Formula 1 has announced a five-year agreement with Apple, making Apple the exclusive U.S. broadcast partner for the global motorsports series starting next season, replacing ESPN.
Formula 1 has officially announced a groundbreaking five-year partnership with Apple, designating the tech giant as the global motorsports series' exclusive U.S. broadcast partner beginning next season. This deal marks a significant shift as ESPN, which had held the rights since 2018 and overseen a surge in F1's U.S. popularity, chose not to extend its agreement. Apple's prior collaboration on the highly successful 'F1 The Movie'—a global box office hit—positioned it as the leading contender for the broadcast rights. Under the new agreement, all F1 practice sessions, qualifying, sprint sessions, and races will be available on Apple TV. Furthermore, select races and all practice sessions will be offered for free within the Apple TV app, and F1's premium content offering, F1 TV Premium, will be accessible to Apple subscribers at no additional cost. Apple plans to extensively promote F1 across its entire ecosystem, including Apple News, Maps, Music, Sports, and Fitness+, aiming to significantly expand the sport's audience in the U.S. Eddy Cue, Apple's SVP of Services, expressed excitement about delivering F1's content to Apple TV's vast user base and attracting new fans. F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali, along with Dan Towriss of TWG Motorsports/Cadillac F1 team, lauded the partnership's potential for growth, innovation, and reaching American audiences. ESPN acknowledged their successful eight-season run and wished F1 well for the future.
