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Relief for German Formula E fans: Eurosport to air second season

Sports TV channel Eurosport will air all 11 rounds of the second Formula E season. The events will be televised live and free-to-air. The popular TV channel now holds the exclusive rights to show Formula E on television as well as digitally.

Not only German Formula E fans will benefit from the new deal: Eurosport will air the live-action in Poland, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark as well as Germany. Non-exclusive TV-right have also been secured for Iceland. The deal was already strongly rumored on Tuesday with the official announcement from Formula E itself following today.

Chief Executive Officer of Eurosport, Peter Hutton, said: “Motorsport is one of Eurosport’s pillars, with the channel broadcasting major events including MotoGP, FIA WTCC, Le Mans 24 Hours and the World Superbike Championship. Securing the rights to Formula E further bolsters the channel’s portfolio with a unique brand of racing. It supports our strategy to bring must-have content to local viewers whilst reaching a wider audience.

Hans-Jurgen Abt, team principal ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport, added: “Formula E live on free television – that’s great news for all motorsport fans in Germany. We already received a lot of positive feedback about our commitment during the first season and are now looking forward to making the next step together with Eurosport. Our race cars are already on their way to Beijing and our team is well prepared. We are ready for the season opener in China.

The importance of the deal for Germany has to be underlined: As one of the most important countries in terms of electromobility it came as a surprise to many that the inaugural Formula E season was not broadcasted on Free TV, but on Pay-TV channel Sky. Dirk Grosse, Sky Germany’s Sports Communication Director, told e-racing.net in an interview that approximately 50.000 people followed the first four races of the first season on Sky. It is unknown whether the numbers dropped in the course of the season as Grosse refused to give further information on the remaining races.

Eurosport should expect a higher audience share due to the vast interest in the all-electric racing series in Germany and the prolonged critique of Sky Germany’s coverage.

Article by: Antonia Grzelak
Photo credit: FIA Formula E Media

About Antonia Grzelak
Toni is the founder and CEO of e-racing.net. Apart from taking care of management and marketing, she acts as the editor-in-chief and is responsible for ERN's content strategy. Furthermore, she is our very own caffeine addict and is barely ever seen without a huge coffee mug in her hand.