Extreme E has inked a multi-year deal that will bring its races live to a U.K. audience via the BBC’s media properties. The all-electric off-road racing series is seeking to raise awareness about the impact of climate change through its competition format, with races taking place in different environments. The deal is set to kick off with Extreme E’s debut in January 2021, but the exact length has not been specified.
The first race, the ocean leg, will see all-electric vehicles compete on the beaches of Dakar, Senegal, on Jan. 23-24, 2021. The circuit will then head to Saudi Arabia in March for the desert leg, Nepal in May for the mountain leg, Greenland in August for the glacier leg, and will end in the rainforest in Brazil in October.
The events will be broadcast live and free across the United Kingdom via the BBC. The U.K. is a particularly important market since the racing series is headquartered in London and is expected to attract local drivers. British racers Jamie Chadwick and Billy Monger have already signaled their intent to compete for a seat.
“Our goal with Extreme E is to open this innovative new series up to as wide an audience as possible,” says Extreme E’s chief marketing officer Ali Russell, in a statement. “Securing this deal with the BBC is a massive coup in what is a key market for us.”
Russell says the U.K. has had a groundswell of backing for sustainable technologies and has an “insatiable appetite for world-class motor racing.” Last month, the U.K. government announced plans to begin banning the sale of new gasoline cars in the country by 2035, five years earlier than a previous commitment.
Extreme E has previously announced rights deals with broadcasters in the U.S., Southeast Asia, Italy, India, New Zealand, Malaysia, Dubai and Belarus.
