Commercial Irish broadcaster Virgin Media Television will continue to air Extreme E, the all-electric motor racing series, after renewing its rights deal for two more years.
Virgin Media has broadcast live races and highlight shows since the series’ inaugural 2021 season on VMTV and its coverage will continue to air both for the final 2024 Extreme E campaign, which begins on February 17 in Saudi Arabia.
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The second part of the rights agreement covers the next season, which is when Extreme E will pivot to hydrogen-powered cars, with the series renamed Extreme H.
Ali Russell, managing director of Extreme E, said: “We are already into our fourth installment of Extreme E and are thrilled to have Virgin Media Television extend their association with our championship.
“Extreme E and Virgin Media Television have worked together to provide Irish viewers with an action-packed, entertaining racing product from across the globe and it is great news that we will be continuing our journey together.”
The new deal comes after Russell confirmed on Extreme E’s website that the all-electric series will be discontinued after the upcoming season as it shifts to a hydrogen-powered competition next year.
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By GlobalDataThe series had previously said Extreme E and Extreme H would co-exist, but utility manager Andy Welch instead confirmed that the championship would end in its current form, with the new Spark Racing Technologies-built hydrogen prototype to take over next season.
Mick McCaffrey, head of news and sport at Virgin Media Television, has now said: “We are delighted to continue showcasing Extreme E in Ireland.
“Virgin Media Television viewers have already enjoyed three seasons of fantastic racing action and we look forward to giving them a front-row seat once more.”
Last month, heavyweight sports broadcaster ESPN and Extreme E extended their broadcast rights tie-up in Latin America, extending a relationship that began with the inaugural 2021 season.
In mid-September, UK commercial broadcaster ITV extended its coverage deal with Extreme E for the 2024 campaign, while coverage in the US is provided by a combination of Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery.
Earlier this month, meanwhile, Extreme E announced the renewal of its partnership with tire manufacturer Continental, the championship’s official tire supplier and a founding partner.
