Disney+ wins Formula E’s global streaming home across 144 markets

Disney+, ESPN, and Formula E announced a multi-year deal that puts the all-electric world championship on Disney+ across 144 territories beginning with the 2026/27 season. In the United States, races will also stream on ESPN+. Practice, qualifying, races, preview and review shows, and highlights are part of the package. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The timing is deliberate. This weekend’s London finale still crowns Season 12 on the old map — including CBS and Roku in the U.S. The new home opens with Gen4 cars in December, starting in Jeddah on Dec. 18, with stops that include Austin, Miami, Monaco, and Mexico City before a Tokyo finale on July 25, 2027. Formula E’s press materials pitch Gen4 as the series’ fastest era yet: 600 kW of power and a claimed 0–60 mph time around 1.8 seconds.

For Disney, Formula E fits a live-sports push already mixing World Cup windows, select LALIGA rights, and other global programming onto Disney+. Joe Earley, co-president of direct-to-consumer at Disney Entertainment, called the championship a mix of competition, technology, and sustainability “unlike any other sport.” Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds framed Disney’s reach as a way to introduce the series to millions of new fans as Gen4 arrives — and left the door open to more storytelling beyond the live race feed.

The audience math is why the deal matters beyond a rights announcement. Ampere Analysis has found Formula E fans skew younger than the motorsport average — about 35 percent aged 18–34, versus 28 percent for Formula One in the same surveys — and Formula E’s own marketing puts a majority of fans under 40, with a near even gender split unusual for racing. That younger profile is what Disney is buying.

Ampere has also long noted that a younger fanbase tends to mean lower willingness to pay for racing on TV, which is why Formula E spent years prioritizing free-to-air partners for reach. The Disney+ deal does not scrap that playbook. Local linear and free-to-air partners remain in place in many markets. Dodds told Sports Business Journal the series still wants scale on traditional TV, distinguishing a 12-year-old championship from Formula One’s U.S. streaming-first path. In America, a future linear partner for 2026/27 has not been announced.

The product question is straightforward. Disney needs street-circuit electric racing — short races, city scenery, manufacturer tech — to feel like appointment viewing for households already opening Disney+ for Marvel, soccer, or ESPN bundle sports. Gen4 speed claims, two U.S. races next season, creator-led social campaigns, and one global app all help. So do free-to-air partners that still bring casual discovery. What works against it is a paywall younger viewers may skip, and media-rights revenue that has historically been modest.

London decides this season’s champion. The Disney test starts when Gen4 rolls out in December — when those 144 Disney+ markets either pick up a racing habit or keep scrolling.