Motor racing-Apple's US F1 deal offers both a big opportunity for growth

By Alan Baldwin AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) -Apple's five-year deal for Formula One's U.S. broadcast rights, announced on Friday, gives both brands a major opportunity for growth in new directions and could ultimately lead to something bigger. The agreement, with Apple replacing Walt Disney's ESPN from 2026, will see Apple TV host all live action from grand prix weekends and has the potential to bring more people to Formula One through mobiles and apps. Select races, and all practice sessions, will be freely available in the Apple TV app. Apple TV subscribers can also access Liberty Media-owned Formula One's premium content without extra cost. No details were given of how much Apple paid to add F1 to Major League Baseball and soccer in their existing sports offering. "Thanks to Apple we are going to be ready to get into more houses and more in the culture of the American fans," Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali told reporters in a video briefing. "This is something that will represent a big step change in our approach in the media landscape. But we know the power of Apple … we know the technology that they have." DEAL BUILDS ON F1 MOVIE'S BIG BOX OFFICE SUCCESS Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice-president of services and a Ferrari board member, said he hoped the deal became "what we're doing forever". "I think there's a huge opportunity for both of us," he added. "There's more opportunities to go. But we're focused on this, make this a success and then it'll be easier to keep growing and doing more." Liberty Media recently acquired MotoGP owners Dorna Sports while Liberty Global controls the all-electric Formula E championship. There could also be further opportunities worldwide as other rights deals expire. "We're going to bring everything that Apple has to offer from our retail stores to all of our apps, including our sports app, podcasting, music, obviously Apple TV, books, all the capabilities," said Cue. "Our websites, all the touch points, Apple News. "We have so many touch points with our customers and we're going to bring the brunt of that, like we did with the movie, to the races and to qualifying." Apple's "F1 The Movie", starring Brad Pitt, was a runaway success this year and has grossed more than $628 million worldwide, according to IMDb's Box Office Mojo. Some 47% of new U.S. Formula One fans, those who have followed the sport for five years or less, are aged 18-24 and more than half are female, according to a 2025 Global F1 Fan Survey. "Though Formula One has grown tremendously, it still has a huge opportunity to grow so much more," said Cue. "And it's not just racing, it's culture here. These are incredible athletes, whether it's fashion, music, all of the things that we will partner with them on gives us huge opportunities to expand." The United States now has three grands prix and the Netflix docu-series 'Drive to Survive' has turbocharged engagement in a country that the sport had failed to crack in previous decades. Cue said Apple would also be broadcasting all races in Spanish. Ian Holmes, Formula One's director of media rights, said the deal gave the sport access to the broadest possible audience and employ the innovative Apple camera technology used in the movie. "It's very much a relationship across technology as it is content," he said. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Peter Rutherford)

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