Extreme H, the nascent hydrogen-powered off-road racing series, has added UK commercial broadcaster ITV to its growing list of rights partners as it prepares to launch later this year.
Under the multi-year deal, ITV will air Extreme H live across its ITV4 linear channel and ITVX streaming platform, starting with this year’s inaugural Extreme H World Cup.
The deal builds on ITV’s previous rights deal with Extreme E, the predecessor of Extreme H, which saw it show live races on its primary ITV1 and ITV4 channels and ITVX.
The commercial broadcaster held Extreme E’s free-to-air rights in the UK from 2022 and last renewed its rights deal in 2023.
Ali Russell, managing director of Extreme H, said: “It is fantastic news to be extending our broadcast partnership with ITV as we introduce Extreme H to the world.
“This collaboration ensures that our innovative hydrogen-powered championship, featuring a gender-equal racing format, will continue to reach UK audiences on one of the most prominent platforms.”
The deal expands Extreme H’s coverage in the UK after securing Warner Bros. Discovery’s (WBD) TNT Sports as its pay-TV broadcaster partner in the UK and Ireland as part of the media giant’s rights package across Europe.
That deal, announced last week, will see Extreme H aired in more than 50 territories across Europe via the WBD-owned Eurosport channels, with streaming coverage on the broadcaster’s HBO Max and Discovery+ platforms.
Extreme H is the hydrogen-based spinoff of Extreme E, which canceled the remainder of its 2024 season after events in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and Scotland to prioritize the series’ transition to hydrogen.
The FIA - motor racing's governing body - initially planned for Extreme H to become an official world championship for 2026, but in December last year, it announced the launch of the Extreme H World Cup in 2025 instead.
The Extreme H World Cup does not, as yet, have a set of dates or a location assigned.
The new series will feature an off-road race format to showcase the viability of hydrogen power as a clean energy solution. Organizers will also prioritize gender parity within motorsports by fielding teams that have an equal number of male and female drivers.
Extreme H has been working to beef up its portfolio of broadcast partners ahead of this year’s debut.
Along with WBD, the series announced a significant rights deal in India with Sony Pictures Network in May, stretching across linear and digital platforms, and secured international sports broadcaster ESPN for coverage in Latin America, covering Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.
US broadcaster Fox Sports announced it had agreed a three-year rights deal for Extreme H running through the 2027 campaign, which it will air on its FS1 and FS2 channels.
Italian broadcaster Mediaset, meanwhile, struck a deal to cover the 2025 Extreme H season after holding the rights to Extreme E since 2021.
