The Drone Racing League Launches 2019 Season with Twitter and NBC

Press Releases

Mar 12, 2019

NEW YORK, March 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — The Drone Racing League (DRL), the world’s only professional drone racing circuit, today announced a new streaming partnership with Twitter and broadcast agreement with NBC and NBC Sports (NBCSN) to air the 2019 DRL Allianz World Championship Season. Premiering on Sunday, August 11, 2019 at 2pm ET on NBC and Twitter, DRL will extend its global reach on premier sports networks and increase access to fans of the world’s fast-growing sport.

Currently bringing a wide range of video content from the biggest leagues and esports partners, Twitter is collaborating with DRL to expand into robotic sports and share non-stop drone racing action on Twitter for the first time. DRL’s partnership with NBC and NBCSN, the U.S. television home of motorsports, will offer racing fans the opportunity to watch more than 44 hours of DRL coverage on NBC and NBCSN alongside NASCAR, INDYCAR, and Pro Motocross in 2019. For the first time ever, DRL will feature pro drone racing content concurrently on all screens, including mobile phones, tablets, PCs, and TVs, immersing fans worldwide into their thrilling FPV (First Person View) action.

“Over the last three years, the number one request we got from fans was to bring DRL to an always-on digital platform. And now, by merging the Sport of the Future with the future of broadcast, we’ll give millions of fans the opportunity to watch DRL season races and video-game-like sports content anytime, anywhere — all while authentically engaging our integrated partners on an array of mediums across the planet,” said DRL CEO & Founder Nicholas Horbaczewski.

Starting in August, sports fans can tune into DRL on NBCSN and Twitter via @DroneRaceLeague, binging on high-speed, minute-long heats throughout the 2019 DRL Allianz World Championship Season. Fans can now engage as real-time commentators and follow elite pilots as they race (and crash) identical, custom-built DRL drones at 90+ MPH through 3D courses with sky-high dives, inverted loops, and razor-sharp turns in iconic venues like palaces, museums and football stadiums around the world.

“The fast, non-stop action of the Drone Racing League fits perfectly with the always-on nature of Twitter,” said TJ Adeshola, Head of US Sports Partnerships at Twitter. “We’re excited to bring live video content from this futuristic robotic sport and pair it with the already active conversation around DRL all in one place on Twitter.”

“Speed and racing are featured throughout the events that NBC Sports covers, from Olympic sports to motorsports and horse racing’s Triple Crown,” said Jeff Macaluso, Senior Director, Programming, NBC Sports. “The Drone Racing League showcases a unique blend of speed and skill and we’re excited to partner with them for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.”

DRL recently announced a three-year partnership with Youku, one of the largest streaming networks in China. To date, more than 57 million fans have tuned into DRL’s first three seasons, which were exclusively broadcast on linear TV.

About DRL
The Drone Racing League (DRL) is the global, professional drone racing circuit for elite FPV (First Person View) pilots. A technology, sports and media company, DRL combines world-class media and proprietary technology to create thrilling 3D drone racing content with mass appeal. The 2019 DRL Allianz World Championship will stream on Twitter and air worldwide on top sports broadcast networks including NBC Sports, Sky Sports, ProSieben, Groupe AB, FOX Sports Asia, OSN. The league recently launched the Artificial Intelligence Robotic Racing (AIRR) Circuit, the premier autonomous drone racing series. Founded by Nicholas Horbaczewski in 2015, DRL is a privately held company headquartered in NYC. For more information on DRL, visit www.drl.io and follow DRL on Twitter @DroneRaceLeague, and Facebook and Instagram at @TheDroneRacingLeague.

About Twitter (NYSE: TWTR):
Twitter is what’s happening in the world and what people are talking about right now. From breaking news and entertainment to sports, politics, and everyday interests, see every side of the story. Join the open conversation. Watch live streaming events. Available in more than 40 languages around the world, the service can be accessed via twitter.com, an array of mobile devices, and SMS. For more information, please visit about.twitter.com, follow @Twitter, and download both the Twitter and Periscope apps at twitter.com/download and periscope.tv.

About NBC Sports Group
NBC Sports Group serves sports fans 24/7 with premier live events, insightful studio shows, and compelling original programming. The sports media company consists of NBC Sports, NBC Olympics, NBCSN, Golf Channel, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, NBC Sports Regional Networks, NBC Sports Radio and NBC Sports Digital, which includes NBCSports.com, NBCOlympics.com, GolfChannel.com, the digital assets of the NBC Sports Regional Networks, Rotoworld, the NBC Sports Talk franchise, multiple apps, and two transactional sports businesses, GolfNow and SportsEngine. NBC Sports Group possesses an unparalleled collection of television rights agreements, partnering with some of the most prestigious sports properties in the world: the International Olympic Committee and United States Olympic Committee, the NFL, NHL, NASCAR, INDYCAR, PGA TOUR, The R&A, PGA of America, Churchill Downs, Premier League, Tour de France, French Open, and many more.

Media Contact:
Melanie Wallner
DRL Director of Communications
Melanie@drl.io