Apple in $180-million for F1 media rights in USA, double ESPN bid

Apple’s senior vice president of services, Eddy Cue, is believed to have tabled an offer of around $180 million annually to Liberty Media, F1 commercial rights owners, double what current rights holder ESPN/ABC pays.

ESPN’s exclusive negotiating window with F1 expired earlier this year, as confirmed by Reuters in February, opening the door for rival bids. Apple’s interest signals a strategic push to capitalise on F1’s booming U.S. popularity, fuelled by Netflix’s Drive to Survive and now Pitt’s blockbuster film.

Netflix remains in contention, having already made headlines with a $5 billion WWE Raw rights deal and massive viewership for the Tyson-Paul fight.

Apple Studios’ F1: The Movie, executive-produced by Lewis Hamilton and starring Brad Pitt, opened to $140 million globally—including $55.6 million in the U.S., with $25 million earned on day one.

Filmed at real F1 tracks during the 2024 season, it outpaced Napoleon for Apple’s biggest opening, but still faces pressure to recoup a reported $350 million production cost.

Despite mixed reviews, the film’s momentum appears to have emboldened Apple’s push to expand its sports portfolio. Apple TV+ still lags behind Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+ in subscribers, but securing F1 rights could help close that gap in the increasingly competitive streaming market.