Disney+ Becomes Global Streaming Home of Formula E in 144-Market Deal
Disney+ has acquired global streaming rights to the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, putting all-electric street racing on the platform across 144 markets worldwide. The deal, announced on 11 August 2026, covers every territory where Disney+ operates outside the United States — more than 150 countries and territories, per Disney's own fiscal 2025 earnings reporting (Disney Q4 2025 earnings).
In the U.S., Formula E events will stream on ESPN+, which has been rebranded as ESPN Select. Viewers in India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand already had access through Disney+ Hotstar, a subscription service that has carried Formula E races live in past seasons, including the 2023 Cape Town E-Prix (Formula E).
Formula E, which held its inaugural season in 2014, operates separately from the larger and more familiar Formula 1 series. It is a for-profit B corporation — a business structure that legally binds the company to social and environmental responsibility alongside profit. Jeff Dodds serves as CEO. The series is not new to Disney's orbit: Disney EMEA partnered with Formula E on a Cars 3 feature back in 2017 (Formula E).
The deal lets Formula E keep its existing local broadcast TV agreements in key markets, rather than folding everything into a single streaming package. Michaella Snoeck, Formula E's chief media officer, and Joe Earley, co-president of Direct to Consumer for Disney Entertainment, are the named executives behind the agreement (Variety).
Formula E is preparing to unveil its next-generation electric race car, called GEN4. The car produces 600 kilowatts of power — over 815 horsepower — and accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in approximately 1.8 seconds. That is roughly 30% faster off the line than a Formula 1 car, according to Formula E's own figures.
The 2026–27 season will run 21 races across 13 locations. It opens with Rounds 1 and 2 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 18–19 December and concludes in July in Tokyo. Formula E has also secured a long-term future in Monaco, according to the series' official site (Formula E).
Before the new season begins, the current 2025–26 campaign wraps with Rounds 16 and 17 in London, deciding two world championships still up for grabs and marking the end of the GEN3 era. Musician AJ Tracey is scheduled to perform live at that finale, and Porsche has unveiled a retro livery for the event (Formula E).
For fans, the simplest way to find a race in any given country remains Formula E's "How to Watch" page on its official site, which lists every broadcaster and streaming option by territory (Formula E). With Disney+ now holding the global streaming slot, that page is about to get simpler in a lot of places at once.
