"We were all shocked at how well the car ran today, but I felt like the whole pit crew was really plugged in the whole race." 

Yes indeed, the possibilities for spinning clever (to us) imaginary sports cliches based on made-up Formula E electric car racing league driver quotes are seemingly boundless, a chasm as wide as the myriad means and ways a streaming company can legitimately say to the world, "Yeah ... we've gotten into live sports." 

On first glance, Roku appears to have done precisely just that ... but Formula E's audience numbers are indeed impressive (more on that further down). 

Announcing a deal in collaboration with CBS Sports, Roku is now the exclusive streaming home of Formula E, the world’s first all-electric FIA World Championship motorsports series. 

Roku's FAST, the Roku Channel, will starting next year live stream in the U.S. 11 races per season conducted by the London-based Formula E, and classified in what is officially called the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship.

In addition, CBS Sports also contracted with Formula E to broadcast five races each season, starting in January. Those races will be simulcast on Paramount + With Showtime. Both CBS and Paramount + are, of course, available on the Roku platform. 

Roku Channel will also air all kinds of non-live Formula E programming, including race previews and highlights, replays, and a new docuseries called -- wait for it -- Unplugged.

UPDATED: According to a Formula E press rep, the racing series' last season, its eighth, drew a cumulative cross-platform global TV audience of 381 million viewers, with prominent outlets including the BBC factoring in.

Halfway through season 9, Formula E viewership is currently up 7% over season 8 ... which was itself up 20% over season 7.

As you might expect, the rep told us that the Roku deal offers the racing series a unique opportunity to reach younger demos on the top connected TV platform in North America.

And of course, Roku isn't the only streaming company to leverage its way into live sports via auto racing. Netflix made a serious play for the bigger Formula 1 circuit before ESPN/Disney renewed their rights with the series last fall.  

“It’s an honor to partner with Formula E on Roku’s first-ever live sports partnership, making it easier for millions of TV streamers to discover the thrill of Formula E races through the unique integrated viewing experiences only available on Roku,” said David Eilenberg, Roku Media’s head of content, in a statement.

Added Aarti Dabas, Formula E’s chief media officer: “This is a powerful new partnership with CBS and Roku that will dramatically increase Formula E’s audience reach and maximize discoverability of our programming in the USA. We value the strength of our ongoing relationship with CBS and are delighted to join forces with Roku and upercharge Formula E content on their market-leading platform.”

With the first FIA Formula E Championship concluding this weekend with an ePrix doubleheader from London’s Battersea Park, Fox Sports and Formula E announce their broadcast deal now extends through the 2019-20 season, with races airing live on Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports 2 and Fox Sports Go.

“With a history-making first season under its belt -- where every race was a successful first race -- we’re thrilled to extend our relationship with Formula E,” David Nathanson, head of business operations for Fox Sports, said in a release. “Worldwide interest continues to grow in a series that delivers great racing alongside aggressive green initiatives and next-generation technology, and Fox Sports is proud to partner with such an effort.”

The new deal, which calls for a minimum of eight races per season, also includes live racing on newly re-branded Fox Sports Racing in Canada and the Caribbean, as well as the possibility of additional Formula E shoulder programming.

“We are delighted that Fox Sports has extended its exclusive agreement to show Formula E live in North America,” Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag said in the release. “Fox remains an important partner for Formula E in this market, where we enjoyed great success with our Miami and Long Beach races this season. This agreement will ensure U.S. viewers receive the very best live coverage, which will allow us to grow our fan base. In addition, Fox Sports has believed in Formula E since the very beginning and we’re very happy that we’ve renewed our long-term partnership just ahead of the final rounds of the inaugural season -- a sign that the confidence they put on us has become even stronger.”  

This weekend’s championship-deciding events were slated to air Saturday on Fox Sports 1 and today (June 28) at 10:30 a.m. on FOX Sports 2. Both races were also available on FOX Sports Go. Former NASCAR and Formula One driver Nelson Piquet Jr. was the favorite to win the series’ inaugural title, following a 11-race season highlighted by stops in some of the most influential cities in the world, including Buenos Aires, Miami, Los Angeles, Moscow, Beijing, Berlin and London.

The series currently features two U.S. entries -- Jay Penske’s Dragon Racing and Andretti Formula E, sitting fourth and fifth, respectively in the team standings, heading into this weekend’s final two races. 

Liberty Global and Discovery Communications are buying a minority stake in Formula E Holdings, the new racing circuit featuring electricity-powered vehicles.

The FIA Formula E Championships kicked off a 10-event global calendar in September 2014 with a race in Beijing (the next race, on March 14, is in Miami, Fla.). The aim is to promote interest and investment in sustainable motoring. The vehicles are capable of reaching speeds of 220 kilometers per hour (about 136 MPH) with zero emissions, according to the organizers. In the United States, Formula E events are televised on Fox Sports 1 and other Fox outlets (Saturday's race in Miami begins at 3:30 p.m. ET on Fox Sports 2). Television rights are not part of this investment by Discovery and Liberty Global.

“It is a significant step forward for Formula E to receive the backing of two major global media companies when we are barely halfway through our first season,” CEO Alejandro Agag said in a release. “The experience and knowhow they bring will provide a significant boost to Formula E. We look forward to creating new opportunities together to develop and promote premium content for a global audience.” 

Niall Curran, president of Liberty Global's media investments group, said in the release, “Like Formula E, our business is closely connected to sustainability, speed and entertainment, so this is a great match. We are delighted to be supporting Alejandro and his team in building this new global sports media property, while building our portfolio of strategic content investments.”

“We are very pleased to join Formula E’s ownership group. With unmatched global distribution, our Velocity, Turbo and Eurosport brands, and 30 years of experience as a global media company, Discovery’s unique expertise will help develop this new and unique motor sport,” Bruce Campbell, Discovery Communications chief development & digital officer and general counsel, added in the release.