Apple TV is using Miami race weekend to showcase its 1st year carrying Formula 1
Formula 1's return from an unplanned month long hiatus is not only a time to see how rules tweaks will work, it offers an opportunity for Apple TV to have a second launch in its first year as F1’s U. S. broadcast partner .
Add into it that this weekend's race is in Miami — traditionally one of the most-viewed of the season not only in the U. S. but worldwide — and hopes are high that casual viewers of the sport will be able to increase audiences.
“I think it’s a relaunch in a way. We’re treating it and we were treating it in a huge way anyway, and we’ve kind of probably even done a little more, but we’ve got a lot of things coming up for the race, so we’re very excited about it,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services. Apple reached a five-year deal with the global motorsports series last fall, averaging $150 million per year.
ESPN, which had carried F1 races since 2018, paid nearly $90 million during a three-year extension signed in 2022. Miami is the first race since the Japanese Grand Prix on March 29. The Iran war forced F1 to call off April's races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Apple is showing the races in 4K Dolby Vision with immersive 5. 1 surround sound. Viewers can watch up to four live feeds at once during practices, qualifying and races via multi-view displays.