Apple and Netflix Team Up for Formula 1 Content

Apple and Netflix just rewired live sports for your screen. The two streaming giants have struck a cross-platform deal to share Formula 1 programming, letting Netflix stream the Canadian Grand Prix in May while both Netflix and Apple TV will air season eight of Drive to Survive, the docuseries that helped F1 explode in popularity in the United States.

In practical terms, you’ll still watch the live race where you already subscribe, but the distribution net has widened. Drive to Survive season eight will arrive simultaneously on both platforms, with premieres at midnight on each service. The arrangement mirrors a broader trend: live sports are increasingly treated as a content engine that can pull viewers into multiple ecosystems rather than relying on a single app or channel. Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior VP of services, framed the move as a way to “make F1 content more broadly available to new and existing US fans,” while Netflix’s involvement stands to push more of the sport’s reach through its own massive subscriber base.

The deal comes against a backdrop of Apple’s ongoing bet on Formula 1. Apple secured streaming rights to live F1 races last year in a package that reports value around $150 million per year. By pairing that live-rights heft with Netflix’s production prowess for Drive to Survive, the on-ramp for fans is less about hunting for a specific app and more about a shared access point to F1’s racing universe. It’s a symmetrical move that benefits both companies: Apple shores up its live-race portfolio and its Apple TV+ ecosystem, while Netflix deepens the appeal of Drive to Survive and broadens its own live-event footprint.

From an industry perspective, the collaboration signals a potential shift in how rights holders monetize high-saturation sports. The partnership suggests cross-licensing and joint presentation could become a standard play rather than a one-off maneuver. For Netflix, it’s a way to demonstrate that it can be a home for timely live events, not just on-demand catalog titles. For Apple, it reinforces its strategy of clustering live sports around its hardware and services, with the added leverage of Drive to Survive as a bridge to casual fans who might never have tuned in for a race but binge the behind-the-scenes drama.

There are clear incentives and some risks. On the upside, fans gain broader entry points: you can sample F1 content on Netflix and transition to live races on Apple TV+ without hunting through a dozen apps. This could help advertisers and sponsors reach a broader cross-section of cord-cutters and streaming enthusiasts who crave live event moments. On the other hand, the more platforms share the load, the heavier the app-switching burden can become for some households, especially if you’re juggling multiple streaming subscriptions for access to the same sport. And while the financial terms beyond Apple’s roughly $150 million-per-year live-rights figure aren’t fully disclosed, the arrangement implies a growing appetite for collaborative models rather than exclusive lockups.

Looking ahead, watchers should pay attention to two practical developments. First, how quickly this model expands beyond the Canadian Grand Prix and Drive to Survive into a more continuous, event-driven schedule across platforms, including potential IMAX simulcast broadcasts Apple has already explored in partnership with theatres. Second, whether additional platforms—like Tubi, Comcast, DirecTV, and Amazon Prime Video—get selective access to certain F1 programming, as rumors and industry chatter suggest in related coverage. If the trend holds, the specter of “one race, two apps, one fan” could become the norm for major sports launches.

For now, the pairing is a milestone in why people pay for streaming subscriptions: access to premium live events, plus compelling storytelling that extends the life of that content beyond the finish line.

Sources

Apple and Netflix are teaming up to share Formula 1 programming