- Both regions will continue to show FTA coverage of their respective home Grands Prix
- 2025 was the most-watched season of Formula One in the UK and Ireland
- Viewership in Italy has jumped 25% at the start of this season thanks to Kimi Antonelli’s performance
- Sky reportedly had to fend off interest from streaming platforms to secure this extension
Formula One and Sky have agreed an extension that will see Sky Sports continue to exclusively air the sport in the UK, Ireland and Italy.
As first reported by the Daily Mail, the agreement is worth UK£1 billion (US$1.4 billion). BlackBook Motorsport understands this figure is accurate and that the value is for the entire deal. This represents a 55 per cent increase from the previous deal, signed in 2022, which was worth UK£645 million (US$878.6 million).
The latest five-year extensions will see Formula One remain on Sky in the UK and Ireland until 2034 and in Italy until 2032. Viewers will continue to be able to watch every practice, qualifying, sprint and Grand Prix across Sky channels and streaming service Now.
In the UK, highlights of every Grand Prix and live coverage of the British Grand Prix will continue to be available free-to-air (FTA). In Italy, TV8 will show the live broadcast of the Italian Grand Prix for free. A FTA partner in the UK is not named as the current deal with Channel 4 expires at the end of this season.
The partnership also includes comprehensive coverage of Formula Two, Formula Three, F1 Academy and Porsche Supercup.
“Sky has always been a dedicated, trusted, and passionate partner since we began our relationship many years ago,” said Formula One president and chief executive Stefano Domenicali.
“Their world leading approach to live broadcasting, content creation, and behind-the-scenes analysis led by a truly amazing group of on-screen talent has made the difference in continuing to grow our sport in the UK, Ireland, and Italy and I am delighted we will be taking our partnership into the next decade.
“I want to thank Dana [Strong, group chief executive of Sky] and all the team at Sky for their determination to get this deal in place and to continue to bring the excitement of Formula One to our passionate fans.”
Strong added: “We’re proud of the role we’ve played in supporting the sport’s growth through world-class storytelling, innovation and long-term investment. This new agreement secures Sky as the home of Formula One for years to come, as the sport enters an exciting era with more British talent on the grid and rising stars like Kimi Antonelli.
“I want to thank Stefano and the F1 team for our continued partnership, which we’re excited to build on in the years ahead.”
This extension comes after Sky Sports enjoyed its most-watched season of Formula One in the UK and Ireland in 2025, while viewership in Italy has jumped 25 per cent at the start of the 2026 season thanks to the strong performances of Kimi Antonelli.
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BlackBook says…
Since acquiring the rights to Formula One in 2012, this is the earliest extension that the two parties have ever agreed. The previous extension was signed just over two years out from the contract’s expiry, while the current deal has only been in place for 28 races.
Clearly, both sides were keen to provide certainty on this deal at a time when Formula One is experimenting with new distribution methods, such as with Apple in the US. The Sun reports that Sky had to fend off interest from streaming platforms to secure this latest deal.
The contract extension reiterates the importance of traditional broadcast relationships in established markets, so don’t expect the streaming revolution to impact European audiences any time soon. The exclusivity in the deal also means fans will continue to be unable to access F1 TV Pro.
What’s clear is that this remains one of the last premium pay-TV strongholds for Formula One at a time when sports are struggling to extract value from broadcast rights, underlining the strength of this long-running partnership.
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