After months of rumors swirling about the next holder of Formula One’s television rights in the United States, it was confirmed this morning that Apple will become the sport’s exclusive broadcast partner from 2026.
It’s a five-year deal, and it comes after the global success of the F1 movie, which has grossed nearly $630 million worldwide. The film was co-produced by Apple Studios.
The partnership with Apple marks a departure from F1’s previous approach to its U.S. TV rights. Traditional broadcast companies have long held the rights. Going back to 2001, Fox aired the series via its Speed network through 2012. Then NBC took over from 2013 to 2017, reportedly only paying $4 million a year to broadcast F1.
ESPN has held the U.S. rights since 2018. But when the sports media conglomerate’s exclusive negotiating period over an extension to the current arrangement expired early in 2025, other potential broadcasters, including Netflix, began circling.