Netflix US gets a live F1 Grand Prix and Apple TV gets a major quid pro quo
Apple and Netflix are sharing F1 content with the Canadian Grand Prix coming to Netflix in the UK
Apple and Netflix have reportedly (and surprisingly) revealed plans to share their respective Formula 1 programming rights with select content – including Grand Prix races – being simulcast on both streaming platforms.
The deal will see May’s Canadian Grand Prix shown on Netflix as well as Apple TV, which has the exclusive rights to F1 in the United States. On the flipside, Apple TV will get access to the next series of the popular reality/documentary series Drive To Survive.
Drive to Survive Season 8 will land on Apple TV and Netflix tonight, The Hollywood Reporter confirms. The word comes straight from Apple’s Services boss Eddy Cue, who said the deal is somewhat of a reward for Netflix, with Drive to Survive having a big impact on the popularity od the sport in the US.
“Netflix, I think, has played a pivotal role in growing F1 since the launch of Drive to Survive, and we’re thrilled to make F1 content more broadly available to new and existing US fans on both Netflix and Apple TV,” Cue said in a conference call with reporters that included THR.
The report adds:
The deal delivers something for each company: Apple gets F1 shoulder programming that it can place alongside the live races, and expanded reach for its F1 programming through the Canadian Grand Prix simulcast. Netflix, meanwhile, will get live F1 racing in the U.S. in May, continuing its strategy of frequent live event programming.
Apple is offering F1 at no extra cost to Apple TV subscribers and is doing the same with Major League Soccer this year, having dropped the season pass.
Apple has also integrated its big acquisition within Apple Maps. Or, as my colleague Esat Dedezade writes, “turned a Grand Prix track into a 3D playground.”
Chris Smith
