標籤: Americans

Five years ago, an American Formula 1 fan had two choices on Sunday morning: find ESPN on your cable package or miss the race. The broadcast was good. Commercial-free, Sky Sports commentary, respectable production. It moved the needle from niche to mainstream, especially after drive to survive In 2019, Paddock was adapted into a Netflix drama.

That era ended on March 7, 2026, when the Australian Grand Prix became the first F1 race to be broadcast exclusively on Apple TV in the United States.

The game didn’t just change the platform. It really changed what it meant to watch Formula 1 in America.

Watch Formula 1 action live at the Miami Grand Prix: Now available on Apple TV

From Netflix to Apple TV: how the door opened

drive to survive did something that no broadcast deal could do on its own. It introduced F1 to an audience that had no idea it was missing. By the time Netflix released season one in 2019, the game’s US fan base was approximately 25 million. By 2025, it was up to 52 million – up 11% a year – and growing faster than any other major sport on the planet.

ESPN rode that wave well. Formula 1 averaged 1.32 million viewers per race across ESPN, ESPN2 and ABC during the 2025 season, its last year on the network, with 16 individual races setting event viewership records. The Abu Dhabi closing ceremony alone attracted 1.5 million people. This is up 53% from last year’s closing. Growth was real and accelerating.

Apple then paid $750 million over five years to acquire it exclusively. No cable bundle. No channel flipping. One app, one subscription, $12.99 per month.

The skeptics had a point – taking games to a paywall has historically reduced viewership. Ask NASCAR, which saw a 14% decline in revenue in 2025 when it moved some races to Amazon Prime. But Apple was betting on something different: The F1 fan created by ESPN was a streaming-native, device-forward consumer who would follow the sport anywhere. Apple’s senior vice president of services, Eddie Cue, confirmed after the Australian Grand Prix that viewership had increased year-on-year compared to 2025, exceeding the expectations of both F1 and Apple.

So far the bet is succeeding.

Apple TV’s approach to Formula 1 coverage

The production difference between what ESPN delivered and what Apple launched is not subtle.

ESPN shows Sky Sports’ feed with British commentary and a ticker at the bottom. This was fine for fans who already knew the game. It wasn’t designed to draw in newcomers.

Apple redesigned the entire viewing experience. Each Grand Prix is ​​now streamed in 4K with Dolby Vision and 5.1 surround sound – the first time F1 has been broadcast in that format in the United States. That alone is important. An F1 car at full speed in 4K Dolby Vision is a fundamentally different visual experience than American fans have had before.

But the big change is what lies beneath the main broadcast. Apple TV offers up to 30 live feeds simultaneously across all sessions – Driver Tracker for a bird’s-eye view of the race, real-time telemetry, a mixed onboard feed that automatically switches between driver cameras as the action unfolds, and a podium feed that dynamically follows the top three. Fans can watch up to four feeds simultaneously via Multiview, with pre-configured team layouts or a fully customized setup. Apple Vision Pro users get five simultaneous feeds.

The casual fan taps a button and gets a curated experience. Hardcore fans create their own broadcasts. No other sport in America offers this.

And it goes beyond the screen. The Apple Sports app offers real-time leaderboards and live updates. Apple Maps features custom circuit guides with 3D grandstand and turn-by-turn navigation for fans attending in person. Apple Music plays a free live audio broadcast during the race. They have also partnered with free streaming service Tubi to offer exclusive live F1 altcasts for several races, available at no cost on every device. Yahoo Sports gets practice and qualifying streams. The Canadian Grand Prix will be simulcast on Netflix.

This is not a broadcast deal. It’s an ecosystem game.

Apple was built for an audience

Here’s the thing about American F1 fans drive to survive Built: He didn’t love the lap time. American fans fell in love with Lewis Hamilton’s championship hunt in 2021. He fell in love with being a constant competitor to Max Verstappen. The audience fell in love with the paddock politics, team orders, driver fights and the overall dramatic production.

In other words, they’re exactly the same audience Apple has spent a decade developing — streaming-native, content-forward, device-loyal, and accustomed to paying for premium experiences they actually use.

Apple launches an expanded Apple Maps experience with immersive 3D landmarks for the F1 Miami Grand Prix!

It will take place on May 3 in Miami pic.twitter.com/77ZKZALzzC

– Apple Cycle (@theapplecycle) 24 April 2026

The United States is now Formula 1’s largest market for YouTube viewers, with 171 million video views in 2025, and social media followers are up 17% year on year. The 18-49 demographic – which every advertiser and platform covets – watched F1 on ESPN last season, averaging 511,000 viewers per race, a jump of 24% from 2024. These fans weren’t watching because F1 was on cable. Despite this they were watching.

Apple gives them a reason to lean in more. The Multiview feature is designed for a single fan who follows a specific driver. It’s got what the viewer wants: George Russell’s onboard in the corner, the main feed in the center and drivers championship leader Kimi Antonelli’s telemetry in the third window. He is not a traditional sports spectator. He’s a fan who got into it through a streaming show and now wants to delve as deep into the game as it will allow.

