Global podcasting platform Audioboom has struck a deal with Formula One Digital Media to co-produce and host an official weekly Formula 1 podcast.
The inaugural series of the podcast, called “Beyond the Grid”, will run for an initial 52-week period and follow a topical audio magazine style format consisting of comment and exclusive interviews from the F1 Worldwide Grant Prix season.
One of the episodes will feature F1 racing driver Lewis Hamilton MBE, who races for Mercedes AMG Petronas.
Hamilton is a four-time Formula One World Champion, most recently in 2017 and the most successful British driver in the history of the sport, with more World Championship titles and more race victories than any other British driver in Formula One.
“I am delighted to announce this partnership with Formula 1® which brings together Audioboom’s deep creative skills and an engaged global audience,” said Rob Proctor, chief executive of AIM-listed Audioboom.
“This agreement further illustrates our commitment to co-produce content and to sell media with the world’s leading brands to create exclusive and compelling experiences for our listeners.”
The podcast will be specifically engineered for audio only and distributed through the Audioboom platform, including third party platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, GooglePlay, Deezer, TuneIn and Stitcher.
According to official figures from Formula1.com, the 2017 season saw Formula 1 register an increase in audience figures across both TV and online platforms compared to the previous year, with F1 the fastest growing sport brand on social media platforms.
The cumulative global TV audience (based on ranking of TV audience) grew to 1.4 billion last year.
The agreement has a fixed term until 31 December 2019, subject to performance hurdles in the first six months of the contract.