Coverage of all PURE ETCR events across 2021 season – Broadcast deal brings all-electric motorsport to fans in Japan – Ground-breaking new series to begin in June
PURE ETCR, the world’s first all-electric, multi-brand touring car championship, is delighted to announce a major new broadcast partnership with Japan’s leading dedicated sports broadcaster, J Sports Corporation.
J Sports’ four channels and its on-demand service reach over 6.5 million homes in Japan and broadcast more than 5,000 hours of elite sport every year.
Renowned as the Home of motorsport, baseball, rugby and cycling thanks to wide-ranging agreements to broadcast elite levels of each sport from both domestic and international competition, J Sports is the number one dedicated sports broadcaster in the country.
The agreement strengthens the long-standing relationship between PURE ETCR’s promoter Eurosport Events and J Sports, which dates back to 2017 and the FIA World Touring Car Championship.
As the home of some of the world’s largest and most-renowned vehicle manufacturers, Japan is pushing ahead with plans to become a zero-emissions society by 2050.
Much of the technology that has become commonplace in the push towards electromoblity originated in Japan, which produced its first electrified car in 2010 and has, for decades, been a pioneer in the introduction of new technologies aimed at greener mobility.
PURE ETCR, the world’s first all-electric, multi-brand touring car championship, will host its first full season in 2021 with a calendar comprising five all-action events in Europe and Asia, beginning at Autdromo Vallelunga Piero Taruffi, Italy, on June 18-20.
The competing machines are the most powerful touring cars ever built with a peak power of 500kW – the equivalent of 670bhp – generated by their electric motors.
Shin Kinoshita, President, J Sports Corporation, said: “We are very excited and honoured to extend our partnership with Eurosport and for this great opportunity to bring the inaugural season of the world’s first all-electric touring car championship to motorsport fans in Japan. We are already thrilled how the action-packed WTCR will be integrated with thousands of kilowatts of pure electric energy. PURE ETCR, along with Formula E – which is already in our lineup – will offer our viewers a glimpse of the future of motorsports.”
Xavier Gavory, PURE ETCR Series Director, said: “We are very pleased to secure this broadcast agreement with J Sports, who have been – for many years – Japan’s number one dedicated sports broadcaster and given motorsport a huge platform to reach some of the most passionate fans on the planet. J Sports have been an incredibly loyal and supportive partner of Eurosport Events with both our WTCC and WTCR competitions and with PURE ETCR now added to the package, we are delighted that they have chosen to extend their commitment to global touring car racing. The high-intensity action of PURE ETCR will, I’m sure, captivate their imagination and help them to realise the potential of electromobility.”
