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Disney+ and ESPN+ secure Formula E broadcast rights in major expansion deal
The Apex Times

THE APEX TIMES

Business/The Apex Times/Aug 11, 12:20 PM EDT

Disney+ and ESPN+ secure Formula E broadcast rights in major expansion deal

The Walt Disney Company says it will stream Formula E across Disney+ and ESPN+ in the U.S. and bring the series to Disney+ in most international markets starting with the 2026/27 season, aligning the championship’s GEN4 debut with Disney’s growing slate of live sports.

4 min readEditor-approved Apex article

Disney is expanding its footprint in live motorsports, announcing a multi-year deal to make the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship a broadcast and streaming destination for Disney+ and ESPN+. The company said all Formula E races will be carried on Disney+ and ESPN+ in the United States and on Disney+ in most international markets, beginning with the 2026/27 season.

The agreement spans 21 rounds across 13 events in global cities, with the upcoming season scheduled to start on December 18 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Disney said later stops include Austin, Miami, Monaco and Mexico City, before the final round on July 25, 2027, in Tokyo. The company framed the schedule as part of a broader push to build Formula E into a year-round, digitally distributed sports property.

Disney tied the rights move to Formula E’s continued growth and to the sport’s technical and sustainability positioning. Joe Earley, Co-President, Direct-to-Consumer, Disney Entertainment, said Formula E’s blend of competition and “groundbreaking technology” is distinctive, and that Disney is “excited to help power the championship’s next chapter” on Disney+ while giving fans “front row access” to races as they happen.

Formula E chief executive Jeff Dodds said the deal reflects “incredible momentum” behind the championship and called Disney’s reach and storytelling a way to introduce Formula E to new audiences. He also linked the partnership to the sport’s transition into the GEN4 era, describing the platform as a means to accelerate Formula E’s global growth as it prepares a new generation of cars and race-weekend format.

For fans, Disney’s release emphasized the shift to GEN4 technology as a headline feature of the 2026/27 season. The company said GEN4 cars will deliver 600kW of power, described as equivalent to more than 815 horsepower, and will be capable of accelerating from 0 to 60 mph in about 1.8 seconds. Disney also said GEN4 would be about 30% faster than an F1 car, using acceleration as the benchmark, and framed it as “the fastest and most powerful cars in Formula E history.”

Disney also described changes to the way races are packaged. Alongside what it called an “enhanced race weekend format,” the company said the schedule is designed to increase competitive pressure on track, raise the level of sporting jeopardy, and boost excitement for viewers worldwide. While the release did not provide additional rule details, it suggests that the rights expansion is timed to a season structure meant to make races more compelling for streaming audiences.

The company said the Formula E addition increases a live programming slate on Disney+ that already includes major international and global sports events. Disney cited the 2026 FIFA World Cup in South America, select LALIGA football rights in Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, the UK, Ireland and France, NBA games in the Philippines, and the UEFA Women’s Champions League across Europe and Latin America.

Disney also pointed to ESPN studio programming that is available on Disney+, naming SportsCenter+ and Vibe Check as examples. The motorsports rights fit into a broader media strategy that uses streaming platforms not only to deliver live events but also to build sports audiences through recurring studio shows and related content formats.

Formula E, now in its 12th season, is set to conclude its current year in London on August 15 and 16, with the world championship expected to be decided in the final race of the season. Disney’s announcement does not clarify whether existing carriage details for the 2025/26 season change as a result, but it makes clear that the new rights footprint is planned to begin with the 2026/27 campaign.

What is still not fully spelled out in the announcement is the commercial and operational detail of how “all races” will be distributed across time zones, including any tape-delay approach, platform-level differences between Disney+ and ESPN+ in the U.S., and whether there will be localized commentary or supplementary programming. The company also did not share financial terms, which are often a major factor in evaluating the strategic scale of sports-rights deals.

For Disney watchers, the next things to track are how the company markets the GEN4-era debut to drive subscriptions and engagement, and whether Formula E’s expanded streaming footprint translates into measurable increases in viewership across key regions. The 2026/27 season’s opening in Jeddah and the international arc ending in Tokyo also provide a concrete roadmap for seasonal campaign execution across multiple markets.

Why It Matters

  • The deal strengthens Disney’s push to make Disney+ a broader live-sports hub, adding another high-frequency global rights package beyond soccer and major leagues.
  • Formula E’s GEN4 debut and updated race-weekend format create a marketing “launch window” that could help Disney differentiate its streaming sports inventory with technology-led storytelling.
  • Broadcasting in both Disney+ and ESPN+ in the U.S. suggests Disney is aiming to consolidate fragmented sports audiences across its subscription and sports-brand platforms.

Sources

Key Facts

  • Disney announced a multi-year deal that will bring all Formula E races to Disney+ and ESPN+ in the U.S. and to Disney+ in most international markets starting with the 2026/27 season.
  • The 2026/27 Formula E calendar is described as 21 rounds across 13 events, beginning December 18 in Jeddah and ending July 25, 2027, in Tokyo.
  • Disney said Formula E races will be available on Disney+ and ESPN+ in the United States as part of the new rights arrangement.
  • Disney linked the deal to Formula E’s GEN4 era, citing 600kW of power and a 0 to 60 mph time of about 1.8 seconds.
  • The company said the 2026/27 season will introduce an enhanced race-weekend format intended to increase on-track competitiveness and jeopardy.
  • Disney positioned the announcement as an expansion of its broader live sports lineup on Disney+, alongside major soccer and basketball properties it listed in its release.

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Disney+ and ESPN+ secure Formula E broadcast rights in major expansion deal | The Apex Times