CBS Sports To Air ABB FIA Formula E World Championship

Formula E and CBS Sports have announced a new multi-year partnership to air the all-electric racing series live across various platforms from Season Seven.

“CBS is a leading media network in the USA with an impressive multi-platform offering and a growing portfolio of premium international sports content,” says Aarti Dabas, Chief Media Officer of Formula E. “We are delighted to partner with them in an important market for the Formula E ecosystem. We will work closely with CBS to grow affinity with Americans for the most unpredictable racing series in the world. Together we will develop bespoke live content, highlights and other programming for the market, focused on drivers and teams, their rivalries and Formula E’s purpose of racing for better futures.”

A multi-year deal will see Formula E air live across CBS Sports platforms from the opening round of the 2020/21 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship in Santiago starting on January 16, 2021. The partnership brings over 60 hours of live race coverage to various CBS Sports platforms. For Formula E, the relationship signifies an important opportunity to grow the sport’s audience and brand in a key strategic market.

All of the 14 Formula E races scheduled on the Season Seven calendar will air live on CBS Sports platforms, each in a 90-minute program. A minimum of two races, including the New York City E-Prix, will be broadcast on CBS Television Network. At least six more will be shown live on CBS Sports Network, as will a bespoke 1-hour preview show per race week. The remaining races, as well as all qualifying sessions, will be streamed on CBS Sports Digital platforms.

The USA is a priority market for Formula E and its ecosystem. Having raced in the United States every year since its inception, the ABB FIA Formula E Championship made history in 2017, when it introduced racing to the five boroughs of New York City. Formula E is also proud to have American racing teams BMW i Andretti Motorsport and DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT competing for the world title.

Formula E has more manufacturers on its grid than any other world class racing series and the USA is a critical market for many of those carmakers. The exposure that a media partnership with CBS provides will be vital for Formula E’s automotive partners launching electric road cars in years to come.

“We are excited to add Formula E to our CBS Sports portfolio, the innovative and thrilling races are a great fit for our live programming line-up.” said CBS Sports EVP of Programming, Dan Weinberg. “Formula E is a leader in the push to make sports more environmentally friendly, we’re proud to partner with such a progressive organisation and bring great content to race fans across the US.“