Formula One bosses announced a landmark new broadcasting agreement ahead of the United States Grand Prix last weekend, with Apple TV set to take over the American market

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The new Formula One broadcast agreement was announced ahead of the United States Grand Prix(Image: Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Cadillac F1 CEO Dan Towriss believes that the sport will have a ‘bigger reach than what people expect’ after the series’s bosses announced a groundbreaking new broadcast rights deal with Apple for the 2026 season onwards.

Starting from the first year of the new technical regulations, the American tech giant will broadcast all F1 sessions on the Apple TV platform. This means that, like with MLS, the sport will be behind a paywall on a streaming platform, with monthly subscriptions priced at £9.70 ($12.99).

The new deal, which represents the end of the current broadcasting package with ESPN, which has held the rights since 2017, has been heavily criticised by fans on social media. Many expressed reluctance to pay for another streaming service to watch F1 races.

“It’s a new deal [and] we’re still learning some of the specific details, but unlike MLS, there’s not an additional subscription to watch F1 races,” Towriss told Front Office Sports .

“Apple’s position is that the subscriber base is much larger than people are giving them credit for, and Apple’s an innovation-first company.

“And I think that aligns so well with F1 and the movie, following Drive to Survive, has brought a lot of new fans to the sport. And so, I think we’re going to have a bigger reach than what people think. I think as you look to the long term, from our standpoint, we’re certainly betting on Apple.”

He added: “I think there’s a strong focus on America, and I think we want to develop – there are a lot of new fans. They’re not all watching races yet. And so having a home team, having somebody to root for, that’s certainly what we want to bring to American audiences.”

Apple’s latest venture into the world of motorsport follows the success of the F1: The Movie, which became the highest-grossing sports film in box office history earlier this year, bringing in an eye-watering £467million ($628m) worldwide. As part of the new five-year broadcast agreement, some races will even be available for free.

“This is an incredibly exciting partnership for both Formula One and Apple that will ensure we can continue to maximise our growth potential in the U.S. with the right content and innovative distribution channels,” F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said last week.

“We are no strangers to each other, having spent the past three years working together to create F1 The Movie, which has already proven to be a huge hit around the world. We have a shared vision to bring this amazing sport to our fans in the U.S. and entice new fans through live broadcasts, engaging content, and a year-round approach to keep them hooked.”