F1 to stream Mexican GP via Twitch
October 24, 2019
By Colin Mann
Premier motorsport category Formula 1 is to live stream on-track action from a Grand Prix weekend via the Twitch web site and app for the very first time. All sessions at the Mexican Grand Prix over the weekend of October 25th to October 27th will be shown live and free in Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Formula 1 has agreed a partnership with Twitch, the service and community for multiplayer entertainment, that will see F1 live stream every session of the 2019 Mexican Grand Prix on the platform. The partnership will enable F1 to stream the Mexican Grand Prix weekend live and free in Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden via twitch.tv and Twitch’s mobile app.
As part of the deal, interactivity and gaming elements will be added to the broadcast to really drive engagement from the community. Each session will be ‘co-streamed’ by a select group of prominent, in-market personalities, including leading German gaming influencer PietSmiet, in Germany, Switzerland and Luxembourg.
F1 will also include a data extension alongside the broadcast that allows users to predict the performance of drivers during 10-minute segments of the Grand Prix. The predictions will then be ranked and displayed according to their accuracy, providing an interactive gaming element to the broadcast.
Users could potentially witness the thrilling climax of the 2019 FIA Formula 1 drivers’ championship battle, as championship leader Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsport team mate Valtteri Bottas battle it out for the top honours. Hamilton, who secured his last two titles at the Mexican Grand Prix in 2017 and 2018, needs to take 14 more points than his team mate in Mexico City to repeat the feat and clinch his sixth drivers’ championship.
According to Formula 1, the one-race deal is further evidence that the sport continues to innovate with its broadcast offering, leveraging Twitch’s technology, fan engagement tools, and community to reach and engage with new fans in new places as well as the traditional television audience.
“We are really excited to be partnering with Twitch to live stream content from the Mexican Grand Prix,” declared Frank Arthofer, Director of Digital and Licensing. “Audiences in Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway and Sweden will be able to visit Twitch’s website and app and tune in to all the action from practice, qualifying and the race itself. Twitch has incredible reach, a unique creative spin on sports media coverage and an engaged digital audience; they are a perfect partner for us to be working with on this project.”
“Millions of people tune in to Twitch every day to watch live content and form communities around their shared interests,” noted Farhan Ahmed, Strategic Partnerships Manager. “We’re thrilled to partner with Formula 1 to bring exciting motor racing content to our community in a way that’s unique, shared, and interactive. It’s a pleasure to work with a partner who embraces our community experience, creating something truly exciting, enhanced through co-streaming and extensions.”
“As Formula 1 fans, the co-stream is something very special for Team PietSmiet,” said the influencer. “We are looking forward to experiencing the race weekend live with the community.”