Aurora and North One to bring Extreme E's broadcast to life with cutting-edge approach

Extreme E has confirmed that All3Media group companies Aurora Media Worldwide and North One will act as host broadcasters in a multi-season deal that will see the companies tell the story of this remarkable championship across the globe.

The partnership which has supported Formula E since inception will now bring Extreme E to life through a brand new hybrid storytelling approach, combining sport and scientific stories highlighting the planet’s plight, using sports as its lens.

Ali Russell, Chief Marketing Officer at Extreme E, said: “As Extreme E is taking place in remote locations, with no fans on-site, our broadcast content is the primary window to our sport and is crucial to our success.

“Aurora Media Worldwide and North One are trusted leaders in broadcasting and I know they will bring our unique motorsport adventure and our incredible locations to life in a way that inspires our fans in ways never seen before in motorsport.  

“Whilst world-class sporting action will be at the core, our mission is to take our audiences on a journey that inspires each and every one of us to more closely consider the effect of our actions on the future of our planet, so our broadcast content will play a critical role in that goal.”

Extreme E’s five remote race locations, which include desert, arctic, rainforest, glacier and coastal sites, will provide a stunning canvas for hybrid storytelling. A significant part of the broadcast will focus on the landscapes that have been damaged by environmental issues, allowing Extreme E to tell the stories of the global climate crisis.

The live racing will be captured through a cutting-edge mix of track, on-board and live drone cameras and an innovative suite of data-driven AR and VR graphics, showcasing the unique action and extraordinary places.

The production will make use of advanced remote technology, minimising on site footprint with all shows, mastered in London, in real time, direct from all of the championship’s global locations.

The combination of track, car and earth data will create a hugely informative and immersive experience. 

Lawrence Duffy, MD, Aurora Media, said: “Once in a while a project comes along which speaks to its time. Extreme E is the most adventurous and challenging of sports properties, and one which uses sport as a power for good. It is a great privilege and responsibility to shine a light on these locations and bring this uniquely entertaining series to screen.”

North One CEO Neil Duncanson added: “We had always thought that running the World Rally Championship and broadcasting from some of the most hostile environments on the planet would always be our toughest motorsport assignment. We were wrong. Extreme E will take us all to a whole new level - in terms of the extreme locations we will visit, the cutting-edge production technology we will deploy and the array of content platforms we will serve. It is a hugely exciting proposition.”

Season 1 output will comprise over 30 hours of live race coverage plus highlights, and a 20-part supporting TV series, as well as the production of 300 short films for digital and social platforms, which chart the behind-the-scenes, sporting and climate change narrative of the championship.

St. Helena, the floating centrepiece of Extreme E that is tasked with carrying all the championship’s cargo, will also be home to a science laboratory to conduct research on the epic voyage. A dedicated filmmaker will be embedded on-board to bring the scientific and environmental stories between races to life.

Extreme E is set for its inaugural season to start in early 2021. Broadcasters signed up to take the live show so far include, the BBC (UK), Discovery (Europe and North America), FOX Sports (United States, Canada and the Caribbean), FOX Sports Asia (Southeast Asia), FOX Sports Australia, Mediaset (Italy), Sony India (Indian subcontinent), TVNZ (New Zealand), RTM (Malaysia), Dubai Sports (Middle East), RDS (Canada), China Sports Zhibo.tv (China), RTL 7 (The Netherlands), ORF (Austria), ESPN Africa and StarTimes (Africa), Saran (Turkey) and BTRC (Belarus).