Formula E takes on Tata as official broadcast comms partner
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Editor
| 14 February 2023
Looking to expand further the reach of the growing racing series, Formula E has inked a strategic multi-year partnership with Tata Communications that will see the global comms tech company becoming the Official Broadcast Distribution Provider to the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.
FormulaE 22Nov2021

As the world’s first all-electric FIA World Championship and the only sport certified net zero carbon since inception, the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship aims to bring racing to the heart of cities providing an elite motorsport platform for the world’s leading automotive manufacturers to accelerate electric vehicle innovation

The new deal builds on the companies’ existing sporting broadcast business and is said to herald an “innovative” new remote broadcast production set up, reducing environmental impact associated with live TV coverage of major international sports events. It will see Tata Communications deliver high-definition, high-resolution and high-speed live broadcast content to viewers around the world as part of Formula E’s new remote broadcast production of live races, reducing the environmental impact typical of major live international sports events on TV.

The Tata software-defined media edge platform will deliver more than 160 live video and audio signals from Formula E races across continents within milliseconds, using 26 media edge locations across North America, Europe and Asia. Tata Communications media edge cloud is designed to enable very low latency video processing from any venue using first-mile internet while processing and distributing the video signals to any platform globally with high availability.

In addition, distribution will be supported by Tata Communications experts, providing round-the-clock global end-to-end managed services at all 16 races this season. The repackaged feeds are distributed to global rights holding broadcasters and digital platforms using the Tata Communications global edge infrastructure.

Tata’s involvement with Formula E also comes as the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship races in India for the first time. Viewers around the world follow the action live as 22 drivers from 11 teams including Mahindra Racing, Jaguar TCS Racing, Maserati MSG Racing and NEOM McLaren Formula E Team compete in the 2023 Greenko Hyderabad E-Prix.

"Formula E is an intense tour given its on-the-go nature. Tata Communications' support over the years has enabled state-of-the-art remote production possible, with real-time TV signal transmissions from the race venues to our broadcast centre in London and finally to the audience's screens,” commented Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle. “Thus, bringing down multiple logistical challenges, driving cost efficiencies, travel flexibilities for our employee, especially women, and reducing emissions."

“There are 85 cameras capturing the event for over 400 million people watching all over the world. To be able to facilitate that truly speaks about the power of internet that we have been able to leverage, with our dedicated media cloud and edge computing capabilities,” added Tata Communications MD and CEO A.S Lakshminarayanan. “And apart from our long-standing partnership with FIA, we extend the services to multiple major sporting leagues across the world."