Formula E’s Disney+ future will bring added credibility and consumers that one of its most significant American voice believes will take it to a new level.
Dan Towriss, the CEO of TWG Motorsports and Group 1001, who owns and controls the Andretti Formula E Team, has told Formula E Notebook that the team will benefit from the deal which was announced earlier this month.
“I think it absolutely opens doors for commercial partners, just from the streaming platform, the reach and the content that gets created,” said Towriss. “I think also with a name like Disney in partnership with Formula E, it just brings a tremendous amount of credibility to the series as well. So, between that, the new car, the Gen4 car looks fantastic.
“We’re really excited about the future prospects for the series and the more people that see it, the more that I think they’re going to love it.”
Specific details of the Disney+ deal are yet to emerge but Formula E said it was set to ‘leverage Disney’s global streaming ecosystem to reach millions of new households while complementing its established portfolio of free-to-air and linear broadcast partners around the world, ensuring fans continue to enjoy broad access across key markets.’
Formula E CEO, Jeff Dodds, told FEN at the announcement that he wanted the deal to enable the series to “tell stories and unlock the intensity that comes with Formula E, and we clearly think that Disney are brilliant to doing that with a true global footprint.
“I think from their (Disney) side they understand the power of sports and how important sport is becoming for appointment to view television,” added Dodds.
“Sports one of the only categories and genres that continues to grow year on year on year. They’ve seen the power of that. They understand the tailwinds we’ve got around technology around innovation around sustainability, so they’re very interested in being part of a growing sport.”
Although the Disney+ deal is a global broadcasting plan, its significance in the U.S are clear. Formula E has three American flagged entrants – Andretti, Penske and CUPRA Kiro, and its ultimate ownership derives from the U.S also with its rooting within the Liberty group of companies.
Additionally, it will have two U.S races in two different locations for the first time since 2015 when it visited Miami and Long Beach. The Circuit of the Americas in Austin will be added to the Miami Hard Rock Stadium race, and it is something that Andretti’s Towriss is relishing.
“I think it’s a fantastic place to go,” said Towriss. “So not just having races in the US, but having them at serious tracks, having them at recognisable places like Hard Rock Stadium and at COTA.
“COTA’s expanding with their partnership in Formula 1, and so they’re building more amenities around that track. And so being able to race there, NASCAR fans go to COTA, Formula 1 fans go to COTA, and now Formula E fans will go to COTA, and we think that’s fantastic.”
