Formula 1’s 2025 season is not just unfolding with thrilling races and record-breaking attendance but also with a significant shift in how its vast American audience will watch the sport. The announcement of a five-year broadcast deal with Apple as the series’ U.S. partner starting next season marks a major turning point for this global motorsports spectacle, especially after ESPN’s decision not to renew its contract this year despite overseeing the surge in Formula 1’s U.S. popularity since 2018. This shift not only reflects the evolving landscape of sports media but also Formula 1’s strategic expansion into the American market and Apple’s broader ambitions in the sports broadcasting arena.
In the U.S., Formula 1’s television viewership has been on a robust growth trajectory, with Nielsen Sports reporting a 10% cumulative increase in television audiences for the 2024 season. On ESPN, the sport experienced stable overall viewership, yet several races, including Miami and Canada, set domestic records, with the Miami Grand Prix averaging 3.1 million viewers. Eleven races showed year-over-year growth, underscoring sustained interest. Digital platforms also contributed to this rise, with YouTube highlights drawing 233 million views globally, heavily weighted towards U.S. and U.K. audiences. ESPN’s tenure brought F1 closer to mainstream sports fans, popularizing the sport during morning broadcasts and amid increasing social media engagement by younger demographics. However, as media consumption habits evolved with streaming rising sharply, ESPN opted not to extend its partnership.
Apple’s entry into Formula 1 broadcasting signals a shift toward digital-first sports viewing experiences. This deal aligns with Apple’s growing investment in live sports, aiming to leverage its substantial ecosystem to appeal to younger, tech-savvy audiences while offering more flexible, on-demand access to content. Apple’s partnership brings opportunities for exclusive programming, interactive features, and integration with its hardware, enhancing how fans engage with Formula 1. This corresponds with Formula 1’s own digital growth, its social media following has surged by 21% year-on-year, with YouTube channel viewership up 30%, and over 135 million fans in the U.S. alone, the largest market for those platforms.
Formula 1’s strategy in the U.S. market over recent years has been multifaceted. Beyond broadcast deals, the sport has significantly grown its live event attendance and global fan engagement. The 2025 season marks Formula 1’s 75th anniversary, highlighted by sold-out live events like F1 75 Live at The O2 in London and record-breaking race attendances averaging nearly 4 million fans in the first half of the season worldwide. Digital engagement has favored younger demographics, with 43% of global fans under 35 years old and rising female viewership. Key American races continue to draw record numbers, and eleven of fourteen races this year have climbed in viewership versus last year.
The Apple deal fits neatly into this expansion trajectory, showing how Formula 1 is capitalizing on a growing fan base hungry for more accessible and diversified content. It also reflects Apple’s play to expand its portfolio beyond traditional tech products into media and sports, competing with other streaming giants investing in live sports rights. The focus on a digital-first approach diverges from ESPN’s broadcast-centered model, signaling a broader sports media trend where flexibility and innovation are driving contract negotiations and fan engagement.
While ESPN helped build Formula 1’s presence in the U.S., its departure points to how the media landscape is rapidly changing. Sports fans now demand richer, more interactive experiences, often outside traditional cable channels. Apple’s deal acknowledges this shift, promising a new era for fans who prefer to consume F1 content across multiple devices and on their own schedules, rather than through fixed television time slots. It also shows Formula 1’s willingness to evolve with its audience, embracing a future where streaming and digital interactivity play as crucial a role as the races themselves.
Formula 1 and Apple together will test the market’s appetite for streaming-exclusive live sports in the U.S. This partnership could redefine motorsport broadcast standards and influence how other sports balance legacy TV deals with streaming innovations. Given Formula 1’s strong fan growth, record digital and live attendance metrics, and Apple’s technology-driven approach, this broadcast deal sets a precedent that may well extend beyond motorsports to shape the broader sports media landscape.
