside FIBA in Misano and our first-ever presence at a Formula 1 weekend during the USA Grand Prix in Austin. These initiatives create meaningful opportunities to showcase MotoGP to highly engaged sports fans, expand our reach, and drive greater awareness of the championship in markets around the world. On the business side, we also had a productive quarter with several new and renewed partnerships. In media rights, we renewed our partnership with DAZN, Kayo Sports, and Foxtel in Australia in a multi-year agreement beginning in 2027. Within race promotion, we revealed the impressive Adelaide track layout.
The promoter has received environmental approval for the circuit works, and we're also thrilled to announce that Red Bull will become the title sponsor of the Australian Grand Prix starting next season. We extended our agreement with Portugal for another three seasons through 2029, and also renewed Mugello, home of the Italian Grand Prix, for another five years through 2031. We're proud of the progress we've made this quarter and look forward to updating the investor community. Now I'll turn the call back over to Derek.
Thank you, everyone. We appreciate your continued interest in Liberty Media. With that, we'll open the call up for Q&A. Operator?
Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, if you would like to ask a question, please press star one on your telephone keypad, and a confirmation tone will indicate your line is in the question queue. You may press star two if you would like to remove your question from the queue. For participants using speaker equipment, it may be necessary to pick up your handset before pressing the star keys. One moment, please, while we call for questions. The first question comes from the line of Bryan Kraft with Deutsche Bank. Please proceed.
Hi, good morning. I wanted to ask, given today's announcements regarding Dr. Malone, would the company consider collapsing the Series A and Series C classes into a single class of stock, all having one vote per share? If this is no longer going to be a controlled company, why continue to have the As and the Cs outstanding? Just wondering if there's anything specific that would prevent you from doing that. Thanks.
Thank you, Bryan, for the question. This transaction was obviously designed to take care of John and his B shares as he transitions on some of the stuff on the personal side for him. It was not meant to do anything more than that. That being said, we as a company, as you rightly point out, will continue to evaluate what the optimal capital structure is and governance structure, and that's something that we will continue to do and look to optimize that for all of our shareholders.
Okay, thanks.
Operator, next question, please.
The next question comes from the line of Sean Diffley with Morgan Stanley. Please proceed.
Great. Thanks very much. Two, if I may. The first on the Malone transaction, I was wondering if you could provide any color on the comment that John received a number of unsolicited offers from third parties, and then your rationale for the rights plan, which expires in November 2027. And then on the business, nice upside in the F1 other revenue line versus our estimates. I am guessing it was driven by hospitality, maybe helped by Madrid, but also licensing. Any further detail or sizing you could provide for us there? Thanks very much.
Sure. Thanks, Sean. On your question and John receiving offers, as you might imagine, I think probably from time to time, John's received offers because he obviously controlled a significant set of votes with a relatively low economic interest. We won't comment any further on specifics of that. We did get into a situation where it then made sense for, as we've already pointed out in the press release, made sense for us to go ahead and work with John on a constructive solution that helps us effectively control our own destiny moving forward. I think that worked out well. I think everyone's very pleased with how this transaction ended up. What was the second piece of that question? Sorry.
The rights offering. The rights plan.
Obviously, as the complexion of the governance has changed from John holding such a significant portion of the votes in one place to a bit more. I mean, we still have a two-class share structure even without the Bs. I think as we look to promote stability in the near term through this transition, we thought the rights offering was the right thing to do, as I was answering Bryan's question, as we look to optimize what the capital structure is. I think on the last question on the business front with respect to the other revenues, I'll hand that over to Brian.
Yeah, Sean. The main drivers, as you rightly point out, are hospitality and licensing. Madrid is one of the larger Paddock Clubs on the circuit, so that was a nice uptick in hospitality. We also, you've seen growth in hospitality throughout the year at a lot of our other locations as well. So, impacted by Madrid, certainly favorably, but spread across the rest of the races. Licensing still performing strong. Those two then are offset by the F3 engine cycle from last year, where we had engine sales in the prior year that we don't have this year. The Grand Prix Plaza activities at LVGP have been growing this year versus the prior year. Those are the main drivers.
Thanks very much.
The next question comes from the line of David Karnovsky with JPMorgan. Please proceed.
