Formula E In Talks With BT Sport, Sky

Formula E, the world’s first electric single-seater motor racing series, "is in talks with BT Sport and BSkyB" about a U.K. TV rights deal, according to Christian Sylt of the London TELEGRAPH. Formula E "is due to launch in September next year."

So far, Formula E "has signed two TV deals which cover more than 90 countries." At the end of November it announced a multi-year agreement with Japanese network TV Asahi. It joined Fox Sports, which will broadcast Formula E across Latin America and the Far East as well as Canada, Australia and some European countries excluding the U.K.

Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag said, "Broadcasters kind of all got a bit excited after the TV Asahi announcement. We are talking with BT Sport and with Sky." He added that a deal "is not likely to be done until drivers are announced in early 2014 as this will increase the attention on the series." Agag: "The strategy in the U.K. and in Europe is to wait until the drivers are out in February or March then we go for it because we can get more value."

Well-known names "are expected to be amongst the field." Agag said that they "will largely be ex-F1 drivers with Bruno Senna, nephew of the late Brazilian champion Ayrton, hotly tipped to be one of them." Agag added that despite being in talks with BT Sport and BSkyB, his ultimate aim is "to do free-to-air even if we get less money. Free-to-air would be great: BBC or ITV." Telegraph