BT Sport has acquired media rights to the Extreme E electronic motor-racing series, as the tournament eyes up expansion in new markets.
Under the terms of the non-exclusive agreement, BT Sport will provide coverage of races, previews and highlights, as well as broadcast its own magazine show.
“Sports broadcasting, like every industry, has a part to play in climate change and our coverage of Extreme E will be a constructive step in highlighting positive environmental messages to our customers,” remarked Simon Green, Head of BT Sport.
“I know how important this is as part of BT’s ongoing efforts to become a net zero carbon business by 2045 and for BT Sport to become one of the greenest broadcasters in the UK.”
In addition to BT Sport, Sky Sports will also provide coverage of the series, which will feature five Grand Prixs taking place in different areas of the world affected by climate change, beginning with Saudi Arabia on 20-22 March and finishing in Argentina on 11-12 December. Senegal, Brazil and Greenland will also host races.
The series has been pursuing a policy of maximum exposure, striking a range of broadcasting agreements with a variety of partners, including Discovery – which will cover the tournament in 50 European countries – whilst a deal with ESPN has secured broadcasting in Latin America.
Jamie Reigle, Chief Executive of Extreme E, has emphasised a need to expand to even more international markets, identifying Japan, India and the west coast of the US in particular.
“I look at the markets where we need to have an impact,” he commented, as reported by SportPro. “In no particular order, Japan is big on that list. Mainland China in a tier one city [Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen] is big on that list as well.”
He added: “India, the more I think about it, the more excited I get. You look at that market, it has a young urban population, an internationalists outlook.
“[It’s] English speaking generally in terms of the segment we’re going after, and you have an opportunity to skip a generation in terms of electric mobility and showcase the future.”
