Extreme E becomes the latest motorsport event to be broadcast by KSA Sports, and follows in the footsteps of F1, the Dakar Rally and Formula E.
KSA Sports – Saudi Arabia’s TV sports network – has acquired the rights to broadcast the debut season of Extreme E.
KSA Sports will broadcast live all five of the brand-new FIA-endorsed rallies as they take place over the course of the year at different locations across the world. The first of those is Saudi Arabia’s own AlUla race, which will be Extreme E’s first-ever X Prix taking place on April 3 and 4. The new electric vehicle competition will pit ten teams and 20 drivers against each other on the dunes of AlUla over two days.
Following the inaugural race in Saudi Arabia (3-4 April), the series will visit Senegal (29-30 May), Greenland (28-29 August), Brazil (23-24 October) and Patagonia (11-12 December). By holding races in areas that are suffering at the hands of the environmental crisis, such as tropical rainforests and the Arctic, the aim is to raise viewers’ awareness and interest in environmental issues. Extreme E’s mission to ‘race without a trace’ and minimise local impact, means the evert will not be open to spectators, with fans instead invited to follow the action through the live TV broadcast and on social media.
Ten teams are signed up for Season one of Extreme E, including three owned by current and former Formula One World Champions, with Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Jenson Button founding X44, Rosberg X Racing and JBXE, respectively.
Speaking about the deal, Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “We are very pleased to welcome KSA Sports, Saudi Arabia’s leading TV sports network, to the Extreme E family. As we prepare to go racing for the first time, in the stunning setting of AlUla, there is no better channel for us to reach our Saudi Arabian fans.
“Extreme E is a truly innovative and exciting new electric racing format, with world-class male and female drivers, which not only seeks to entertain but also educate its audience on important environmental stories at the same time.”
Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), who is co-organising next month’s debut race in Saudi Arabia, added: “The support given by KSA Sports has been the driving force in allowing us to grow motorsports across the Kingdom to this point.
“It is to our immense delight that they have chosen to continue to back our events with the agreement to broadcast next month’s AlUla Extreme E X Prix and the season thereafter, which itself marks a new dawn for motorsports on a global scale.”
For Saudi Arabia, the hosting of Extreme E marks another motor racing milestone. The goals of Saudi Vision 2030 have driven considerable investment by the Kingdom into hosting some of the world’s biggest sporting events.
The aim is to introduce millions of Saudi nationals to sport and promote wider sporting activity nationwide to ensure a healthier, more active population.
