Enjoyed watching the 2018/19 season of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship? Well, you're not the only one after the all-electric series scooped the prestigious Best in Sports Media award at this year's Sports Business Awards in London.
With the global debut of the radical new Gen2 car, ATTACK MODE and real-time driver telemetry, the 2018/19 season has seen the series reach a record number of viewers as fans tune in to see 22 of the world's best drivers and 11 teams go head to head on the streets of the world's most progressive cities.
Already boasting eight different winners from seven different teams in 10 rounds, the latest season has seen the series reach unprecedented levels of unpredictability. Appealing to a wide variety of viewers, Formula E continues to buck traditional broadcasting trends by appeal to younger audiences.
“We’re proud to have won gold in the ‘Best in Sports Media’ category at the Sports Business Awards this year, once again cementing what an incredible season we’ve had so far in a new era of the electric street racing series," said Formula E's Business Development Director Ali Russell.
"The ABB FIA Formula E Championship continues to innovate the world of motorsport, but it’s imperative for us to educate and entertain our fans with unparalleled coverage of the most disruptive sport out there on TV and digital platforms today.”
Since the inaugural race in 2014, Formula E has become the fastest growing sport on the planet, ushering in a number of groundbreaking developments over the course of five seasons. Making its global debut in the 2018/19 season was ATTACK MODE, which lets drivers pick up an additional 25kW of power during the race by straying off the racing line. Since it's first use in the season opener in Saudi Arabia, the power mode has caused chaos with in-race strategies, changed the course of a number of races throughout the season. Alongside ATTACK MODE, the radical new Gen2 car, which boasts more power and double the energy storage capacity of the Gen1 car, made is debut on the global street racing scene alongside new, real-time driver telemetry, which broadcasts the drivers' stress level during the race.
"It's a great achievement and testament to all of our team at Aurora Media and North One Television that Formula E TV has picked up this important award," said Lawrence Duffy, Managing Director at Aurora Media.
"We’ve been working with the ABB FIA Formula E Championship since the first race in Beijing in 2014, so to be able to follow the series on its journey with such monumental growth in awareness and fanbase has been a pleasure. We are all excited to continue to bring more Formula E TV innovation to screens in the future.”