Electric SUV off-road racing series Extreme E has finalised a three-year broadcast deal with Dutch free-to-air commercial broadcaster RTL 7.
The series said that the deal, which has been signed ahead of its inaugural season in 2021, would ensure that over 15 million people in the Netherlands would be able to watch the races.
Ali Russell, chief marketing officer at Extreme E, said: “Extreme E is slightly different to most motorsport series in that we won’t have spectators on-site. This means our broadcast agreements are even more vital, as we aim to make the championship as accessible as possible for all of our fans.”
Peter van der Vorst, director of content at RTL Netherlands, remarked: “We have a long track-record in embracing new initiatives and building brands in motorsport. When the first plans of Extreme E unfolded, it certainly sparked our interest.
“The connection between motorsport and electric vehicles in conjunction with the plan to help preserve the environment and protect the planet is unique.”
The series last week announced a streaming rights agreement with Chinese digital media platform China Sports. The channel, also known as zhibo.tv, will show all live race action from the series, as well as highlights, preview and review shows and magazine programmes.
Extreme E also has broadcast deals in place with the BBC (UK), Fox Sports (US, Canada and the Caribbean), RDS (Canada), Fox Sports Asia (Southeast Asia), Fox Sports Australia, Mediaset (Italy), Sony India (Indian subcontinent), TVNZ (New Zealand), RTM (Malaysia), Dubai Sports (Middle East and North Africa) and BTRC (Belarus).