Formula 1 will have a new home in the United States starting in 2026: Apple TV will exclusively broadcast the entire championship in that market thanks to a far-reaching agreement with the World Cup organizers. The move consolidates Apple's commitment to live sports and reshapes the audiovisual landscape of motorsports in the country.
The alliance covers five seasons with full coverage and positions Apple as the only service where you can follow training sessions, qualifications, races, and sprint events. Industry sources place the agreement around 140 million dollars per year, a figure that multiplies the stake compared to previous television contracts and comes at a time of growing interest in F1 in North America.
Apple TV acquires F1 rights in the US
The pact contemplates that the entire competition can be seen on Apple TV in the United States starting in 2026, including every weekend session: Free Practice, Qualifying, Sprint, and Grand Prix. Formula 1 itself has defined the agreement as a far-reaching partnership with Apple, aimed at enhancing the fan experience and the championship's presence in its largest growth market.
In addition to the main broadcast, Free windows are being considered for certain sessions within the app, a hook designed to attract new viewers. Likewise, F1 TV Premium will continue to be available in the US, integrated into Apple TV. And, as announced, subscribers to Apple's service will have included access to that layer of content.
F1 and Apple's Services business management insist that the collaboration goes beyond linear broadcasting: there will be synergies with Apple News, Apple Music, Apple Maps, Apple Sports and Fitness+ to expand coverage, official lists, live data and complementary content.
The property also points to a Enhanced audiovisual experience: 4K, multi-camera and real-time data, along with interactive features and even augmented or virtual reality proposals that will be activated during the life of the contract.
Price, duration and transition from ESPN
Neither Apple nor Formula 1 have made the amounts public, but Specialized media estimate the value at approximately 140 million per season. for five years. This figure represents a significant increase from the approximately 90 million paid by ESPN, a network that will continue broadcasting. until the end of 2025 before the final transfer to Apple.
The move to a streaming operator with exclusive rights makes Apple TV the only gateway to F1 in the American market starting in 2026, a decision that follows the company's agreements with MLS and baseball (MLB) to strengthen its live sports catalog.
Technology and user experience
Integration into the ecosystem opens the door to a transversal coverage: alerts in Apple News, playlists in Apple Music, tracking on Apple Sports, and route planning on Maps. The platform will focus on customization and viewer control, with the intention that each user Build your own way of seeing the race.
Audiovisual impulse: from the big screen to live
Apple's arrival in F1 follows the success of the film F1, starring Brad Pitt and produced by Apple, which has grossed over $600 million at the box office (around $629 million, according to recent counts). The filming introduced new cameras designed to film from single-seaters, technology that could be transferred to broadcasts to obtain previously unseen shots.
The relationship between F1 and the American public has grown with phenomena such as Drive to Survive on Netflix, which catapulted the sport's popularity. Since Liberty Media took control of the competition in 2018, the Social audiences have skyrocketed from 18,7 to more than 107 million followers, with a particularly young and diverse base.
Recent championship surveys reflect that Nearly half of new fans in the US are between 18 and 24 years old and more than half are women, a demographic closely aligned with the digital audience Apple hopes to capture with this agreement.
Languages ​​and accessibility
Apple Services management has stressed that All races will have narration in Spanish. In addition to English, covering a key Hispanic community in the US market. The goal is reduce access barriers and expand the user base with language options and extra content.
What's happening in Spain: the human rights situation
This move does not alter the outlook in Spain in the short term: DAZN retains exclusive rights to F1 until the end of 2026., with additional distribution through Movistar Plus+ and Orange. No changes to local broadcasting are expected during this period.
Once the 2026 season is over, the market will open a new tender And it remains to be seen whether Apple decides to compete for the rights in Europe. A possible landing could translate into more interactive functions and technical quality, although there is also the risk of more fragmentation or price adjustments for the fans.
In terms of business and audience, the combination of Exclusivity, technological muscle and a calendar with three Grand Prix In the United States (Austin, Miami and Las Vegas) it could reinforce the growth of the championship, which already averages around 1,4 million spectators per race in the country.
The agreement places Apple TV as The new benchmark for following Formula 1 in the United States: a proposal that combines comprehensive rights, service integration, and technical ambition, with nods to free content and F1 TV Premium within the platform, while Spain continues unchanged with DAZN and the horizon of 2027 as the next date marked on the rights calendar.
