The numbers Apple came to Miami with were good. The ambitions it left with are bigger. Speaking at the Autosport Business Exchange Miami ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, Apple SVP Eddy Cue confirmed the company’s first season as F1’s exclusive U.S. broadcaster is tracking well above expectations, telling reporters viewership is “way up” versus last year’s ESPN figures through three rounds.
But it’s what followed this news that raised a few eyebrows.
“Starting in the United States,” he said on the technology company’s business strategy, “which represents a huge market for us, and then building from there, is undoubtedly the best strategy,” he said. “I hope we can expand into other markets.”
That’s about as direct a statement of intent as you’ll hear from the iPhone builder. Apple currently holds the U.S. rights, but it wants more.
The Deal Apple Built This Idea On
Apple and Formula 1 announced a five-year partnership that brings all F1 races exclusively to Apple TV in the United States beginning in 2026.
Apple is reportedly paying approximately $150 million per season for those exclusive U.S. media rights through 2030, nearly double what ESPN had been paying, and a universe away from the sub-$5 million deals (and even free contracts) of the late 2010s and early 2020s.
The partnership follows Apple’s deepening relationship with Formula 1 through the global success of F1 The Movie, the highest-grossing sports film of all time with Brad Pitt and Damson Idris as leads.
And after just three rounds, Cue says viewership exceeded expectations. While official figures haven’t been confirmed, both parties are said to be impressed so far with expectations being far exceeded.
The audience gains aren’t just coming on race day, either. The SVP pointed to two groups Apple was specifically focused on growing: younger viewers and female fans, and the company has confirmed that early data showed movement in both.
F1 content is embedded across Apple News, Apple Maps, Apple Music, Apple Sports, and Apple Fitness+ , which gives the company a platform surface area no conventional broadcaster can match. The U.S. foothold is the proof of concept, and if it gets its way, it could be the recipe of success it rolls out across further continents.
Fortunately for Sky Sports F1, the broadcasting company has confirmed a five-year extension of its broadcast rights. It will now cover F1 until at least 2034.
