In the world of broadcasting rights, it had been rumoured that multiple parties had been in the running for the UK’s coverage of the FIA Formula E Championship.
ITV4, who also screen the BTCC, BSB and WRC, have secured the rights for the new 100 percent electrically-powered series from the word “go”. This means that the coverage is free-to-air, and makes it the best platform for the UK audience, as the channel joins FOX Sports and TV Asahi as the broadcasters confirmed thus far.
The channel itself, which leads the way in motorsport coverage in the UK, will also provide the comprehensive coverage to entice fans to watch this new revolution in racing. It will screen every race live at 4pm local time, as well as providing highlights of the practice and qualifying sessions as part of the build up before the lights go out.
Ali Russell, who is the Chief Marketing Officer at Formula E, stated with confidence that the series will be of benefit to all parties, including the fans, as they were happy to make the championship be available for screening as free-to-air: “The UK is widely considered the home of motorsport and a very important market for Formula E. As such, with its unrivalled commitment to motorsport, ITV provides the perfect platform to showcase our new fully-electric series – which will also be racing in London in June 2015 – and to appeal to a new generation of motorsport fans.”
ITV’s Director of Sport, Niall Sloane, was delighted that the new series, which really ups the ante when it comes to new technology being brought into racing, will be made more accessible to the racing fans in the UK: “It promises top-level open-wheel racing with the iconic backdrops of some of the world’s most famous cities. The coverage of this series adds another new dimension to ITV4’s motorsport portfolio.”
With these three broadcasters beaming the action onto television sets to over 200 million households worldwide, Formula E will reveal more details as to who else will help to air this fresh approach to racing with that ecological twist…
