Formula One Management (FOM) has signed a one-race deal to show every session from the Mexico Grand Prix on online streaming platform Twitch in selected European markets.
The deal covers Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway and Sweden, and will be accessible on Twitch’s twitch.tv website and app.
FOM has said that the races will be co-streamed on the channel’s of regional influencers, naming German Twitch influencer PietSmiet as its representative for Germany.
An interactive gaming element will be incorporated into the stream with viewers being given the opportunity to predict racers’ performances over a 10-minute period of the race. Those predictions will then be ranked based on their accuracy and displayed via an in-stream leaderboard.
Formula One director of digital and licencing Frank Arthofer said: “Twitch has incredible reach, a unique creative spin on sports media coverage and an engaged digital audience; they are a perfect partner for us to be working with on this project.”
FOM has made steps to build its online exposure and last year launched an OTT platform to further that aim. The platform was not expected to be an instant moneymaker with Arthofer saying that it was launched with a 10-year strategy in mind.
Formula One racing has a passionate fanbase in Germany and Switzerland which made its voice heard after Sky Deutschland dropped the property during 2018. The pay-television broadcaster bought the property back in February.
The Nordic Entertainment Group holds the Formula One rights in Sweden, Denmark and Norway after acquiring them on a three-year deal between 2019 and 2021.
