TOCA has announced that every race of the 2024 British Touring Car Championship is to be live streamed on the social media platform TikTok, as part of an agreement with partners at ITV Sport.
The deal will see the BTCC continue to be broadcast on the ITV Network, including ITV4 and ITVX, but allows for a greater reach via the TikTok social media network popular with younger audiences.
Chinese social media giant TikTok launched in 2016 and has gone from strength-to-strength, with 45% of its users in the 18 – 34 demographic, whilst 57% of its users are female.
Users will be able to find the live streaming service via the ITV Sport TikTok channel, with the sport set to become the first-ever to be live streamed via TikTok by ITV Sport. The move also means that the series’ races can be watched live internationally for the first time.
The news is the result of a broadcasting strategy review which started in September last year, with TOCA calling the move “one of the most significant in the history of the BTCC”.
“This is a truly ground-breaking move for the BTCC,” said BTCC Chief Executive Alan Gow. “I’m incredibly proud that we will be the first major motorsport championship in the world to have its entire race season streamed live on TikTok.
“It’s the real ‘cherry on the top’ of our ongoing and vast UK coverage, which is live and free on ITV4 and ITVX.
“Most importantly, this agreement will introduce the BTCC to a massive new and completely different demographic – a younger and more diverse audience – which is exactly what we, and in fact all of motorsport, are looking to achieve.
“This is very big news for the BTCC, our teams and our partners as we cement the future of the UK’s most prestigious motorsport championship.”
Andrew Hill, Senior Producer at ITV Sport, highlighted the platform’s ability to introduce the BTCC to a new generation.
“This is a hugely exciting and innovative development in ITV’s production of the Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship,” added Hill.
“Live streaming BTCC races on TikTok, alongside our regular ITV4 and ITVX coverage, will help us to reach a much wider audience and enable a new generation of fans to enjoy the thrills and spills of the number-one championship in British motor racing.”