BETTER PARTSWill it not be Ziggo but Apple that buys the broadcast rights of F1 in 2024?
Will you soon only be able to watch F1 via Apple TV?
The expression 'cobbler, stick to your last' doesn't apply in the tech industry. For example, you can get phones from Apple, but they are also working on (software for) a self-driving car. Apple also has its own streaming platform called Apple TV. It seems that they want to buy the exclusive worldwide broadcast rights for F1 for that platform.
If the rumors are true, F1 bosses will get an offer that will be hard to refuse. According to BusinessF1Magazine , Apple has $2 billion a year for F1 broadcasting rights. That's double what F1 catches now. The digital greengrocer would like to have the rights for seven years. Don't worry Android users, you can also download Apple TV from the Play Store.
From when can Apple get the F1 rights in the Netherlands?
Viaplay is allowed to broadcast F1 until the end of 2024. Negotiations for the Dutch broadcast rights start about a year before the contract expires, so discussions will undoubtedly already be underway. It's no secret that Ziggo would really like to broadcast F1 again, but we're guessing it's pretty unlikely to bid against Apple.
The question is whether Viaplay will bid for the Dutch F1 broadcast rights. In a press release , Viaplay announced earlier this year that the company is withdrawing from six countries: the US, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the United Kingdom. In addition, 350 employees were dismissed. As a result, the share price collapsed and Viaplay lost 1 billion euros in value.
In other countries, the last contracts expire at the end of 2029 . These are not all with Viaplay, but for example with Canal+ in France and with Sky in the United Kingdom. When all contracts expire, Apple wants to be the only one in the world with F1 broadcast rights. A subscription to AppleTV currently costs 6.99 euros in the Netherlands. Viaplay costs 15.99 euros per month.