Apple is currently making significant strides in expanding its footprint in the sports market, aiming to secure broadcasting rights for F1 races in the U.S. This move is intended to enhance the sports content available on its streaming platform, Apple TV+. Reports indicate that Apple plans to take over the U.S. broadcasting rights for F1 after the current contract expires, going head-to-head with streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.
According to a report by the American financial media Financial Times, Apple is in talks with F1 to bid for broadcasting rights of the American F1 races starting in 2026. This initiative comes as Apple’s latest film F1: The Movie has achieved a worldwide box office success of over $300 million (approximately HK$2.34 billion), and Apple hopes to leverage the buzz from this film to deepen its partnership with F1.
Currently, the broadcasting rights for F1 in the United States are held by ESPN, a subsidiary of Walt Disney, and this contract is set to expire after the 2025 season. Earlier this year, ESPN lost its priority negotiation rights for renewal, opening the door for other streaming platforms, including Apple and Netflix, to enter the bidding.
Netflix has received widespread acclaim for the documentary Formula 1: Drive to Survive, successfully drawing a large American audience’s attention to the world of F1 racing and significantly boosting the sport’s popularity locally. Recently, Netflix has also shown interest in competing for F1 broadcasting rights. Reports indicate that earlier this year, Netflix invested over $5 billion (approximately HK$39 billion) to secure global exclusive streaming rights for the WWE program Raw, demonstrating its ongoing commitment to investing in sports content.
As of now, Apple TV+’s original offerings include Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, Shrinking, and Severance, but its subscriber count still lags behind Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video. Apple aims to enhance the competitiveness of its platform by introducing F1 broadcasting rights to attract more new subscribers while also exploring new channels for advertising revenue.
The competition for sports streaming rights has become a major battleground in recent years. Apple has begun to break into the broadcasting of the Major League Soccer (MLS) and Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States over the past few years. The bidding for F1 broadcasting rights is undoubtedly Apple’s latest significant move in its strategy for sports content.
Currently, Apple and the F1 organization have not made any public comments regarding the ongoing negotiations.
