Apple, F1 Streaming Reports Leave Future of ‘F1 TV’ Unclear | F1 Midweek: Fruitful Endeavor? …

Explore the latest developments concerning Apple, F1 Streaming.

Apple, F1 Streaming Reports Leave Future of ‘F1 TV’ Unclear

As Apple reportedly nears a $150 million per-year tie-up with Formula 1, U.S. subscribers to the motorsport’s own streaming offering, F1 TV, have raised questions about the service’s future. For $85 per year, American customers can currently watch all F1 sessions ad-free via F1 TV, with additional access to team radios, onboard cameras and non-race programming. But in other markets, F1’s owned offerings have seen changes following new media partnerships.  F1 TV’s legacy is tightly entwined with the company’s evolving media strategy. And what becomes of the product will speak volumes of Liberty Media’s current U.S. ambitions—as well as Apple’s sports stance. What seems unlikely is that the $3 trillion tech titan would see a benefit in hosting two similar, competitive products on its device platforms.  “You don’t want any potential cannibalization from your partner eating away at customers,” Octagon EVP, global media rights advisory Daniel Cohen said in an interview. “I think F1 can keep [F1 TV], but it would have to be a very different type of product for the U.S. market.” A year after Liberty Media took over F1 in 2017, it launched an over-the-top service offering fans live coverage of all race sessions alongside other features. The desire to connect directly with fans was reportedly a key reason F1 ended its broadcast relationship with NBC, signing a deal with ESPN that didn’t include a rights fee.  With improved social media efforts, the popularity of Netflix’s Drive to Survive and F1 TV, the sport was eager to become “a more multimedia organization—rather than just focusing on TV,” as F1 director of media rights Ian Holmes put it in 2020. At the time, league executives across the sporting world foresaw a potential future where their sports were delivered directly to fans via in-house production arms and owned-and-operated apps, with each creating a separate, Netflix-like experience for the Premier League, the NFL, the NBA, F1 and so on. But that didn’t come to pass.  As early as 2020, F1 began linking its consumer offering with its traditional TV deals, giving Sky Germany consumers access to F1 TV as part of their subscriptions. “That may serve as a template for additional markets going forward,” Frank Arthofer, then F1’s global head of digital and licensing, said at the time. In the years since, F1 TV has continued to grow. The F1 TV Pro tier, which comes with live race access, was available in 92 territories as of last year, with the U.S. being its biggest market. F1’s app was named the Apple TV App of the Year in 2024, and the organizer launched a higher-priced premium tier this year. F1 TV’s popularity was clear on Reddit, where users of the site’s Formula 1 forum openly wondered what a new media partnership might mean for the service—expletives and all. It has also served as a point of leverage in media negotiations. In 2023, F1 TV Pro launched in India after executives were underwhelmed by the bids submitted by local broadcasters for exclusive rights. “People spent all their money on cricket,” Holmes said in 2023. F1’s wealthy fanbase also gives it more flexibility to directly monetize viewer enthusiasm.  “They can afford to not do bad deals in markets that they deem important for growth,” Cohen said. “For example, in let’s just say Brazil, if they don’t get the right offer in Brazil, they’ll pop up F1 TV. If they don’t get the right offer in Singapore, they’ll pop up F1 TV.” F1 TV’s fate was very much on the table as American bidders eyed the property in recent months. “We will see what partners want in their deals, and we will see what makes the most sense for F1,” Liberty Media president and CEO Derek Chang said in a May call with Wall Street analysts.  The roughly $150 million per year Apple has reportedly offered for F1’s U.S. rights beginning in 2026 would be a $60 million increase over what ESPN currently pays. Halfway through the 2025 season, ESPN is averaging 1.3 million viewers per race, up 7% over the season-to-date average from 2024. But it remains to be seen what Apple’s distribution plans for racing coverage look like. Apple and F1 representatives declined to comment on current negotiations. While early reports suggested F1 inventory could be bundled into the $10/month Apple TV+ service, the tech company took a different route with MLS action, putting every game into a $99/year offering, alongside whiparound coverage and other content, with discounts for Apple TV+ subscribers and some games available directly to those customers. A similar approach to F1 could see many of the streams and features F1 TV currently offers ported over and/or expanded upon within a new Apple-backed service.

F1 Midweek: Fruitful Endeavor? Apple Primed To Win F1 Broadcast Rights

The way U.S. fans watch Formula 1 is about to change, as Apple is poised to acquire television rights in 2026.  

Apple’s $150 million bid for United States broadcast rights feels like a bargain, and often, a bargain is what you get when there is no other competition. Disney’s ESPN currently holds US broadcast rights, but with Apple’s bid coming in at purportedly double ESPN’s $75 million deal, ESPN has already bailed on trying to maintain F1 rights. ESPN allowed a period of exclusivity to lapse earlier this year, a time during which they could have renewed their F1 contract without the sport seeking deals from suitors willing to pay more. As bidding wars go, ESPN is waving the white flag, while Apple is prominently displaying a bright green, color-of-cash flag, as well as trying to wave a checkered flag, as this deal is all but finished. 

For more detailed information and comprehensive insights, explore recent updates concerning Apple, F1 Streaming.

For more news, visit: For more news…