Off-road electric race championship Extreme E has confirmed that a leading extreme sports and adventure satellite channel in the Middle East, MBC ACTION, will televise all five of the series’ X Prixs across its territories in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
AlUla, Saudi Arabia will host Extreme E’s inaugural race, and people from 23 Arabic-speaking countries will be able to tune in to the live action, which will be aired in English, Arabic and Farsi. In addition, race highlights, the review and magazine shows will be available on MBC ACTION, as well as its digital platforms.
Part of MBC GROUP, the largest and leading media company in the MENA, MBC ACTION is a free-to-air channel that launched in 2007. It targets the region’s young adventure enthusiasts, delivering the latest sports news, action-packed movies, dramas and thrillers. Delivering a focused and dynamic 360 experience, MBC ACTION extends out of TV, into on-ground, online and social media.
Ali Russell, chief marketing officer at Extreme E, said: “With our series making its debut in Saudi Arabia in just a matter of weeks, we are delighted to announce our broadcast agreement with MBC GROUP today. As home to the most widely watched TV networks across the Middle East and North Africa, MBC GROUP provides us with the tremendous opportunity to bring Extreme E’s innovative technology and its crucial conservation and equality message, to a vast audience of almost 300 million Arab speakers.
“I am confident that Extreme E’s incredible menu of motorsport firsts – including a thrilling fully electric format, male and female driver pairings, and the environmental stories behind the series – will delight MBC’s discerning and wide-spread audience, and we can’t wait to bring the action to them in April.”
Ashraf Younis, director of MBC ACTION, added: “With a few weeks to go until the Desert X Prix takes place in stunning AlUla, our partnership with Extreme E couldn’t have come at a better time. We cannot wait to showcase the events of this off-road racing series in the world’s largest continuous sand desert to audiences across Saudi Arabia and the rest of the MENA region. This series is definitely one to watch.”
Nine teams are confirmed to compete in Extreme E’s opening round at AlUla. The region is a place of incredible landscapes and deep history, but has suffered the detrimental effects of climate change – resulting in longer, hotter summers and increased desertification impacting its already vulnerable biodiversity. Extreme E’s mission to ‘race without a trace’ and minimise local impact means the event will not be open to spectators; instead, fans will be invited to follow the action through the live TV broadcast and on social media.
The cars, along with the rest of the championship’s freight, have arrived in Saudi Arabia on Extreme E’s floating centrepiece, the St Helena.