Formula 1 announced a five-year deal Friday with Apple, which will be the global motorsports series’ broadcast partner in the United States beginning next season.
ESPN had been the broadcast partner of the international open-wheel racing circuit since 2018 and through the explosion of popularity of F1 in the United States, but the network notified the series at the start of this year it would not be extending its deal.
At the same time, Apple was working with the series on “F1 The Movie,” a feature film released internationally in theaters in June. It will make its global streaming debut on Apple TV in December, but it has already grossed nearly $630 million globally as both the most successful sports movie in history and the most lucrative of Brad Pitt’s acting career.
The relationship made Apple the front-runner to land the U.S. broadcast rights. Financial terms were not released.
“I feel like I am on the podium, this is amazing,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services. “Our vision for Apple TV, we wanted to deliver customers the best story from the most creative storytellers. We launched in 2019, we started with nine original series, and now we’ve got a deep library of over 300 shows and movies and thousands of hours.
“And everyone on Apple TV in the US will now get Formula 1. They’re going to get everything that Formula 1 has to offer.”
Apple plans to air F1 on Apple TV as well as amplify the series across Apple Fitness Plus, Apple Maps, Apple Music, Apple News and Apple Sports. Apple TV will host all of F1’s practices, qualifying sessions, sprint races and full-length grand prix races.
Select races and all practice sessions throughout the season will also be available to watch for free in the Apple TV app. F1 TV Premium, F1’s own premier content offering, will continue to be available in the U.S. via an Apple TV subscription and will be free to Apple subscribers.
Apple TV is available in more than 100 countries and regions on more than 1 billion screens, including iPhone and other products, with PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles among them.
Cue said Apple’s reach will only help grow F1 in America, which currently hosts three races. The Miami Grand Prix was held in early May, the U.S. Grand Prix is Sunday at Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, and the Las Vegas Grand Prix is set for Nov. 23 as the 22nd of 24 races on this year’s schedule.
“The many millions of Apple TV viewers that we have in the U.S., we know many of them are Formula 1 fans, hopefully, and we know that many of them are not yet,” he said. “We’re going to be able to bring (new fans) to the table right away, that’s very much low-hanging fruit.”
The deal with Apple was praised by Dan Towriss, the CEO of TWG Motorsports and the Cadillac Formula 1 team that will debut next season.
“As we build a truly American team, Apple’s scale, influence, marketing, and most importantly, deep commitment to innovation will bring us to American audiences in exactly the ways we want to reach them,” Towriss said.
Stefano Domenicali, F1’s president and CEO, noted the potential for growth.
“This is an incredibly exciting partnership for both Formula 1 and Apple that will ensure we can continue to maximize our growth potential in the U.S. with the right content and innovative distribution channels,” Domenicali said. “We have a shared vision to bring this amazing sport to our fans in the U.S. and entice new fans through live broadcasts, engaging content, and a year-round approach to keep them hooked.”
Domenicali also praised the coverage and growth ESPN brought the series over eight seasons.
“We’re incredibly proud of what we and Formula 1 accomplished together in the United States and look forward to a strong finish in this final season,” ESPN said in a statement released Friday. “We wish F1 well in the future.”