Nine “definitely” interested in F1 rights in Australia

• Network Ten owner Paramount also reportedly interested in F1 rights
• NBCUniversal CEO Mark Lazarus confirms company will not be bidding for US broadcast rights

Commercial network Nine is planning to bid for the rights to broadcast Formula One in Australia from next season.

Speaking at the Macquarie Australia Conference last week, Nine chief executive Matt Stanton confirmed the channel’s interest in securing the rights to the global motorsport series.

When asked if Nine was interested in the rights, Stanton replied “definitely”, as reported by Melbourne-based newspaper The Age.

Stanton also joked that he is “the only person cheering” if Oscar Piastri doesn’t win given the potential for the Australian’s early-season form to create more competition for the rights in his home country.

If Nine is successful, The Age reported that Formula One would air on Stan Sports, whose motorsport rights portfolio includes IndyCar, the World Endurance Championship (WEC), and the World Rally Championship (WRC).

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Formula One is currently broadcast in Australia by pay-TV network Foxtel in a deal reportedly worth AUS$45 million (US$28.8 million) per year. However, the Australian Grand Prix is shown free-to-air (FTA) on Network Ten due to government legislation which dictates that certain sporting events of national interest should be available in front of a paywall. The channel signed its most recent sublicensing deal in 2022.

Foxtel, whose current deal runs until the end of this season, was recently acquired for US$2.2 billion by DAZN, which already broadcasts Formula One in Japan, Portugal, and Spain.

According to The Age, Network Ten owner Paramount is also likely to bid for the full Formula One rights, rather than continuing to settle for one race per season.

Elsewhere, Netflix appears to be in pole position to secure the US broadcast rights to Formula One after NBC confirmed it will not be bidding.

According to CNBC, NBCUniversal chief executive Mark Lazarus ‘doesn’t think the series will move the needle on distribution deals’ and also noted that Formula One ratings are about one-third of Nascar’s.