Apple TV Formula 1 Coverage

[whitby]

I have been a Formula 1 fan for a very long time and since the F1 app and F1 TV app were made available on iOS, iPad OS and TVOS I have been a subscriber to the F1 TV Pro subscription. I could watch the races, qualification events, practices and weekend events without interruption. Loved it and watched every race in real time. It is the only sport I follow having little to no interest in American Football, Football, Tennis, Basket Ball, Golf etc. I know a little odd, but to each to their own, I think.

I was excited to hear the announcement that Formula 1 coverage would be included in my Apple TV subscription for 2026 and was about to cancel the F1 App and F1 TV app subscription when I tried to watch the Apple TV coverage of Formula 1 this year.

Then I discovered something that was totally and utterly unacceptable to me: The Apple TV coverage includes advertising. That stopped me cancelling my F1 TV subscription since it does not have advertising and I do not watch any paid TV channel subscription that includes advertising. F1 TV tends to have upcoming event announcements but no advertising for Ford or other sponsors which the Apple TV coverage includes.

To say I am a little disappointed would be an understatement. I suppose to all those used to watching coverage on ESPN this will not be news and, possibly, the advertising is a little less intrusive on Apple TV, but, if I pay a subscription, I expect no advertising at all.

Why am I posting this? Just in case you were not aware of this and that, currently, the F1 TV subscription still exists for advertising free viewing of the races.

 

[S.B.G]

I'm not happy about the adverts either. I paid for F1TV as well and paid the premium price to not have adverts.

Another thing I am displeased with is now that F1 is on ATV, they are including all the pre-race chatter in the same video as the actual race/sprint. I never watch that stuff and only want the races. Now I am forced to fast-forward at least an hour's worth of chatter just to get to the races.

I've written to Apple ( www.apple.com/feedback ) after every race so far in hopes that they'll split the chatter and race into their own video selections.

 

[chrfr]

I have been a Formula 1 fan for a very long time and since the F1 app and F1 TV app were made available on iOS, iPad OS and TVOS I have been a subscriber to the F1 TV Pro subscription. I could watch the races, qualification events, practices and weekend events without interruption. Loved it and watched every race in real time. It is the only sport I follow having little to no interest in American Football, Football, Tennis, Basket Ball, Golf etc. I know a little odd, but to each to their own, I think.

I was excited to hear the announcement that Formula 1 coverage would be included in my Apple TV subscription for 2026 and was about to cancel the F1 App and F1 TV app subscription when I tried to watch the Apple TV coverage of Formula 1 this year.

Then I discovered something that was totally and utterly unacceptable to me: The Apple TV coverage includes advertising. That stopped me cancelling my F1 TV subscription since it does not have advertising and I do not watch any paid TV channel subscription that includes advertising. F1 TV tends to have upcoming event announcements but no advertising for Ford or other sponsors which the Apple TV coverage includes.

To say I am a little disappointed would be an understatement. I suppose to all those used to watching coverage on ESPN this will not be news and, possibly, the advertising is a little less intrusive on Apple TV, but, if I pay a subscription, I expect no advertising at all.

Why am I posting this? Just in case you were not aware of this and that, currently, the F1 TV subscription still exists for advertising free viewing of the races.

You can use your Apple TV subscription to watch F1 TV Premium through the F1 TV app, without any ads. In the US, you do not need to pay for F1 TV separately for this.

 

[KBJ55]

You can use your Apple TV subscription to watch F1 TV Premium through the F1 TV app, without any ads. In the US, you do not need to pay for F1 TV separately for this.

Correct, I haven't used the Apple TV option at all this season, been using the F1 app with the Apple TV link authorization.

 

[whitby]

You can use your Apple TV subscription to watch F1 TV Premium through the F1 TV app, without any ads. In the US, you do not need to pay for F1 TV separately for this.

I am not sure you read my post. I pay for an F1 subscription and get the races without advertising using the F1 TV app which is a paid subscription service. If you use the Apple TV links you get it but with advertising. And yes you need to pay for the F1 TV subscription. I am in the US just in case you wondered.

 

[chrfr]

I am not sure you read my post. I pay for an F1 subscription and get the races without advertising using the F1 TV app which is a paid subscription service. If you use the Apple TV links you get it but with advertising. And yes you need to pay for the F1 TV subscription. I am in the US just in case you wondered.

I did read what you wrote but I’m not sure you read what I wrote. You get access to F1TV premium, with no ads, in the F1TV app, by linking your Apple account with an F1TV account that has no other subscription attached. You are spending money you don’t need to be spending.

