Apple Inks $750 Million For US Formula 1 Streaming Coverage

Apple has struck a five-year, $750 million deal to become the exclusive U.S. home for Formula 1 starting in 2026. "Apple is paying a significant premium over the $90 million per year currently paid by ESPN, whose F1 broadcast deal expires at the end of 2025 after holding the rights in the U.S. since 2018," notes Variety. From the report: According to Apple, it will deliver the Formula 1 programming with a "more dynamic and elevated viewing experience," and both parties expressed optimism that the deal will attract new motorsports fans in America in the years ahead. The company is rebranding the video-streaming service, which launched in 2019 as Apple TV+, to remove the plus sign.

It's another big move by Apple into sports, which also has streaming deals with MLB and Major League Soccer. The F1 agreement and follows Apple's partnership with Formula 1 for original film "F1 The Movie," starring Brad Pitt, which raked in $629 million worldwide at the box office this year -- the highest-grossing sports movie of all time and Pitt's highest-grossing feature to date. "F1 The Movie" will debut on Apple TV on Dec. 12, 2025.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong

[Nothing2Chere]

n/t

Japan also please

[ThinkPad760]

Please Please Please get the rights for Japan also. The current rights holder, DAZN is terrible and expensive.

Re:

[ndsurvivor]

May I respectfully ask you why you, or people in general is so interested in watching cars go around in a circle? I just don't get it. I heard on the news today that when F1 Racing is in our town, that the airports, hotels, and traffic gets jammed up. I just don't understand why?

Re:

[rossdee]

Formula 1 is not cars going round in a circle, or even an oval. There are many different tracks, some are street circuits, some are permanent tracks.
They even race in the rain if they have to

Re:

[ndsurvivor]

I remember this fascination when I was a kid. I held this controller with a trigger that made my car go faster or slower. It would skid around curves. I used to re-arrange the tracks for different challenges. But... I grew up.

Re:

[Askmum]

It's the same as 22 people kicking a ball. Or two people hitting a ball at eachother.
I suppose you are not interested in watching anything? Or my I respectfully ask why you are interested in #something?

Awesome!

[crgrace]

This is awesome! Apple is paying through the nose for more crap I don't care about! Can't wait for the subscription fees to keep going up!

Formula 1 TV subscription

[rossdee]

I have a subscription to formula1.com
Unfortunately I have to use Edge - it doesn't work in other browsers
The civerage us very good I will keep suscribing.

Re:

[rjmars97]

F1TV works fine for me in Firefox on Linux. I've never had a problem. I guess I have to hope that Apple TV works just as good from Linux when the time comes next year...

Enshittification continues

[guacamole]

This is actually bad news for F1 fans. I don't see myself getting a subscription to Apple streaming service only for F1.

Re:

[schwit1]

Exactly. F1 should have learned from the Tour De France. TDF did an exclusive streaming deal a few years back and lost huge viewership in the US.

Re:

[Askmum]

That's the problem with all these streaming platforms that want a piece of the pie.
The pie used to cost $ 10. Then the pie cost $ 15. Soon after you neede to pay $15 dollar to get half a pie and spend another $15 to get the other half. Now you get only a small piece of the pie for $ 20 and you need to buy the other 10 pieces for another $ 5-$ 25 each.

And the wonder why it doesn't work.

The NFL moved to Prime and

[Archfeld]

I stopped watching. With F1 it will be even easier, I don't watch now so I'll just bite the bullet and continue not watching. I am not sure how the NFL thinks it will be better for the brand by limiting access. I seem to remember watching it at some point when it was over the air...

Well, move from one paywalled source to another...

[bsdetector101]

ESPN has more users behind their paywall than Apple has, but then Formula 1 went for the $$$.