Motor racing-Netflix and Apple TV join forces on F1 content

By Alan Baldwin

Feb 26 (Reuters) – Netflix will broadcast the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix live to U.S. viewers in May as part of a deal that makes season eight of its hit docu-series ‘Drive to Survive’ available for streaming on Apple TV.

Apple TV is taking over from Walt Disney’s ESPN this season as the exclusive U.S. broadcaster of Formula One, with live coverage of all 24 rounds.

Streaming giant Netflix had also been a contender for the U.S. broadcasting rights, according to media reports in February last year.

Season eight of ‘Drive to Survive’, with exclusive behind the scenes access through the 2025 Formula One campaign won by McLaren and Lando Norris, launches globally on Friday.

Formula One’s new season, with three U.S. rounds, starts in Australia on March 8.

Apple’s Senior Vice-President of Services Eddy Cue told reporters on a video call that select races and practice sessions would also be made available for free through the season, without giving details.

“We look at F1 and Apple TV as a true partnership where we’re going to amplify this sport across all our Apple services,” he said.

“Netflix, I think, has played a pivotal role in growing F1 since the launch of ‘Drive to Survive’ and we’re thrilled to make F1 content more broadly available to new and existing U.S. fans on both Netflix and Apple TV.”

Formula One’s Chief Media Rights and Broadcast officer Ian Holmes said ESPN had taken Formula One in the United States, a key market, to a new level with their coverage and the relationship with Apple was “the next big iteration”.

“I’d say we are probably the only sport in the world whose audience is getting younger and more female skewed, and that couldn’t be more represented than currently in the U.S.,” he added.

“So we see a relationship with Apple and the way that Apple is able to offer its content as the most forward-looking approach that we can pursue.”

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin in London, editing by Pritha Sarkar)