E1 appoints Iris to market media rights for UIM World Championship

IRIS Sport Media (IRIS) has been appointed by E1, the new all-electric raceboat competition, as its exclusive worldwide media partner for the UIM E1 World Championship.

IRIS will market all media rights for an expanded 2025 series featuring up to 10 races, including events in the Middle East, Europe, and, for the first time, the Americas.

The E1 Series, which is sanctioned by the Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM), the governing body for powerboating racing, has this year successfully held events in Jeddah, Venice, Puerto Banus, Monaco and Lake Como.

The series has a host of celebrity owners including sports stars Rafael Nadal, Sergio Perez, Tom Brady, Virat Kohli and Didier Drogba and from the world of entertainment, Will Smith, Marc Anthony and Steve Aoki, as well as businessman Marcelo Claure.

Rodi Basso, CEO and co-founder of E1, said: “E1 has defied expectations and broken records as a first year sports series in 2024, and we look forward to raising the bar even higher in 2025. We are confident this partnership with IRIS can bring us greater and wider audiences and take us to new heights next season and beyond.”

Ioris Francini, Founding Partner, IRIS Sport Media, said: “The UIM E1 World Championship is a highly engaging sport and entertainment platform that has already caught the attention of a wide fan-base who love watching authentic sporting competitions that include elements of gamification and technology. Add to that the growing rivalry between high-profile celebrity team owners and you have something with phenomenal potential.

“IRIS will work closely with E1 on the strategy to grow the audience globally through broadcast exposure across all forms of the media. The celebrity team owners – with over 800 million social media followers between them – give this pioneering sport the ability to engage with a younger audience as it continues to evolve. This is an exciting project that is leaving an important legacy of sustainability around the world, and we are delighted to be playing a part in its growth.”

Co-founded by Basso and Formula E architect Alejandro Agag, the UIM E1 World Championship features nine teams – one man and one woman piloting each team – taking to the water in the innovative RaceBirds, which can reach speeds of nearly 60mph and are powered purely by batteries and electric motors. More teams will be added to the series for its second season and will be revealed shortly. The competition embodies a sustainable ethos, blending high-speed excitement with ecological responsibility and championing a vision of revolutionising marine transportation.