Apple Says F1 Viewership Up Double Digits Since Streaming Deal Began
Apple TV's exclusive F1 streaming deal has driven double-digit race-day viewership growth since March, with Apple betting on Netflix, Tubi and celebrity culture to expand the sport's U.S. audience.
Updated
The brief
- Apple TV began exclusively streaming F1 races in March; race-day viewership is up by a significant double-digit percentage, per Eddy Cue.
- Apple and F1 are running creator-led altcasts on Tubi and partnered with Netflix for the Canadian Grand Prix.
- Eddy Cue texted Kim Kardashian during a race to bring her on camera, part of a celebrity-driven strategy to grow F1's U.S. audience.
Formula 1 viewership on race days has grown by "a significant double-digit percentage" since Apple TV began exclusively streaming races in March, according to Apple SVP of Services and Health Eddy Cue.
Cue shared the figure Thursday at a Paley Media Council talk in New York City alongside F1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali. Describing the audience shift, Cue said: "it's younger, a lot more females and a lot more people watching. We can measure ourselves against things in the past, and we're up by a significant double-digit percentage growth on the race day."
Saturday qualifying streams have performed especially well. "Our ratings on Saturday are through the roof," Cue said.
The two executives spent much of the conversation outlining their vision for expanding F1's U.S. audience. Domenicali argued that cultural reach is the precondition for success: "you have to be culturally relevant" as a sport in America.
That logic drives the distribution strategy. Apple and F1 are putting races in front of younger viewers through creator-led alternate broadcasts on Tubi, the Fox-owned ad-supported streaming service, and through a partnership with Netflix for the Canadian Grand Prix.
The Netflix deal drew skepticism from outside observers, given Apple's significant investment in exclusive rights. "People thought it was crazy. You guys pay for the exclusive rights; why the hell would you put a race on Netflix?" Cue said. "My view on this is how do we grow the sport? I don't care what it is. We're going to try all kinds of different things…If we grow the sport, we're going to win."
Apple is also surfacing F1 content in Apple News to introduce the sport to a wider pool of potential fans.
Celebrity culture forms another pillar of the growth plan. Cue pointed to the Taylor Swift–Travis Kelce effect on NFL fandom as a model, and suggested that seven-time world champion driver Lewis Hamilton dating Kim Kardashian could similarly capture the zeitgeist. Cue recounted texting Kardashian during a race to ask her to step outside so Apple's cameras could show her to viewers.
"The culture and the things that happen outside of the race are very important if you want to grow the sport," Cue said.
The event was part of the Paley Media Council series. Next month, the Paley Center will host its International Council Summit in New York, with speakers including John Malone, Hiroki Totoki and Eli Manning — a venue where the media industry will likely get further detail on how Apple's F1 bet is performing.
Based on cynopsis.com
Filed under streaming, formula-1, apple-tv, audience-growth, sports-media
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Market editor covering media and advertising at Marketing Herald.
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