Hot off the success of F1, Apple is challenging ESPN for the U.S. broadcast rights to Formula One.
Apple Wants F1
Exclusive: The tech giant is chasing the success of its hit movie based on the race car series as it delves further into showing live sport.https://t.co/Gl9CW6Zlsv pic.twitter.com/D5PmiIFTUY
— Financial Times (@FT) July 9, 2025
Apple has the need for speed.
According to a report in The Financial Times, Apple is in talks to acquire the domestic rights to broadcast Formula 1 racing.
ESPN currently holds the rights to Formula 1 for around $85 million per year. However, ESPN’s media deal with F1 expires at the end of the 2025 season.
ESPN was granted an exclusive window to renegotiate a deal without competition from other companies. However, that window expired last year without a deal.
Liberty Media, which owns the U.S. rights to Formula 1, hopes to sign a new deal worth $150 million to $180 million (per WSJ).
The Financial Times’ report states that Formula 1 has “yet to make a decision” on its future media rights partners. It’s not a done deal with Apple, as ESPN could still retain the rights.
Apple is riding high off the success of F1, a riveting sports drama from Top Gun: Maverick’s Joseph Kosinski. The movie stars Brad Pitt as a washed-up driver recruited to race for a struggling Formula 1 team and mentor its hotshot rookie (Damson Idris).
Released on June 27, F1 blew past industry expectations with a domestic opening of $57 million. The film has grossed over $301 million as of July 9. F1 is considered Apple’s box office hit, and the tech giant clearly wants to capitalize on the film’s momentum.
Live Sports Is King
Apple is in talks to acquire the US rights to Formula 1, according to @FT.
This makes sense given how closely the two have worked together on Apple's F1 movie over the last 2-3 years, which has earned $300 million in just 10 days.
But I wonder what it means for F1 TV… pic.twitter.com/YJcpDUXzd0
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) July 9, 2025
While original movies and TV shows help grow a media company, live sports bring the networks to new heights. It’s why every major network and streamer bids exorbitantly high figures for NFL games.
Advertisers want to partner with networks and streamers that have live sports.
Live sports were once reserved for network television. Now, they go to the highest bidder. Netflix paid the WWE $5 billion to air Monday Night Raw for 10 years. The streamer also has NFL games on Christmas Day.
Amazon Prime Video bought Thursday Night Football and an NBA package.
Apple currently has a Friday Night MLB package and a 10-year, $2.5 billion media rights deal with the MLS.
Apple hopes the appetite for F1 increases exponentially with the movie and Netflix’s Drive to Survive. Formula 1’s audience has increased from 554,000 viewers a race in 2018 to roughly 1.3 million viewers in 2025.
The next race is the Belgian Grand Prix from July 27 to 29.
