October 20th 2025

Apple confirmed as F1’s new U.S. broadcaster

Formula 1 has confirmed Apple will be the new broadcaster partner of the sport in the United States on a five-year deal.

Apple has won the rights from ESPN – the sports broadcasting giant that had held the rights since 2018 – as it builds on the success of the F1 movie that was released earlier this year. Apple TV will become the home for F1 in America, while the F1 TV Premium platform will only be available through Apple TV, free to those who subscribe.

F1 views the partnership as reaching beyond traditional broadcast deals, stating that Apple “will amplify the sport across Apple News, Apple Maps, Apple Music, Apple Sports, and Apple Fitness+”, while there will also be a Spanish language offering from Apple.

“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,” F1 president and CEO Stefano Domenicali said.

“We are no strangers to each other, having spent the past three years working together to create F1 The Movie, which has already proven to be a huge hit around the world. 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.

“I want to thank Tim Cook [Apple CEO], Eddy Cue [Apple's senior vice president of Services] and the entire Apple team for their vision, enthusiasm and passionate approach to delivering this partnership, and we are looking forward to the next five years together.”

Domenicali also paid tribute to ESPN for its role in growing audience figures for F1 in the United States over the past eight years, as the sport transitions away from a cable broadcaster to a streaming platform.

“I think without their voice it wouldn't be relevant as we are today. And that's why I thank them for what they did so far and what they're going to do at the end of the year," Domenicali said. "They were instrumental for our growth together with the choice of our promoters, and together with the choice of the relevant stakeholders that are present in the U.S.

“That's why in life never forget who invested in you, who believed in what we did because many years ago there were not so many that would have bet any money on the growth that we are having in the U.S. So a big thanks to them.”

Apple has yet to confirm who will call the races and whether it will produce its own bespoke programming or follow ESPN’s lead of taking Sky Sports’ coverage from the UK, but senior vp Cue indicated that the company's coverage would be "focused on quality and creating incredible content."

“From the beginning of our vision for Apple TV, we wanted to deliver customers the best story from the most creative storytellers,” Cue said. “Since 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 U.S. will now get Formula 1. They're going to get everything that Formula 1 has to offer. And it's going to be amazing, because we're focused on quality and creating incredible content. And there's no more incredible content than Formula 1.

“It's loved by viewers. It's growing tremendously. And now we've made some amazing progress, but we love looking forward. We started this with the movie F1, which was Brad Pitt's biggest movie of all time. It's the biggest sports movie of all time. It was a huge blockbuster this year.

“I think one of the exciting things is I went to theaters and we showed this in the U.S. The number of people that raised their hands when we asked them beforehand whether they had seen a Formula 1 race, many had not. And when we asked them after the movie, are they going to go watch a Formula 1 race, everybody raised their hand.

“Over the course of making the movie, from the teams, the drivers, the fans, this cutting-edge technology, the innovation, everything about it – we think this is a perfect marriage of Apple TV and Formula 1 being the exclusive provider.

“We are very excited about the plans that we have to elevate this. We've got a lot of great ideas that we're going to work on together. And I think we're going to make this an amazing, transformative year for Formula 1 and Liberty in 2026.”

In a statement following the F1/Apple announcement, ESPN said, “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. We wish F1 well in the future.”

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