Extreme E’s Desert E-Prix, the first-ever race in the new electric SUV series, saw 18.5 million organic viewers on TikTok tune in to the action taking place on the desert terrain of AlUla, Saudi Arabia.
Only days before the event took place at the start of April, Extreme E announced an agreement with TikTok to bolster its social media offering, and the results have been staggering, with 17.2 million people checking out #DesertXPrix videos alone.
Extreme E also acquired 60,000 new fans after digital media giant Little Dot Studios activated the new partnership using its vertical video expertise on behalf of the championship.
Rosberg X Racing, the team founded by former Formula 1 champion Nico Rosberg, made history by becoming Extreme E’s first-ever race winner after overcoming Andretti United and Lewis Hamilton’s X44, who finished second and third on the podium.
The organizers of the event were delighted in the interest the event attracted.
“These numbers are phenomenal, and I’m thrilled that in our first weekend we were able to reach so many people with our unique sport for purpose,” Ali Russell, chief marketing officer at Extreme E, said. “As part of the championship’s mission to keep carbon emissions to a minimum, we don’t have spectators on site, and if we did, we would never reach this level of engagement purely from attendees. It just goes to show how important our digital offering is.
“A massive thank you to TikTok, Little Dot Studios and our in-house social team. These numbers are awesome and a testament to the engaging and innovative motorsport series we have created,” he added.
As part of the ambitious partnership, Extreme E and Little Dot Studios created an exclusive 90-minute production, which aired on Extreme E’s TikTok account on Saturday, April 3. More than 386,000 people watched the show, which gave a behind-the-scenes look at the series and the personalities at the heart of it.
One of the most popular videos was “The Drop,” highlighting a part of the course measuring 100 meters with a 45-degree descent. The on-board video gave a view from the cockpit, and 3.8 million fans tuned in to see exactly what the drivers saw as they took on this challenging element of the course.
There were also a number of hashtags running across the weekend. The first — #XECountdown — was launched by team owner and driver Jenson Button. In total, this had 52.1 million views across the weekend.
The partnership with TikTok covers all five of Extreme E’s events in 2021, with each event highlighting an environment affected by climate change.
After Saudi Arabia and desertification, the series now moves on to Senegal (rising sea levels), Greenland (melting ice caps), Amazon, Brazil (deforestation) and Patagonia, Argentina (glacial recession).
The remaining full schedule is:
Ocean X Prix: Lac Rose, Senegal
May 29-30, 2021
Arctic X Prix: Kangerlussuaq, Greenland
Aug. 28-29, 2021
Amazon X Prix: Para, Brazil
Oct. 23-24, 2021
Glacier X Prix: Tierra del Fuego, Argentina
Dec. 11-12, 2021
