Apple TV Grabs Exclusive F1 Rights – What Happens to F1 TV?
If you want to watch F1 races starting next year, you’ll need Apple TV. The streamer is paying an estimated $140 million per year to lock up F1 rights for the next 5 years. ESPN had been paying about $85 million per year
All practice, qualifying, Sprint sessions, and Grands Prix will be included in your Apple TV subscription at no additional cost.
$12.99/mo.
Some races and all practice sessions will also be available for free in the Apple TV app, even if you don’t subscribe.
What Happens to F1 TV?
F1 TV was the go-to streaming service for Formula 1 fans, but it’s going away in the U.S. Here’s what F1 TV sent to its subscribers today:
As a F1 TV Pro or Premium customer, we’re letting you know that we will be phasing out direct subscriptions to F1 TV Pro and Premium.
Key Changes to note:
To keep watching F1 through to the end of the 2025 season, F1 TV Pro and Premium annual and monthly subscriptions and renewals are available until the following dates:
- Monthly Subscriptions: From December 8th this year, fans in the US will no longer be able to purchase a new F1 TV Pro or Premium monthly subscription and existing subscriptions will no longer renew.
- Annual Subscriptions: From October 17th this year, fans in the US will no longer be able to purchase a new F1 TV Pro or Premium annual subscription.
- From November 17th this year, existing F1 TV Pro or Premium annual subscriptions will no longer renew.
Why Did ESPN Let F1 Go?
ESPN acquired F1 rights in 2018, but it was never a major draw. Races are averaging 1.4 million viewers this year. That number does break the average audience record of 1.21 million set in 2022, but ESPN is saving its cash for other sports rights. It’s likely Apple was only bidding against itself for the F1 package.
In its news release, Apple said, “F1 is one of the fastest-growing leagues in the world, with a U.S. fanbase that reached 52 million in 2024.”
For a fanbase of 52 million people, it’s weird that 50.6 million of them don’t bother watching the races.
ESPN issued a brief statement after today’s announcement.
Want to know more about Apple’s love for F1? Watch CNBC’s Alex Sherman’s interview with Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services.
$12.99/mo.
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