F1 Boss Boldly Says Series' New TV Deal With Apple Will Have Bigger Reach Than Previous ESPN Deal
F1 has found success with Apple before, but will that continue with the new TV deal?
We're about a week and a half from the start of the Formula 1 season, and that means if you're interested in catching some grand Prix action this season, you've only got a few days left to bite the bullet and sign up for Apple TV.
I think this is going to be one of the most interesting things to watch in sports media over the next year, because F1 is the biggest series or sport to go all-in on a streaming deal with a single partner like this.
However, F1 boss Stefano Domenicalli thinks that it's going to work out for the series.
And not just work out, he thinks it will have a bigger reach than the sport's previous deal with ESPN.
F1 is leaving ESPN, its partner since 2018, to join the tech giant — which also produced the blockbuster film "F1" — on its streaming platform.
"When we are talking about Apple in the US, we are talking about a new partner of Formula 1 that is believing in us with a great plan of being the protagonist of the growth in the US of the sport through their channels, through their applications, through their way of pushing a product that is not only technological, but is a new tool of connectivity," Domenicali said, per RACER's Chris Medland.
Domenicall said he wouldn't talk badly about ESPN or Disney since they took a chance with F1 before it really heated up stateside, but said he expects Apple to provide a bigger reach.
"But I do believe that the reach that we're going to have through the streaming platform, through Apple, will be even bigger in the future, and it is what we want to test in a market that is more mature than the others," the F1 CEO said.
So… is he right?
There's no shortage of storylines going into the 2026 F1 season, and consider the new US TV deal with Apple as one of the biggest. (Getty Images)
The Success Of F1's Apple Deal Is Anyone's Guess
Here's why the F1 media deal fascinates me: because I have absolutely no idea how it will pan out.
In fact, I could be convinced by Domenicalli's argument that it's a win just as much as I would believe a naysayer's argument that it's a huge mistake.
To Domenicalli's point, it's clear that Apple is all in on F1 given their previous work with the series. Plus, I think F1 partnering with a tech company is smart, given that technology and innovation are part of the sport.
Buuuuuuuuut…
Streaming is still not churning up the same number of eyeballs as network or cable TV.
READ: FERRARI LEAVES F1 HEADS, REAR WINGS SPINNING WITH WILD TECH INNOVATION
I mean, there's a reason everyone talks about what a win it was for IndyCar to have each race on network TV.
You're more likely to have a viewer stumble across a race and get hooked on it if the barrier to watching it is nothing more than a set of rabbit ears.
Plus, deals like that are becoming harder to strike, as companies continue to look for content to put on their respective streaming platforms.
As for Apple TV, you've got to sign up for it, pay for it, and download the app. In fact, I recently did this, and initially had trouble even finding the F1 section in the app.
Fortunately, it seems like Apple is aware of this and has plans to stream certain races completely free.
But even then, it won't be as easy for someone to say, "Oh, hey, there's an F1 race, I always wanted to check it out."
We'll see how it all works once the season gets underway, but I can guarantee a lot of other sports and streamers will be watching to see how this plays out.