Apple TV Claims First F1 Viewership Victory Over ESPN

Apple TV aired the first Formula 1 race of the 2026 season last weekend following an exclusive streaming rights partnership for five years, and Apple senior VP of services Eddy Cue is already calling it a win for the company. Cue told The Hollywood Reporter that viewership for last week's Australian Grand Prix was up year over year compared to the 2025 race, which aired on ESPN. "The 2026 Formula 1 season on Apple TV is off to a strong start, with fans responding positively and viewership up year over year for the first weekend, exceeding both F1 and Apple expectations," Cue said. As is typical for Apple TV, Cue declined to offer specific viewing figures, but we do know that last year's Australian GP garnered an averaged 1.1 million viewers for ESPN on its late-night time slot. Any increase in viewership over ESPN is a victory for Apple, and with U.S. races like Miami and Las Vegas coming up, the company is likely betting on more ratings improvements over the previous rights holder. F1