esports: record 11.4 million live spectators for Formula 1 programming in 2020

A record 11.4 million spectators followed live the esports competitions organized by Formula One Management in 2020 "on all digital platforms" (YouTube, Facebook and Twitch), an increase of 98% compared to 2019, announced the body on 14/01/2021. These programmes will be renewed in 2021.

Formula One organizes in particular the F1 Esports Series, a professional competition, which recorded 23.8 million views on VOD, an increase of 29% compared to 2019. The final reached "1.7m social media engagements, an all-time record for any F1 Esports Series event, rounding off what had already been a hugely successful campaign in terms of social media interaction, as the Pro Series achieved 291m total social media impressions, a 151% increase on the 2019 season."

In 2020, the Virtual Grand Prix Series featuring up to 11 professional drivers as well as influencers, sports and music icons, was a resounding success. Indeed, in this year hit by the global pandemic and lockdowns, "Over 30 million people tuned into the Virtual Grand Prix series last year to see F1 stars, sporting icons and music chart…