LONDON, UK and PORTLAND, Ore.—Formula E, the world’s first all-electric FIA World Championship motorsports series, announced that it has inked a deal with Roku that would make the streamer the U.S. home to racing coverage. The league also expanded its existing contract with long-standing partner CBS to air more live races
Beginning in January 2024, five races will air live on CBS Television Network and simulcast on Paramount+—both channels are already integrated on Roku’s platform. Roku users who subscribe to Paramount+ can view races airing on the service through the Paramount+ app on Roku’s Sports Experience. CBS Sports Network will also show one highlights program per round.
The new partnerships, which mark Roku’s first-ever live sports rights acquisition, reflect growing interest in all-electric motorsport racing in the U.S,, Formula E said. Starting next season, 11 races in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship will be available on The Roku Channel, a leader in free ad-supported streaming, and will also be accessible through the Sports Experience on Roku’s Home Screen.
In addition to offering streamers the live races, Roku will also bring its audience a robust offering of Formula E library content, including Formula E's docu-follow series “Unplugged,” as well as race previews, highlights, replays of all races, and more.
The announcement of the multi-year broadcast deal for the U.S. market follows the first ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race at the Portland International Raceway in Oregon. Last week, Formula E confirmed that the series will return to Portland in season 10 when the new broadcast partnership will be active.
“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 U.S, said 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.”
"It’s an honor 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,” said David Eilenberg, Head of Content, Roku Media. “We look forward to working together with Formula E, as well as our long-standing 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+,” said Billy Stone, Programming, CBS Sports.
