Extreme E digital platforms hit 100m video views
September 8, 2021
Extreme E, the all-electric off-road racing series, has seen its digital footprint grow exponentially since the beginning of 2021, reaching a landmark 100 million video views on its social channels in its mid-season reporting and beating targets set at the beginning of the year.
The series saw more than one billion impressions across the social media landscape at each of its opening two X Prix events, according to a report by YouGov Sport.
By the end of June, video viewership was up over 1000 per cent on the previous six-month period on Extreme E’s digital platforms, with the series also racking up a more than 400 per cent increase in engagement. These overall figures mean Extreme E has already beaten its end-of-season projections.
There has been a particular success on youth-orientated platforms, with strong engagement of Gen Z and Millennial audiences on TikTok and Snapchat. The championship has seen an increase of over 250,000 followers on TikTok since March, with over 30 per cent female. On Snapchat, Extreme E recently launched its Discover series, ‘Send It’, helping to drive over 900,000 combined followers across all platforms.
Extreme E is also developing an extensive digital footprint in China, launching on platforms including Sina Weibo, Douyin and Kuaishou. A broad live offering across digital platforms, supported by highlights and localised shoulder content has delivered strong growth in the region.
Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “We are delighted with these figures – they are really impressive for an emerging sport, and show Extreme E to be one of the fastest-growing new sports, especially one in its first year of racing. The close alliances we have formed with TikTok, Snapchat and others have supercharged our content and audience reach, and I’m delighted with the results. These figures have blown our predictions out of the water and only halfway through the season! As a sport for purpose, we are aiming to reach a young fan base, and our digital content is vital in delivering on that ambition. Equality is a key pillar for the series, so it’s great to see a strong female following not commonly associated with motorsports. The figures show that these audiences are heavily invested in the stories the series generates: of course, there’s the racing, but the climate, legacy and equality elements of the championship resonate just as strongly.”