Apple has acquired the broadcast rights of Formula 1, bringing all races to Apple TV. You need to know this!
Formula 1 to Apple TV
Big changes are coming to Apple TV! Last week, Apple announced that it would discontinue Apple TV Plus. Instead, the streaming service is simply called Apple TV. Now Apple has announced even more changes for Apple TV, as the company has acquired the broadcast rights to Formula 1. This means that all Formula 1 races can be viewed on Apple TV from 2026.
Do you have a subscription to Apple TV and do you follow every Formula 1 race? Then we have bad news, because Apple has only taken over the broadcast rights in the United States. In the Netherlands and Belgium, Formula 1 races will not come to the streaming service. That’s a shame, because Apple has already announced that certain F1 content will even be available for free on Apple TV. This currently only applies to American users.
Without additional subscription costs
Formula 1 can be seen on Apple TV in the United States from 2026. Subscribers do not have to pay a higher monthly amount for this extra content, all races become part of the existing subscriptions. In the United States, users pay $12.99 per month for the streaming service, while for Dutch and Belgian subscribers it is €9.99 per month. Are you buying a new Apple device? Then you even get three months of Apple TV for free.
Apple has already announced that certain Formula 1 content can be viewed for free via Apple TV. It concerns a number of Formula 1 races and free practice sessions. To watch these, American users do not need a subscription to Apple TV. The streaming service will therefore become much more extensive and advanced next year, without users seeing this reflected in the monthly subscription prices.
Formula 1 in the Netherlands
Apple owns the American broadcast rights to Formula 1 for at least the next five years. In the Netherlands and Belgium, Apple TV will not yet be expanded to include all Formula 1 content. If the collaboration between Apple and Formula 1 is a success in the United States, there is a good chance that the company will attempt to acquire Formula 1’s worldwide broadcast rights.
In the Netherlands, the rights to Formula 1 have been owned by Viaplay for a number of years. Viaplay has these broadcast rights until 2029, only then can Apple take them over in the Netherlands and Belgium. At Viaplay you pay 14.92 euros per month to watch Formula 1. Do you want to watch Formula 1 every weekend? Then it is necessary to take out a subscription to Viaplay, where an annual subscription is cheaper than a monthly subscription. See here where you can follow Formula 1:
Watch F1 TV Pro