beIN Sports acquires MENA rights to Extreme E
April 20, 2021
beIN Media Group, the global sports and entertainment group, has secured the non-exclusive broadcast rights to the debut season of motorsport series Extreme E across 24 countries in the Middle East & North Africa (MENA).
beIN Sports will air live races featuring the 100 per cent electric motorsport cars, highlight shows and the series’ 20-part magazine programme, Electric Odyssey.
The Extreme E season began with the inaugural race in Saudi Arabia on April 3rd, and will go on to visit Senegal (May 29th-30th), Greenland (August 28th-29th), Brazil (October 23rd-24th) and Patagonia (December 11th-12th).
By holding races in areas that are suffering at the hands of the climate crisis, such as deserts, tropical rainforests and the Arctic, the aim of the series is to raise viewers’ awareness of environmental issues and inspire them to take steps towards protecting the planet.
Duncan Walkinshaw, Director of Programmes at beIN MENA, said: “We are delighted to broadcast Extreme E to our millions of subscribers all across the Middle East and North Africa. Extreme E is not only committed to raising awareness of climate change, but it is also focused on promoting gender equality and creating a level playing field for all, with 50 per cent of its drivers being women. By broadcasting the series, we look forward to shining a spotlight on the inspiring women in motorsport, aligning with the ambition behind our beINSPIRED project.”
Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E added: “This is another great broadcaster relationship for Extreme E and I’m delighted beIN Group will be showing our unique sport for purpose. Our inaugural X Prix in AlUla, Saudi Arabia was a great success and we can’t wait to continue the race for both our planet and to crown the very first Extreme E champions as we look ahead to our second X Prix – the Ocean X Prix – in Lac Rose, Senegal at the end of May. It is going to a great spectacle for fans across the world.”
beIN entertains and operates in 43 countries globally, including 24 countries across the MENA region.