Hey, thanks. Maybe just following up on the transactions, Derek, does this change anything from your perspective on how you think about go-forward capital allocation, target leverage, just other Liberty-level matters? And Brian, are there any outstanding B shares or B share options following this?
Yeah. David, I think to answer your question, we're still focused primarily on growing the businesses that we have. As we stated previously, investing behind those businesses and growth plans that they have is probably the biggest priority as we think about other forms of capital allocation. It's not inconsistent at all with what we've said previously in terms of where we might place investments. Ultimately, we are in the process of, again, evaluating optimal capital structure, optimal leverage levels. I would say that given the environment that we're in right now, we're probably being cautious in terms of cash. With respect to the B shares, there are 3%, I believe-
3%
of outstanding on a voting basis.
Yeah
of B shares. Then from an option standpoint, with what we did with John, I think there are no options left outstanding.
Okay. Then just a separate one to the cautiousness you just mentioned, question that has to do with kind of the Middle East and the races there obviously has gotten a lot of attention. Just be great to kind of hear the latest on how you're thinking about the rest of the calendar, the Imola backup, and then we might as well ask about 2027, given there's some races on the calendar in March, and how you think about flexibility just in the calendar and what contingencies you have with the longer lead time.
Sure. Let me take that, and then I can hand that on the F1 side over to Stefano. But the calendar is sort of proceeding along as it's laid out right now. Clearly, given what's going on, we are monitoring the situation, frankly, on a daily basis, and we'll adjust if we need to. First and foremost is safety and security of anyone in either sport, Formula 1 or MotoGP, and that will be paramount. That being said, we have a backup plan, as you guys know, with respect to Formula 1 and the races at the end of this season. And Stefano and his team have backup plans for next season too, in the event that the situation continues to be outstanding. But with that, I'll let Stefano give you some more detail.
Well, thanks, Derek. I think that you said exactly where we are. I think that we've proven to be as much as rational as possible and try to be, as always, creative and constructive to make sure that the championship run despite the complexity of the geopolitical situation. I reiterate once again, our thankful to His Royal Highness Prince Salman of Bahrain and the King of Malaysia to allow to have one race in a place that no one would thought it was possible. Therefore, that is our commitment, and our commitment is in front of our fans, and our commitment is in front of our partners, sponsors, and teams. Together with the federation, of course, as Derek was saying before, we mentioned we are monitoring the situation and safety first for everyone. That's why we were not emotional before, and we will stay rational up to the end.
We have plans of contingency, but as you can imagine, on our complexity in terms of logistics, in terms of administration, in terms of selling, it's quite important. I think that so far, we have proven to be strong in that respect.
Thank you.
The next question comes from the line of Joe Stauff with Susquehanna International Group. Please proceed.
Thank you. Morning, Derek, Brian. First, can you give us an update on Las Vegas Grand Prix and the ticket pacings there? Then, a question on MotoGP, Carlos or Derek or Brian, can you remind us just in terms of the number of new promoter contracts that take effect in the 2027 season and then the 2028 season?
Sure. Hi, Joe. We will go in reverse because I will turn it over to Brian and then Stefano on the Vegas question. On MotoGP, in 2027, we have Argentina and Adelaide in Australia coming online. I do not believe at this point we have announced any new ones for 2028, but Carlos, is that correct?
Yeah, we have not announced any new events joining in 2028. We have a number of renewals. A big part of the calendar for 2027 are renewals entering into effect in 2027.
Yeah, I think I misspoke. I meant to ask on renewals. Sorry about that.
So for renewals, the exact number I have to get back to you, but it is probably around 75% of the calendar.
Thank you.
Then on the-
Yeah, with regard to Las Vegas, I could say, in a nutshell, the situation is looking to be very, very good. Thanks to the incredible work of Emily Prazer and all the team there in Vegas. What is happening in Vegas in a couple of weeks will be the best for sure in term of revenue and in term of cost management. On top of that is even more important than that, I think that we were able to have and to build an incredible solid future with all the community of Vegas. The extension for many, many years is because after a difficult start, I think that we are proven to be an asset, not only for the championship, but also for the city.
So very proudly, I think that this Grand Prix will see that revenue will be high, the cost contained, and in term of attendance, it will be fantastic. A lot of quality people that will come and to enjoy an incredible event that for many reason, and that was one of the reason why we wanted to organize it ourselves, we remain a reference for a lot of things that we're doing that is then reflected in the growth of the sport in other places of the world.
