The inaugural all-electric powerboating E1 World Championship has announced US national network CBS and UK commercial free-to-air broadcaster ITV as its television partners for the 2024 season in the US and UK, respectively.
CBS will broadcast the Championship on its CBS Sports Network, while ITV will show it on the ITV4 channel and the ITVX streaming service.
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Richard Botchway, assistant commissioner for sport at ITV, said: “ITVX and ITV4 are thrilled to announce a deal to showcase the excitement of E1, the world's first all-electric raceboat championship" said.
Rupert Hunter, chief commercial officer of the E1 World Championship, added: “We are proud to be delivering a global event with two of the world’s broadcasting heavyweights that will take E1 to audiences in the UK and North America.
“These broadcast deals are of great strategic importance to E1 and we believe CBS Sports and ITV are perfectly positioned to deliver the drama of our World Championship racing proposition.”
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Outside the US and UK markets, YouTube will stream the races live on E1’s official channel.
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By GlobalDataThe Championship begins in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from February 2 to 3, 2024, finishing in Hong Kong on November 10.
In total, seven races will take place in the inaugural campaign, with the organizers having so far been primarily focused on bringing high-profile sporting icons in as owners, over securing commercial partners.
The competition now has various high-profile team owners, including soccer legend Didier Drogba, Tom Brady, Rafael Nadal, Steve Aoki, Sergio Perez, and Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli.
E1 is a sister competition of motor racing’s Formula E and Extreme E, and its inaugural edition will see up to 10 teams and 20 mixed-gendered pilots racing on the water in iconic cities around the world.
The racing format will see teams of male and female pilots compete head-to-head in knockout heats, with the winners continuing to progress to a four-team final.
In late October, boutique media rights agency Aurora was appointed as the broadcast production partner for the first season.
The agency will provide live racing, highlights programming, and behind-the-scenes content during the championship’s first season.
Last week Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced a new partnership covering the Formula E single-seater motor racing series, the Extreme E off-road racing series, and E1 simultaneously.
The three racing series and the PIF have formed a partnership, known as Electric 360 (E360), with the aims of promoting the electric vehicle transition, sustainability goals, and all-electric racing.
