NENT Group Picks Up Rights to W Series Motor Racing

NENT Group has acquired the exclusive Nordic rights to the world’s first all-women motor racing championship, W Series.

Per the deal, every race from the 2019 W Series season will be shown live on NENT Group’s Viaplay streaming service as well as on the Viasat pay-TV channels. Selected races will be broadcast on NENT Group’s free-TV channels. The W Series championship, which is intended to provide a bridge to Formula 1, features all participants driving identical Tatuus Formula 3 cars with a 1.8-liter turbocharged engine. The inaugural W Series season kicks off on May 4 at Germany’s Hockenheim circuit and will include six races in total. The 2020 season will expand to ten races.

Among the 18 drivers competing from 13 countries for a $1.5 million prize pool in this year’s W Series championship is Finland’s Emma Kimiläinen.

Kimiläinen said: “I’m really excited to have made the grid for W Series—it’s an incredible opportunity for me and all the drivers. I’ll be doing absolutely everything to win the series, and knowing that my family, friends and fans in Finland and the Nordics are watching gives me the support and strength to fight for the title.”

Kim Mikkelsen, NENT Group’s head of sport, said: “It’s been far too long—43 years—since a woman started a Formula 1 Grand Prix race. W Series offers thrilling action to race fans, as well as a timely platform to boost female participation at motorsport’s highest level and inspire a new generation of drivers and engineers. We’re proud to become the first in the Nordic region to show W Series, as Viaplay and Viasat continue to fuel the very best motorsports experiences for our viewers.”

Catherine Bond Muir, CEO of W Series, added: “This is a terrific partnership for us. The Nordic region has some of the world’s most passionate motorsports fans, and what better way to engage and entertain than with live coverage of our all-female single-seater racing? NENT Group is the region’s leading provider of motorsports programming and our ideal broadcast partner.”