The broadcaster will air all the live Extreme E races as well as a range of highlights programmes.
Virgin Media Television has picked up the rights to broadcast electric off-road SUV racing series Extreme E in Ireland.
The five-event Season 1 race calendar for Extreme E is scheduled to begin in March 2021. Races take place in the arctic, desert, rainforest, glacier, and coastal, with a remit to raise awareness of the climate crisis happening in each location.
Extreme E is also a gender-equal motorsport, with each team made up of one male and one female driver.
Extreme E aims to showcase the benefits of low carbon solutions such as the adoption of electric vehicles. There will also be a focus on the long-term positive impact Extreme E is hoping to have on the environment via its location-specific legacy programmes. These include planting one million mangroves in Senegal; youth climate education in Greenland; and supporting reforestation and agroforestry projects in the Amazon.
Virgin Media Television will show each race live and also create a variety of highlights shows.
Ali Russell, chief marketing officer at Extreme E, said: “Extreme E is a totally new sport for purpose which stands for electrification, environment and equality. It’s going to be an incredible adventure, unlike anything seen before, and we look forward to giving Virgin Media Television viewers a front row seat to all the action.”
Mick McCaffrey, head of news and sport at Virgin Media Television, added: “We are delighted to be part of this exciting project and to offer Virgin Media Television viewers an ever-increasing portfolio of top-class sporting action”
As well as Virgin Media Television in Ireland, Extreme E has broadcasting deals in place with the BBC (UK), Discovery (Europe and North America), FOX Sports (United States, Canada and the Caribbean), FOX Sports Asia (Southeast Asia), FOX Sports Australia, ESPN Africa, Mediaset (Italy), Sony India (Indian subcontinent), TVNZ (New Zealand), RTM (Malaysia), Dubai Sports (Middle East), RDS (Canada), China Sports Zhibo.tv (China), RTL 7 (The Netherlands), ORF (Austria), Arena Sport (Balkans) and BTRC (Belarus).