Formula E achieved record-breaking TV audiences and social media engagements for the season-opening Mexico race on January 13th, which featured Usain Bolt speed-testing the Formula E GENBETA car in the race coverage. The next two rounds in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship take place on January 26th and 27th in Saudi Arabia.
The live overnight race audience in key markets grew by 57 per cent for the 2024 Hankook Mexico City E-Prix, the first race of Season 10, compared to the corresponding opening race of last season, also in Mexico.
The biggest growth in TV audiences came in the US and UK. An all-time high for the US market of 3.4 million viewers watched the as-live full race broadcast by long-standing partner CBS on its main network channel, beating the previous high on the same channel for the New York City E-Prix in 2021.
New partner Roku, the streaming home of Formula E in the US, featured the race prominently on its Home Screen and Sports Zone, and created a dedicated Formula E Zone. The experience featured a variety of programming including the live race, highlights and previews, series such as Formula E Unplugged, and a new post-race programme Recharge, which streams exclusively on The Roku Channel.
In the UK, TV audiences saw a 29 per cent increase on the Mexico race last season as viewers tuned in to the first race broadcast by new TV partner, TNT Sports, with coverage led by new Formula E presenter, Jermaine Jenas.
China, Canada, Brazil and Mexico all also attracted significant audience increases for the opening race of the season.
Formula E’s official social media channels were also breaking records, with more social impressions during the Mexico City race weekend than in any other race weekend in Formula E history. Social impressions jumped 205 per cent year on year, while the website also saw its busiest day since launch.An Instagram Reel became the championship’s most-viewed social content of all time, with more than 25 million views so far. Posted in the Mexico City race week, it features TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E team driver, António Félix da Costa, promoting the new Formula E Unplugged docu-series.
Bolt’s driving experience in Formula E’s GENBETA race car, which saw him try out the 0-60mph acceleration speed of the world-record breaking vehicle, generated global media coverage. Bolt managed 0-60mph in 2.89 seconds in the 400kW ‘unlocked’ GEN3 race car – but has demanded a return to beat his time.
