Formula 1 has agreed a new long-term partnership for Sky Sports to be its exclusive live broadcast rights holder in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Italy.
Sky Sports will continue to show the championship until at least 2034 in the UK and Ireland, while the deal for its Italian channel now runs through to the 2032 campaign.
This is an extension on the previous agreement that was signed in 2022, which had Sky contracted until the end of 2029.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said: “Sky has always been a dedicated, trusted, and passionate partner since we began our relationship many years ago.
“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.
“I am delighted we will be taking our partnership into the next decade. I want to thank Dana [Strong] and all the team at Sky for their determination to get this deal in place and to continue to bring the excitement of Formula 1 to our passionate fans.”
Sky first obtained the full season rights in 2012 as part of a deal which saw previous holder the BBC live-broadcast half of the races alongside until the end of 2015.
For 2016 the BBC transferred its rights to Channel 4, who continued the agreement until the end of 2018, but then from 2019 onwards it has only broadcast the British Grand Prix live each season.
Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO, Mercedes-AMG, is interviewed by Naomi Schiff, Martin Brundle and Simon Lazenby, Sky Sports F1
Photo by: James Sutton / Motorsport Images
It is understood that Sky’s new contract does not affect Channel 4’s current deal, meaning the free-to-air channel will also continue to show extended highlights of all the other rounds.
Sky CEO Dana Strong said: “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 1 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.”
Sky has an extensive F1 team from world champion pundits Jenson Button and Nico Rosberg to long-time commentator David Croft and presenters Simon Lazenby plus Natalie Pinkham.
Martin Brundle, who joined as a pundit and co-commentator from the BBC in 2012, said of the announcement on Sky Sports News: “Today’s deal means there’ll be at least 22 years of it. As soon as they told me that we’re going to do a dedicated Sky F1 channel, I thought ‘right, this is serious. I need to be part of this.’
“And I love being part of it and I love being surrounded by creative people and all the things we’re able to achieve.”
Under the new agreement Sky will continue to broadcast F2, F3, F1 Academy and the Porsche Supercup, and according to the broadcaster, the 2025 F1 campaign was its most watched ever.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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