E1 and DAZN pen global FTA media rights deal

Multi-year contract builds on three-race deal signed in 2024.
E1

The all-electric E1 powerboat championship has agreed a multi-year broadcast deal with sports streaming service DAZN.

Contract:

  • DAZN will broadcast all sessions of the championship for free
  • The final race of each weekend will be broadcast exclusively by DAZN across key international territories including Canada, DACH, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, New Zealand and Japan
  • DAZN to create content with E1 celebrity team owners and male and female pilots

Context:

This multi-year contract builds on the three-race deal signed last year, with DAZN evidently seeing enough from that short-term agreement to recommit long term. Being broadcast on the platform’s free tier will be crucial in E1’s efforts to build an audience, while the addition of high-profile team owners like LeBron James, who joined fellow sporting greats Tom Brady and Rafael Nadal at the end of January, should give the series extra attention. 

The arrangement also further builds out DAZN’s freemium motorsport offering, having already agreed deals with the likes of the eSkootr Championship and the World Supercross Championship, highlighting the company’s move to position itself as the home of more niche global motorsport properties. DAZN is reportedly nearing a US$1 billion investment from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is the principal partner of E1.

Comment:

Rodi Basso, co-founder and chief executive at E1, said: “At E1, we’re driven by innovation and pushing the boundaries of possibility. In DAZN, we have a broadcaster who shares our vision to engage the sports fans of the future through technological advancement and unique sporting entertainment.

“This season, we continue in our mission to redefine racing on water, providing sports fans with a thrilling spectacle at the intersection of motorsport, entertainment and sustainability. Fans can expect more drama, jeopardy, and adrenaline as the RaceBirds take flight once again.”

Coming next:

E1 heads to Doha, Qatar, for the second event of its 2025 season from 20th to 22nd February.

Go deeper:

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