You can now access F1 TV with your Apple TV account, here's how to set it up - 9to5Mac

About a month ahead of first Grand Prix of the season, Formula 1 fans can now link their Apple TV...

9to5mac.com

Access F1 TV with Apple TV, Here’s How

The time has finally come.

www.bizofspeed.com

In fact, as far as I know, you are no longer able to get a standalone paid F1TV account in the US because Apple is the exclusive rights holder, so I’m not even sure how anyone in the US is able to subscribe separately.
The photo attached is what you see in the app on an iPad, as an example. Once you authenticate your Apple account in the F1TV app, you see what’s in the second photo.

 

[ftaok]

Two comments about this. I'm in the US as well.

1. For me, the ads only happen during the pre-race (or pre-qual) portion of the event. They never go to commercial during the action. They don't even do that split screen thing with the ads like other racing series.
2. As an AppleTV+ subscriber, you get F1TV for free. So you can actually cancel your current F1TV subscription. Right now, you're essentially double paying for F1TV.

Not sure if F1 TV will be a part of the AppleTV+ subscription forever, as I think it might be a concession for aTV+ subscribers that don't have devices on OS26.

 

[chrfr]

Two comments about this. I'm in the US as well.

1. For me, the ads only happen during the pre-race (or pre-qual) portion of the event. They never go to commercial during the action. They don't even do that split screen thing with the ads like other racing series.
2. As an AppleTV+ subscriber, you get F1TV for free. So you can actually cancel your current F1TV subscription. Right now, you're essentially double paying for F1TV.

Not sure if F1 TV will be a part of the AppleTV+ subscription forever, as I think it might be a concession for aTV+ subscribers that don't have devices on OS26.

I don't see why the OS version would be correlated to whether F1TV is available or not. It probably helps that Eddy Cue is on Ferrari's board of directors and is a big F1 fan himself, though. Apple seems to be pretty aware that a lot of F1 viewers in the US are interested in more than what the Apple TV part of the package provides.

 

[whitby]

I did read what you wrote but I’m not sure you read what I wrote. You get access to F1TV premium, with no ads, in the F1TV app, by linking your Apple account with an F1TV account that has no other subscription attached. You are spending money you don’t need to be spending.

You can now access F1 TV with your Apple TV account, here's how to set it up - 9to5Mac

About a month ahead of first Grand Prix of the season, Formula 1 fans can now link their Apple TV...

9to5mac.com

Access F1 TV with Apple TV, Here’s How

The time has finally come.

www.bizofspeed.com

In fact, as far as I know, you are no longer able to get a standalone paid F1TV account in the US because Apple is the exclusive rights holder, so I’m not even sure how anyone in the US is able to subscribe separately.
The photo attached is what you see in the app on an iPad, as an example. Once you authenticate your Apple account in the F1TV app, you see what’s in the second photo.

This is all news to me and thank you. F1 did not give me the info (apart from advising me to cancel my existing F1 TV subscription) and Apple are as obscure as ever so I am grateful for the info. I have an existing F1 TV Pro subscription that ends in October, so I currently use that account in the F1 TV app on my Apple TV . So I have two ways to get to F1. One via the app and the other via the Apple TV subscription. To confuse things more I pay for F1 TV pro via Apple but I notice as you say that the renewal no longer includes Pro or Premium. So there is no way to avoid Apple for me from October.

We have an Apple TV subscription so will attempt to sign into the F1 app using my Apple TV credentials after first linking them but will wait until my current subscription expires. Hopefully that will allow me to have the F1 app experience and not the one when I use the Apple TV app.

 

[chrfr]

This is all news to me and thank you. F1 did not give me the info (apart from advising me to cancel my existing F1 TV subscription) and Apple are as obscure as ever so I am grateful for the info. I have an existing F1 TV Pro subscription that ends in October, so I currently use that account in the F1 TV app on my Apple TV . So I have two ways to get to F1. One via the app and the other via the Apple TV subscription. To confuse things more I pay for F1 TV pro via Apple but I notice as you say that the renewal no longer includes Pro or Premium. So there is no way to avoid Apple for me from October.

We have an Apple TV subscription so will attempt to sign into the F1 app using my Apple TV credentials after first linking them but will wait until my current subscription expires. Hopefully that will allow me to have the F1 app experience and not the one when I use the Apple TV app.

You will definitely have the same experience once you sign in with your Apple account credentials though I find that I have to reauthenticate fairly often on my Apple TV boxes. I believe the only subscription tier available in the US only allows you access to the archives and non-race shows, which is why it’s only $30 a year.

