Apple is making a major play for live sports, reportedly bidding at least $150 million annually for exclusive U.S. streaming rights to Formula 1 starting in 2026, according to Business Insider, which cited a source familiar with the negotiations.
The report says Apple is the frontrunner for the deal, with ESPN—currently the rights holder—opting not to match or exceed Apple’s offer. “So barring a last-minute change,” the report noted, “it looks like Apple, which already has deals to stream some pro baseball games, and all of Major League Soccer’s games, will have a third sports streaming offering next year.”
Neither Apple, Formula 1, nor F1’s parent company Liberty Media responded to requests for comment from Reuters.
This move comes on the heels of Apple’s success with F1: The Movie, starring Brad Pitt, which has grossed over $300 million globally, according to Box Office Mojo via IMDb.
ESPN’s current broadcast deal runs through the end of this F1 season. As previously reported by Reuters in February, ESPN’s exclusive window to renegotiate expired earlier this year. Then, on Tuesday, the Financial Times revealed that Apple was in active talks to secure the U.S. rights. Business Insider has now added that Apple’s offer could seal the deal, citing a source who said, “Apple has submitted a bid worth at least $150 million a year to stream the races starting in 2026. And ESPN isn’t going to try to match or beat that.”
A separate report from Puck this week placed Apple’s offer in the range of $150 million to $200 million annually, more than double the $90 million ESPN currently pays.
If finalized, this agreement would represent a major leap forward in Apple’s sports streaming strategy. Apple TV+ already holds exclusive rights to all Major League Soccer matches through its MLS Season Pass and streams weekly Friday Night Baseball games from Major League Baseball.
The F1 rights could also offer valuable brand synergy for Apple, coming on the heels of its F1-themed film and further deepening its push into premium sports content.
Still, questions remain about how the F1 content will be packaged. It’s expected that the offering would be separate from Apple TV+—similar to the structure of MLS Season Pass. The impact on existing services like F1 TV is unclear. As noted earlier this week, “It’s possible, or perhaps likely, that Apple will obtain exclusive rights to F1 streaming in the US and therefore withhold access from F1 TV.”
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