(Reuters) – Insurer Allianz has extended to five years its title partnership of the New York-based Drone Racing League (DRL) world championship series, with a race in the French city of Nice added to the schedule.
DRL said in a statement on Thursday that Nice’s Allianz Riviera soccer stadium would host the June 16 event.
Independent French broadcast network Groupe AB will be DRL’s first broadcast partner in the region, with the seven-race global championship aired also on ESPN, Sky and ProSieben channels.
French DRL pilot Dunkan Bossion will be one of those flying the racing drones through three-dimensional course lines at the arena, competing for a place in the 2018 season finale in Saudi Arabia in September.
“DRL has been a perfect strategic partner for Allianz,” said Allianz marketing executive Jean-Marc Pailhol.
“We will continue working with DRL to expand the Allianz World Championship and present this spectacular new sport to additional audiences around the world,” he added
DRL said its 2016 and 2017 championships have been watched by more than 55 million fans around the world.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Alexander Smith)