The next question comes from the line of Anthony Berni with Jefferies. Please proceed.
Hey, good morning. Thanks for taking our questions. You've called out the monetization gap between F1 and MotoGP as being a major opportunity to close. How do you foresee that unfolding over the next couple years? Which revenue streams do you think present the greatest upside, and what kind of cadence should we expect on that? Thank you.
Sure. Thanks, Anthony, for the question. Yes, you're right. We have called out that gap, and that is the opportunity that we see. I think in the nearer term, what we're seeing is probably on the promoter side, so the track fees that we're going to the race fees, excuse me, that we're going to be getting from our local promoters. That's probably where you're going to see the increases to begin with. Then as we move forward, I would see us both on the media rights and sponsorship side. That probably doesn't happen because some of those are longer deals, and it takes a while to lay in the sponsorship side, like we saw with Formula 1. I don't think we really hit our stride till probably five years into the business.
But as I think I've said previously in other settings, the fact that we are having good conversations with potential sponsors, and they see the same sort of ability to have a trajectory like we had with Formula 1, and they also understand that under Liberty, the credibility that we've developed because of what's happened with Formula 1, that we may be able to accelerate that in a way that would hopefully start to see some of those increases come sooner rather than later.
Great. Can you also provide a little bit of color on the benefits you've seen thus far from the Apple TV deal, and has Apple expressed any interest in bidding on any upcoming contracts outside the U.S.? Thank you.
Sure. I'm going to actually just let Stefano answer that question so we don't
Yeah
run each other. Go ahead, Stefano.
Thank you, Derek. Yeah, thank you. I mean, Apple TV has given us an incredible opportunity to get into the market that we wanted to be effective. I mean, the engagement to the young fans that we have, but we don't have to forget that in the U.S., our market is 40% female with an average age between 18 and 24, has given the opportunity to get into their habits and culture. We are doing a lot of other things that will be focused to grow and expanding their activity using us all together to be step by step getting to more of what the culture of the American sport fans. This will allow us not only to be focused on the sport, but also being Apple in other dimension. We are hitting the dimension we are interested in, lifestyle, entertainment, sport, music.
These are all the things that Apple is very, very strong, and they are very happy as we are about this new deal. On the other hand, the answer is yes. It's because they are really understanding that potentially, and this is part of our discussion, if there are opportunities that can build in other markets, they will do it. Because, of course, they see and we can see this effect could be even bigger in the future. Even if, as we always said, our strategy is not to have one main media partner all around the world. It's to make sure that we maximize the opportunity that we can have market by market. But once again, yes, they're going to do it as soon as this opportunity will be open for them.
Yeah. Thanks, Stefano. I think to put a better point on it, the affiliation with the Apple brand and Formula 1, the two together are very complementary, and I think that that is what Stefano spoke to in his introductory remarks on sort of the elevation of the sport into a global entertainment brand. Apple being part of that is very complementary. I think then the other part is probably on the product side, where I think anyone you speak to would say the product as a whole has probably exceeded expectations, and they continue to think about what innovation will happen and what new innovation they can add to the product side. Finally, Apple as a potential bidder in other markets is helpful, even if we don't necessarily go with them in those markets. Just tightening the markets is helpful from a demand standpoint.
Thanks, Anthony. Operator, next question.
The next question comes from the line of Steven Cahall with Wells Fargo and Company. Please proceed.
Thank you. Derek, I was wondering if you could talk about what you are seeing in VIP experiences. I know you have added capacity like the Turn 1 Clubhouse at COTA in Austin. Could you help us with what VIP revenue has grown year-on-year this year, and what sort of capacity expansion do you think you can drive over the next few years with more like that? Finally, would you consider breaking out VIP revenue separately? I think it is a growth driver of the company that kind of gets lost. Thank you.
Sure. Before we go into F1 on VIP, one of the things I want to also highlight is what we are doing at MotoGP with respect to VIP, where working with Quint, we are completely overhauling that product and expect to introduce over time here a much higher quality product that will be well received on a B2B basis as well as the fans of the sport. So stay tuned there. On the Formula 1 side, I will turn it over to Brian on the specifics of any of these numbers, and then Stefano can probably give us better color more broadly on where the upgrades are happening.
