International sports broadcaster ESPN has secured rights in Latin America to the inaugural FIA Extreme H World Cup, the upcoming hydrogen-powered off-road racing series.
The rights deal covers Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile and will be aired in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. ESPN will air live races, highlights, and exclusive content of the series, which is scheduled to launch later this year.
Ali Russell, managing director of the Extreme H World Cup, said: “Partnering with ESPN Latin America is a fantastic opportunity to introduce the world’s first hydrogen off-road racing series to a passionate audience.
“Latin America is a crucial market for us, and we’re thrilled to share the excitement of Extreme H while demonstrating hydrogen’s potential to drive a sustainable future.”
ESPN previously held broadcast rights in Latin America for the series’ previous iteration as Extreme E, the electric off-road SUV championship, which began in 2021.
Extreme H is the hydrogen-based spinoff of Extreme E, which cancelled the remainder of its 2024 season after events in Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and Scotland to prioritize the series’ transition to hydrogen.
Extreme E had previously said it could co-exist alongside Extreme H, however, it was confirmed at the beginning of 2024 that the electric championship would end after the 2024 season, with the new Spark Racing Technologies-built hydrogen prototype taking over from 2025.
The FIA governing body initially planned for Extreme H to become an official world championship for 2026, but in December 2024, it announced the launch of the Extreme H World Cup in 2025 instead.
The new series will feature an off-road race format to showcase the viability of hydrogen power as a clean energy solution. Organizers will also prioritize gender parity within motor sports by fielding teams that have an equal number of male and female drivers.
In October, US broadcaster Fox Sports announced it had agreed a three-year rights deal for Extreme H running through the 2027 campaign, which it will air on its FS1 and FS2 channels.
Italian broadcaster Mediaset, meanwhile, struck a deal to cover the 2025 Extreme H season after holding the rights to Extreme E since 2021. Sportcal