• Loading stock data...
Sunday, June 1, 2025

Drone Racing League’s Virtual Approach Helping Spur Growth

  • With the 2019 season currently streaming in China, Drone Racing League viewership is up 70%.
  • DRL SIM Tryouts saw a 10% jump week-over-week on Thursday.
Drone Racing League

As coronavirus is keeping people across the globe indoors, the Drone Racing League is experiencing an uptick in viewership. 

“It’s obviously a complicated time for the world and sports industry with so many leagues going offline, but it still needs sports more than ever,” Nicholas Horbaczewski, found and chief executive officer of Drone Racing League, said. “For us, a robotic sport sitting on the blurry line of digital and real-life and in part of the season emphasizing the digital part.”

The league is currently hosting its 2020 DRL SIM Tryouts, a virtual competition where anyone can win a chance to compete as one of 12 players in the 2020 DRL Allianz World Championship. It’s live-streamed on Twitter, YouTube, and Twitch.

The tryout series launched in February, taking place every Tuesday and Thursday. Last week, the streams attracted 300,000 viewers, a 10% jump from the week prior, Horbaczewski said.

There are four more preliminary tryouts before the 12 winners of the tryout events vie for a spot on the professional circuit on April 2.

The positive effect social distancing has had on the Drone Racing League has been seen in viewership jumps in China as well.

The past month the league has streamed the 2019 season in China and has seen viewership as high as 7 million per event, a 70% increase from the 2018 viewership numbers. Last year’s season premiere in August drew 6 million viewers on Twitter and 500,000 people on NBC.

Horbaczewski said the lull in physical sports would provide digital sports an entry point to sports fans that might not otherwise view them – including Twitch streams of professional teams simulating their sport in video games. 

“People at home are eager for sports content,” Horbaczewski said. “It’s part of the reality of this situation – people at home are looking for competition. This will certainly be short term getting sports content out there, and gives people a chance to engage with new sports that maybe they haven’t encountered before.”

With the Drone Racing League, there’s the added element of at-home spectator participation. The DRL Simulator is available on Steam so that anyone can play. The company develops the game in-house and it retails for $9.99, but the influx of players also allows the league to build out more sponsorships.

READ MORE: Without Live Events, Social Media Takes Center Stage For College Athletes

“We also have a unique opportunity to integrate brands directly into our race tracks and esports tournaments, storytelling their key messaging through complex, branded courses that push the limits of our players and thrill online viewers at home,” Horbaczewski said.

From there, the winner of the SIM event earns the chance to compete professionally in a circuit that sees the drones navigate physical courses at speeds of 90 miles per hour.

The 2020 championship series schedule has yet to be announced.

With the potentially temporary uptick in viewership because of coronavirus, Horbaczewski said there would be an added emphasis on keeping them engaged, which is aided by the participatory aspect of the game.

“We’re seeing it in China, one of the best things about the sport is they get excited about it,” he said. “There’s a whole exploration period of new tech, so we get them introduced, and now there’s compounding viewership growth.

“We expect this to be ongoing with the SIM tournament. Someone watches and gets excited, they get the game, and that draws them in.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

PSG and the City of Paris Can Join European Soccer’s Elite

What a maiden Champions League title would mean for the French club.

How the Champions League Anthem Took on a Life of Its Own

The composer didn’t know he wrote a timeless hit three decades ago.

How Rolex Paved the Way for Luxury’s Love Affair With Tennis

“It’s almost impossible to think about tennis without thinking about Rolex.”
Mar 23, 2025; Miami, FL, USA; Alexandra Eala (PHI) reacts after winning a point against Madison Keys (USA)(not pictured) on day six of the Miami Open at Hard Rock Stadium.

Alex Eala Is Defying Her Country’s Odds to Make French Open History

The Philippines native has overcome a unique set of financial odds.

Featured Today

Around the Horn - October 26, 2020
May 23, 2025

‘Quirky, Nutty, Bombastic’: 10 ‘Around the Horn’ Faces on Their Top Moments

“A quirky, nutty, bombastic, mostly wrong, sometimes right, crazy sports family.”
AA Mint Cards
May 18, 2025

Young Collectors Are on a High-Stakes Chase for Ultra-Rare Trading Cards

“They just want that excitement of the chase,” says a 23-year-old collector.
Donnie Gobourne JDL
May 17, 2025

U.S. Professional Softball Players Are Flocking to Japan to Get Paid

The Diamond League offers paychecks and amenities that the U.S. can’t beat.
Sponsored

Game the Green: Transforming Fan Experiences at TPC Sawgrass

As fans gather at THE PLAYERS Championship, Comcast Business will be keeping spectators and the PGA TOUR connected like never before.
October 8, 2024

NBA GMs Rank Salary-Cap Apron As Rule That Needs to Change Most

Schedule changes finished second with 17% of the vote.
February 3, 2025

Super Bowl Ticket Prices Crash As Hotel Rooms See Historic Rate Hike

Prices sink by about 30%, due in part to a lodging crunch.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

In Episode 7 of Portfolio Players, go inside the boardroom with Avenue Capital CEO and former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry on Giannis’s future, women’s sports, and upstart leagues like TGL and Unrivaled. 
September 8, 2024

US Open Breaks Attendance Record

Top-seeded Jannik Sinner beat No. 12 Taylor Fritz in straight sets Sunday.
Sponsored

Mastercard’s Foodies & Fairways: Where Golf Meets Gourmet at the TOUR Championship

This year’s TOUR Championship in Atlanta isn’t just about world-class golf—it’s also a celebration of local flavors.
July 18, 2024

Loyal WNBA Fans Hit With Enormous Season-Ticket Price Hikes

Some season-ticket holders are seeing their prices doubled.
July 16, 2024

CONMEBOL, Hard Rock Stadium Continue Trading Blame Over Copa Disaster

Each blames the other for the security madness at Sunday’s final.