Apple and Netflix partner to co-broadcast Formula 1 race

Apple and Netflix have entered a partnership to co-broadcast the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix, which is a Formula 1 race event. The partnership was announced on Thursday by Eddy Cue, who serves as Apple’s senior vice president of services. Under the terms of this agreement, Formula 1 fans located in the U.S. will be able to watch the live race simultaneously on both the Apple TV and Netflix streaming platforms. The broadcast of the Grand Prix itself is scheduled to take place on May 24, and Netflix subscribers in the U.S. will be permitted to stream the live race weekend, including the practice and qualifying sessions, directly on the platform.

The joint broadcasting effort is established as part of Apple’s new multi-year deal with Formula 1. Under this multi-year agreement, Apple TV replaced ESPN as the exclusive U.S. broadcaster for all 24 races in the Formula 1 season. This transition represents an increase in the value of the broadcasting rights for the sport:

• Apple’s new multi-year deal: Reportedly valued at around $150 million per season.
• ESPN’s previous deal: Reportedly paid roughly $85 million per season.

The previous partnership with ESPN achieved an average viewership of 1.3 million users during its final year of coverage.

Beyond the live race coverage, the partnership includes the cross-promotion of “Drive to Survive,” which is Netflix’s docuseries about Formula 1. The eighth season of the docuseries, which premieres on February 27, will be made available to both Apple TV subscribers in the U.S. and Netflix users globally, which expands the audience for the series. For its part, Apple plans to promote Formula 1 across its services, with plans to feature the sport on Apple News, Apple Maps, Apple Music, Apple Fitness+, and within its retail stores.

This collaboration highlights Netflix’s continued pivot into live sports broadcasting, a sector the streaming platform previously avoided. The move follows earlier reports of Netflix’s interest in the sport’s broadcasting rights, as the company was previously reported to be eyeing U.S. media rights for Formula 1 back in 2022, prior to Apple securing its current multi-year broadcasting deal.

Why it matters

This partnership signals a major shift in sports media, combining Apple’s ecosystem-wide promotion with Netflix’s continued pivot into live sports to broaden the reach of Formula 1.