Sky PLC (LON:SKY) has invested US$1mln (£760,000) in the Drone Racing League (DRL), agreeing a distribution deal that will see the world of elite drone racing come to its newly launched Sky Sports Mix Channel.
Sky Sports and DRL are teaming up with London & Partners to bring the first professional drone race to the UK, screening it to tens of millions of viewers on Sky’s brand new alternative sports channel.
DRL pioneers First Person View drone racing, which features elite pilots each flying a custom-built drone, through complex, three-dimensional racecourses.
The experience has been compared to a real life video game. The DRL media team creates a custom-designed broadcast and race infrastructure to capture the fast, close-proximity racing.
Sky Sports has completed a distribution partnership with DRL to bring live events and broadcast material to the UK and Ireland. A ten-part world championship series will be broadcast on Sky Sports Mix from October.
"We're thrilled to be partnering with DRL to help develop this exciting new sport. The investments we make are all about driving innovation, and ultimately improving the Sky experience for customers,” said Sky business development director Emma Lloyd.
Nicholas Horbaczewski , founder of DRL added: "With [Sky’s] expertise and our industry leading technology, media production and development of the best competitive racing, we believe we can truly grow a global franchise around this futuristic, high-speed racing sport."