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- Sky reportedly saw off interest from streaming platforms to secure extension
- Current deal worth UK£645 million
- British and Italian Grands Prix will continue to be shown FTA in domestically
Sky Sports has added another five years to its deal to exclusively broadcast Formula One in the UK, Ireland and Italy.
The extensions will see the global motorsport series remain on Sky in the UK and Ireland until 2034, while the deal in Italy will expire in 2032.
SportsPro understands that the agreement is worth UK£1 billion (US$1.4 billion) in total – a figure first reported by the Daily Mail,. This represents a 55 per cent increase on the current deal, which was signed in 2022 and is worth UK£645 million (US$878.6 million).
Sky subscribers will continue to be able to watch every practice, qualifying, sprint and Grand Prix across the pay-TV broadcaster’s 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.”
The extension comes after Sky enjoyed its most-watched Formula One season in the UK and Ireland in 2025. Meanwhile, viewership in Italy has jumped 25 per cent at the start of the 2026 season thanks to the strong performances of Kimi Antonelli.
The deal does not include Germany, which was part of the previous renewal announced in 2022. Sky’s operations in that market are now owned by RTL, which acquired the broadcaster last year.
SportsPro says…
This is the earliest the two parties have extended their relationship since Sky first acquired the rights to Formula One in 2012 and gives both sides long-term certainty.
The value of the new deal also reflects the significance of Formula One to Sky, which claims viewing in the UK and Ireland has increased by 90 per cent since it became the exclusive broadcaster in 2019.
The Sun reports that Sky had to fend off interest from streaming companies to extend the deal, but stopped short of naming which platforms were keen on the rights. Apple is currently in the first season of showing the sport in the US after paying a reported US$150 million a year for the rights following the success of the F1 movie.
However, while Formula One was prepared to take a bold move in the US, where the series was previously aired by ESPN, the guaranteed revenue on the table from an established partner means there has been no such need to shake things up in the UK and Italy – two of the sport’s key broadcast markets.