Yeah. Specifically on your question, would we ever consider breaking it out? Certainly, if it gets to the size where it is required under SEC rules, we certainly would break it out, but we have a little bit of ways to go for that. In terms of I will do a high-level commentary, but basically, most of the revenue growth you are seeing in hospitality, there are some new areas that are helping to drive that growth, but it is largely just due to the Paddock Club growth at most of the venues, like we commented earlier. Madrid did come online, and it is a relatively larger Paddock Club compared to what we had before. It replaced Imola, so you are seeing growth there.
I will let Stefano comment on it, but as we said before, the company is experimenting with House 44, The Out Lap, lots of different types of VIP offerings.
Yeah. Thanks, Brian. Steven, yes, I would say the main factor of this is because we wanted to extend our experience for all the fans. Of course, the more we get into the so-called VIP experience, we need to offer services and things that are not possible to have in other situations. So the fact that we have now more and different products that are diversified and, of course, with different kind of pricing position is really the thing that we saw growing. That connected with the fact that having long-term deal with partners and promoter allow us to ask their investment in the dimension that we believe is right, always remembering that the quality is an asset for us.
I do not want to be presumptive, but because we have been seen as a reference in term of hospitality in an experiential world, in the world of sport business and entertainment platform, we need to keep that focus at the top of our priority, and this will happen in the future. The good news that I can share already is that for the next year, for example, our capacity is almost gone because there is such a request that allow us to push and work on the quality on the offering that we want to give to our fans and to our guests.
Next.
Thank you.
Pardon me?
Our next and final question comes from the line of Stephen Laszczyk with Goldman Sachs. Please proceed.
Great. Thanks for taking the questions. On the F1 sponsorship side, Derek, Stefano, would just be curious if you could give us an update on where we stand with bringing in some new logos across some of the verticals you called out earlier this year, I think AI, travel, and fitness. Then if I could, a longer term one, just on the opportunity in Asia. It feels like there's momentum in the region. Would just be curious what you need to see or gain conviction on to maybe lean into the region in a bigger way and when we maybe could expect that to be an opportunity. Thank you.
Stefano, right?
Thank you, Stephen.
On the sponsors.
Yeah, sure. Go ahead, Derek.
No, no, go ahead. On the sponsors, Stefano.
Okay. No, I would say on the sponsorship, I would say I would like to use the word stay tuned because our life is followed by a lot of things that are positive. And it's not only on the fact that the partners that are with us, they want to stay with even a stronger position, but because of the opportunity of other categories, we will bring some new partners and be able to show that the momentum also in this stream of revenue is very, very solid and very, very strong. I can connect that also to the fact that you correctly saying that we see an incredible potential on the Far East market, Far East Asia market, because, of course, everyone was focused on the fact that we need to develop our growth in U.S., which is for sure a very important market.
But as you correctly say, the Far East Asia market represent for us another opportunity that needs to be kept for the future. That's another where in the next couple of years, we're definitely going to be very effective in trying to have another step of growth there because the market will allow us to be even bigger with activities that we are preparing for the growth.
I'd like to just add to that, which is, across both Formula 1 and MotoGP, three of the largest markets for us and priority markets are for now and over the next sort of 10 years are, continue to be the U.S., where obviously we've made huge inroads with F1, but I think there's still a ways to go. Clearly we're only in the beginning stages with MotoGP in the U.S. I think that China and India, I've spoken about recently, represent opportunities for us. We need to go about them sort of the right way, but there is a lot of affinity for premium sports over in those markets. The whole concept of what we're trying to do from a global, as being a global entertainment brand resonates in those markets. We have sort of both MotoGP for its own reasons in terms of those markets.
A lot of India, Southeast Asia have used, frankly, motorcycles as primary modes of transportation, so a lot of appeal. But I think that the more general concept of those markets being sort of large, those markets having an affinity for brand, entertainment, celebrity, all that stuff that I think our sports are going to bring to the table, make those, in our minds, attractive opportunities going forward. So with that, I think we will wrap the call. Thank you, everyone, for your interest, as usual. Again, big day here, but good things to come. So thank you.
Thank you. This concludes today's conference. You may disconnect your lines at this time, and enjoy the rest of your day.