Case study
LIVE STREAMING Ready... Set... eSkootr
You’ve heard of car racing, horse racing – even duck racing. Now electric scooters are standing tall in a brand-new tournament model //// WORDS BY VERITY BUTLER //// A market set to reach a valuation of almost $42 billion by 2030, it seems almost impossible
to turn any urban street corner without nearly crashing head-first into an electric scooter. Five million e-scooter units were sold in 2018 alone – a year that seemed to rapidly kick-start the ever-growing trend of trading out pollution-pumping cars for a quieter, more energy-saving mode of transport. Besides cleaning up our planet, while simultaneously wreaking pure havoc on our roads, what else could this technology have to offer? Quite a lot it turns out, as 2022 saw the launch of the first-ever e-scooter racing series. An organisation known as the eSkootr Championship (eSC) partnered with NEP to deliver the inaugural season – notably in 9:16 vertical format. “The eSkootr Championship is a new category of sport that we’ve been developing from the ground
up,” describes eSC co-founder and CEO Hrag Sarkissian. “Having started this project about two years ago, our mission is to create a whole new genre that’s accessible, sustainable and really made for the next generation. “Our aims also sit alongside helping the micromobility industry that you see growing very quickly, as it decongests and greenifies our major cities.” Pioneering e-scooters as a sport means formulating rules, racecourses and, crucially, a fan base. Therefore, successfully
“We have a big bilinear footprint, as well as the eSC Fan Hub – our own OTT platform. It’s where people watch, but also engage as part of the community”
distributing a live stream was fundamental to its growth. “The biggest thing about our championship is that we are agile and able to integrate in urban environments, so it’s always relevant for audiences,” Sarkissian continues. A recent race was held at Printworks London, creating a unique indoor and outdoor course. Comprising 600m of track, scooters wove deftly in front of enthralled fans. Some boasted speeds in excess of 100km/h, particularly on the newly designed S1-X eSkootr. The event itself was a roaring success, with food, drinks and entertainment during and after the race action. “The challenges we faced are what you would expect with a first
TOP OF THE RANGE
The S1-X is the fastest e-scooter in the world
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28 FEED:XTREME SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022
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