Announced on Friday, Apple’s five-year agreement to secure Formula 1’s broadcast rights in America — replacing ESPN from Walt Disney starting in 2026 — presents significant growth opportunities for both brands in untapped areas and may pave the way for even larger collaborations down the line.
Under the deal, Apple TV+ will exclusively stream all live grand prix weekend action, potentially expanding Formula One’s audience via seamless access on mobile devices and apps.
Reuters:
Select races, and all practice sessions, will be freely available in the Apple TV app. Apple TV subscribers can also access Liberty Media-owned Formula One’s premium content without extra cost.
No details were given of how much Apple paid to add F1 to Major League Baseball and soccer in their existing sports offering.
“Thanks to Apple we are going to be ready to get into more houses and more in the culture of the American fans,” Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali told reporters in a video briefing. “This is something that will represent a big step change in our approach in the media landscape. But we know the power of Apple… we know the technology that they have.”
Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice-president of services and a Ferrari board member, said he hoped the deal became “what we’re doing forever… I think there’s a huge opportunity for both of us… There’s more opportunities to go. But we’re focused on this, make this a success and then it’ll be easier to keep growing and doing more.”
“Though Formula One has grown tremendously, it still has a huge opportunity to grow so much more,” said Cue. “And it’s not just racing, it’s culture here. These are incredible athletes, whether it’s fashion, music, all of the things that we will partner with them on gives us huge opportunities to expand.”
MacDailyNews Take: Like we said this morning, it’s a genius idea:
Cook should consider bidding for and winning NFL Sunday Ticket away from DirecTV, buying rights to Premiere League and La Liga games, etc. and making them Apple TV exclusives. Go directly to the sports leagues with boatloads of cash. — MacDailyNews, May 6, 2014
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