Formula E Expands Broadcast Agreements In The US

Electric racing series Formula E has announced new broadcast distribution agreements in the US with CBS and streaming platform Roku.

The announcement follows the conclusion of the sold-out ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race at the Portland International Raceway in Oregon on 24th June.

Under terms of the new agreements, longstanding partner CBS will broadcast more live races than ever before with five races broadcast annually, while Roku, which holds more than 70 million global active accounts, will stream 11 races per season.

CBS Sports Network will also show one highlights programme per round while Roku will offer its audience a range of shoulder programming and archive, including Formula E’s docuseries ‘Unplugged’, race previews, highlights and replays of all races.

Roku’s rights acquisition marks the company’s first foray into live sports an according to a statement by Formula E, ‘reflects growing interest in all-electric motorsport racing in the United States.’

“This is a powerful new partnership with CBS and Roku that will dramatically increase Formula E’s audience reach and maximise discoverability of our programming in the USA,” says Aarti Dabas, Chief Media Officer, Formula E. “We value the strength of our ongoing relationship with CBS and are delighted to join forces with Roku and supercharge Formula E content on their market-leading platform.”

David Eilenberg, Head of Content, Roku Media, said, “It’s an honour to partner with Formula E on Roku’s first-ever live sports partnership, making it easier for millions of TV streamers to discover the thrill of Formula E races through the unique integrated viewing experiences only available on Roku. We look forward to working together with Formula E, as well as our longstanding partners at CBS and Paramount+, to drive viewership to this programming and to connect new audiences with the exhilarating world of Formula E.”

“Formula E is innovative and exciting racing, and we’re thrilled to expand our partnership and broadcast more live races across CBS and Paramount+,” added Billy Stone, Programming, CBS Sports.

The next race on the 2022/23 Formula E calendar is the Hankook Rome ePrix at the Circuito Cittadino dell’EUR in Italy on 15th and 16th July.