Under the pact with Formula E — an upstart modeled on the much bigger and more popular Formula One series — Roku will stream 11 races per season on the Roku Channel for viewers in the U.S. In addition, CBS has rights to five Formula E races each season, which the company will broadcast on CBS and stream on Paramount+ With Showtime.
Terms of the deals weren’t disclosed. For Roku, the addition of live sports will expand Roku Channel’s reach into a new content category. Launched in 2017, the Roku Channel reached U.S. households with an estimated 100 million people as of the end of 2022, offering a mixed of ad-supported programming and premium subscription services. Currently, the Roku Channel features a lineup of more than 80,000 free movies and programs and 350-plus free live linear TV channels in the U.S.
Formula E, officially called the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, is a single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars. The series was conceived in 2011 by FIA’s then-president Jean Todt and Spanish businessman Alejandro Agag, who is also the current chairman of Formula E Holdings.