Overview
- Apple is in active talks with Liberty Media to acquire U.S. Formula 1 streaming rights starting with the 2026 season.
- ESPN’s current deal expires at the end of 2025 and its exclusive renewal window lapsed earlier this year, allowing new bidders to enter.
- Liberty Media estimates the next U.S. rights package at $120–150 million per year, a sharp rise from the $85–90 million ESPN pays.
- U.S. viewership doubled from about 554,000 to 1.1 million in 2024 and climbed to 1.3 million on average over the first ten races of 2025.
- Since moving into live sports on Apple TV+ in 2022, Apple has bolstered its streaming lineup with MLB, MLS and blockbuster F1 media like “F1: The Movie.”