 

[ftaok]

I don't see why the OS version would be correlated to whether F1TV is available or not. It probably helps that Eddy Cue is on Ferrari's board of directors and is a big F1 fan himself, though. Apple seems to be pretty aware that a lot of F1 viewers in the US are interested in more than what the Apple TV part of the package provides.

For whatever reason, iOS18 (and what I presume the other OS18 variants) do not have access to F1 content on aTV+.

No idea why, but it just is.

EDIT - I think I misunderstood your response. I guess what I'm saying is that Apple including F1TV as part of the aTV+ subscription is to ensure that aTV+ subscribers can get access to the F1 content. Right now, F1 on aTV+ is limited to OS26 users only. So for people with older devices and aTV+, we would use F1TV for those devices.

In the future, when more users have migrated to OS26 and beyond, Apple wouldn't have to support those users and perhaps could drop the F1 TV linkage. This would be a shame, as the F1 TV app includes things that aren't on aTV+ ... F2 and F3 for instance.

 

[2024]

The ads aren't bad. There are 2-3 at the start of the broadcast, and a couple between quali sessions, but none while cars are on track. And thankfully you can FF through the ads if you wish. I'm so used to FFing on my DVR that it doesn't bother me at all.

 

[whitby]

The ads aren't bad. There are 2-3 at the start of the broadcast, and a couple between quali sessions, but none while cars are on track. And thankfully you can FF through the ads if you wish. I'm so used to FFing on my DVR that it doesn't bother me at all.

Some people don’t mind ads but I do and fast forwarding through them implies you are not watching the races and events in real time. We watch them in real time and the ads are jarring and interrupt the flow of conversations etc.

I like to experience everything as if I was there. But each to his own, and I object to ads on principle on a paid streaming channel. That’s why I pay for them so I do not have to listen to someone pushing some product or other at me. So, yes, the ads are less intrusive than on most ad supported channels, but, in my opinion, there should be zero ads and they do interrupt the general flow of the day and events, ruining, for me, the atmosphere and feel of the events etc.

If you do not find them to be a problem then that is absolutely your prerogative. But for me they can destroy the watching experience.

 

[Matt2012]

Being in the UK sucks for F1 as there is no option of F1 TV or watching it on Apple TV etc.

 

[whitby]

Being in the UK sucks for F1 as there is no option of F1 TV or watching it on Apple TV etc.

That is bad. So there are no channels in the UK where you can watch the practices, qualis and races uninterrupted?

 

[whitby]

According to my brother (he is a Brit and lives in the UK), it looks as if Sky Sports F1 in the UK is the sole licensee to watch Formula 1, but it has advertising between the races etc. So still not equivalent to what we get here in the US. Sad really.

 

[2024]

I like to experience everything as if I was there.

No offense intended whatsoever, but that made me laugh. Start by taking two hours to shuffle a mile or two in a crowd to within about 50 yards of your TV, sit on a narrow bench for hours with two other people using all your shoulder room and another's knees in your back, take ten minutes to get to a bathroom and wait another 20-30 minutes in line before you can use it, listen to brain-thumping music most of the day, stare at the track with a driving rain in your face and no cars running, then during the race hope that, if you actually have a view of one of the big TVs, it works.

Then spend another two hours shuffling in line to go back the other way.

Don't get me wrong: I love it and have done it willingly. But it's something the faithful endure, so why stress over a few commercials? Life is too short.

Again, no offense intended.

 

[whitby]

No offense intended whatsoever, but that made me laugh. Start by taking two hours to shuffle a mile or two in a crowd to within about 50 yards of your TV, sit on a narrow bench for hours with two other people using all your shoulder room and another's knees in your back, take ten minutes to get to a bathroom and wait another 20-30 minutes in line before you can use it, listen to brain-thumping music most of the day, stare at the track with a driving rain in your face and no cars running, then during the race hope that, if you actually have a view of one of the big TVs, it works.

Then spend another two hours shuffling in line to go back the other way.

Don't get me wrong: I love it and have done it willingly. But it's something the faithful endure, so why stress over a few commercials? Life is too short.

Again, no offense intended.

No offense taken. I have been physically attending F1 races most of my life, so know exactly what you are talking about. I was 5 years old when I went to my first race (I am
a Brit by birth and been in the US for 30 years and now live in the US and am a dual citizen of the UK and the US) and always attend one race per year. Austin circuit made it much cheaper. Doesn’t change my position on advertising on a paid channel though. But I get what you are saying😂