Formula 1 is officially leaving ESPN — and linear television as a whole — in a five-year rights deal with Apple TV.
Apple TV will become the exclusive home of all Formula 1 content in the U.S., including the F1 TV Premium subscription service, under a five-year media rights deal announced Friday. F1 races currently air on ESPN, which has held rights since 2018. All F1 events will be available to subscribers of the Apple TV streaming service — previously known as Apple TV+ — with practice sessions and select races available for free.
F1 becomes the second major sports organization to sign an exclusive deal with Apple in the United States, joining Major League Soccer.
Apple and F1 have a preexisting relationship by way of the feature film “F1,” which was released to positive reviews and strong box office results earlier this year.
The Apple deal is the culmination of nearly a decade of growing U.S. popularity for Formula 1. The acclaimed Netflix series “Drive to Survive” has often been credited for a sharp uptick in viewership for F1 races, though it is more likely that the series’ move from NBCSN to ESPN was the bigger reason. Either way, F1 viewership rose from 554,000 in year one on ESPN in 2018 to 1.11 million last season.
That is despite F1 races being available to stream via F1 TV Premium, which offers features unavailable on linear television. Apple reportedly wanted F1 to shut down the service, but in the announcement Friday, it would appear the compromise was to make it available solely through Apple TV. It will be included for free as part of an Apple TV subscription.
F1 races had prominent telecast windows on ESPN, airing in Sunday morning slots on the flagship network and occasionally on ABC. The Miami Grand Prix has aired on ABC in each year of its existence, preempting the network’s much higher-rated NBA playoff games.
During the ESPN era, F1 races have occasionally finished not too far behind their NASCAR counterparts — at least when NASCAR is on basic cable — and at times even outdrawn the stock car series in the youngest adult demographics.
The series will be hard-pressed to reach that level of exposure and competitive positioning on Apple TV.
The days of Nielsen-rated Formula 1 races are likely over with the new Apple deal. The streamer keeps its viewership close to the vest. It was only this year that there was any firm inkling of its MLS viewership.
But no other bidder was willing to pay F1 the reported $140 million/year that Apple TV was offering.