2026 Miami Grand Prix: where it all comes together

Coverage and spectacle are now co-designed. This is the part that gets overlooked in broadcast conversations.

Miami’s visual identity – the fake marina, the palm trees inside the stadium complex, the paddock that looks like a luxury brand activation – was always created for the cameras. But now it is specially designed for the cameras brought by Apple. The cinematic 4K production deployed by Apple in Australia, China and Japan was not accidental. It was purpose-built for a circuit that was purpose-built for television.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said at Apple’s press day in February that Apple’s reach through its streaming and connectivity platforms would ultimately be bigger for Formula 1 than that of ESPN. It’s a significant statement from the man who helped ESPN transform its sport from a niche European import to a 52-million-fan American phenomenon.

The Miami Grand Prix week is a clear expression of what F1 has become in America, and now it has a broadcast partner whose entire business model is built around exactly the type of fans it came for. Celebrities, 4K cameras, 30 simultaneous feeds, multiview layout, Tubi Altcast for fans who don’t want to pay, Netflix partnership for fans who already want to pay.

drive to survive Opened the door. Apple passed by and renovated the house.

American fans no longer watch F1 on cable. They open an app, select their camera feed, and watch a 19-year-old break records in 4K Dolby Vision on a circuit built specifically to look good.

This is the new normal. Miami is the clearest proof of this.

Scott Gulbransen, a quintessential expert in the field of sports journalism, serves as an editor, nfl , mlb , Formula 1 … More about Scott Gulbransen

With the U.S. women’s team already enjoying their gold medals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, the Team USA men’s team will take on Team Canada in a highly anticipated heavyweight battle for the gold medal on Sunday.

Team USA easily defeated Slovakia 6–2 at the Milan Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena.

The United States has not won a gold medal since a scrappy group of college players led by coach Herb Brooks defeated one of the greatest teams in hockey history, the venerable Soviet Union, in 1980; The game that became known as the Miracle on Ice.

The United States has won several times since the NHL began sending players to the Olympics, but the Americans have never won when involving NHL players. Extremely close moments, including a loss to Canada in 2002 and again in Vancouver in 2010 behind Sidney Crosby’s overtime “golden goal”.

On Friday, second-seeded USA took an early lead against its rival, third-seeded Slovakia. Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin entered the offensive zone after a one-two, but still deflected a wrist shot past Slovakia goaltender Samuel Hlavaj at only 4:19 in the game.

Hlavaj is in the Minnesota Wild organization and playing for the Iowa Wild.

At the end of the first period, Team USA scored a power play goal to take a 2–0 lead. Buffalo Sabers center Tage Thompson blasted a one-timer from the left circle into a very narrow spot, over Hlaváz’s shoulder but below the crossbar. The 6-foot-6 Thompson hit a one-timer at 19:19 of the first period.

Later in the second round, the United States took the lead in the game.

New Jersey Devils star center Jack Hughes danced around the offensive zone, playing with the puck as if it was on a string. After dodging a few defenders, Hughes hit a wrist shot with 7:46 remaining in the second minute.

Just 19 seconds later, Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel put the dagger in Latvia with a goal with 7:27 remaining in the second period.

Latvia made a goalkeeper swap to Slovakian league goalkeeper Stanislav Skorvanec, but it made no difference.

J. Hughes struck again with 1:36 remaining in the second period. Zach Werenski’s shot went across the net but bounced off the back wall and past Hughes in the left circle. Hughes played the bounce perfectly with a quick shot into the yawning cage, before Skvoranek could move sideways to snatch the near post.

Brady Tkachuk scored his second goal of the third period when he scored with a backhand shot with 9:08 remaining to give the US a 6–1 lead.

Early in the third period, Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slavkowski scored the first goal for Latvia after a pass between USA goaltender Connor Hellebuyck and his defenseman. Pavol Regenda converted a point-blank opportunity long after the contest had left the game, and put it past Hellebuyck with 6:43 remaining.

Hellebuyck stopped 22 of 24 shots. USA scored 39 runs on the target.

Earlier on Friday, Canada defeated Finland controversially 3-2 to enter the championship round. Canada has won the last two Olympic Games that included NHL players, winning gold in 2010 and 2014. Canada also won the gold medal in 2002.

Team USA Notes

Shortly before Hughes’ first goal, the referee waived a potential American tally due to Jake Guentzel’s elite kicking speed.

As expected, the shots were one-sided in favor of the Americans. The courageous Latvians kept the game close until the final burst, but after 40 minutes the shot clock was 26–13 to the United States.

The three goals of the second period were on shots 22, 23 and 24, while the USA had allowed only 10 shots up to that point.

Thompson, who had a goal and an assist, was not on the bench for the third period due to injury. The team announced that they held Thompson out of the one-sided game for “precautionary” reasons.

The gold medal game is Sunday at 8:10 a.m. Eastern time. NBC and its streaming service Peacocks will broadcast the game.

Slovakia will face Team Finland for the bronze medal on Saturday.