Apple teams with Netflix to stream Canadian Grand Prix and new ‘Drive to Survive’ season

Apple’s partnership with Netflix is a calculated move to deepen the tech giant’s foothold in live‑sport streaming while leveraging the proven pull of Formula 1’s “Drive to Survive.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, Apple will simulcast the Canadian Grand Prix on May 22‑24 across both Apple TV and Netflix, and will debut season 8 of the documentary series on Apple TV at midnight on the same day it arrives on Netflix. Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice‑president of services, framed the deal as a way to “make F1 content more broadly available to new and existing U.S. fans on both Netflix and Apple TV,” underscoring Apple’s intent to use the partnership as a gateway to broader audience growth rather than a mere rights acquisition.

The arrangement benefits Apple on two fronts: it adds premium, race‑adjacent programming that can be slotted alongside live‑event coverage, and it expands the reach of its own F1‑related content through the high‑profile Netflix simulcast. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, Apple will integrate F1 assets into its ecosystem—Apple News will feature live look‑ins, Apple Maps will highlight race venues, and Apple Music will surface race‑related playlists—mirroring the cross‑app strategy it employed for MLB and MLS rights. By weaving the sport into multiple touchpoints, Apple hopes to convert casual viewers into regular subscribers, a tactic that has paid off in other sports verticals.

Netflix, for its part, continues to diversify its live‑event portfolio, a priority highlighted in the same report. The streaming service will broadcast the Canadian Grand Prix live in the United States, marking its first foray into live F1 coverage and reinforcing its broader push to secure marquee events that can attract real‑time audiences. This move aligns with Netflix’s recent strategy of pairing live sports with its flagship original content, using “Drive to Survive” as a narrative bridge that can draw viewers who might otherwise overlook a race broadcast. The dual‑release of season 8 on both platforms ensures that Netflix retains its role as the primary home of the series while still benefiting from Apple’s promotional muscle.

Financially, the deal sits within Apple’s existing F1 rights framework, which was secured last year for an estimated $140‑$150 million annually, according to The Hollywood Reporter. That agreement displaced ESPN, which had cultivated the sport’s U.S. audience for years, and signaled Apple’s willingness to pay a premium for exclusive sports content. By sharing the Canadian Grand Prix with Netflix, Apple mitigates the risk of a “black‑out” scenario that could limit viewership, while still capitalizing on the brand equity of a live race to drive traffic to its own services. The partnership also dovetails with Apple’s broader live‑sport ecosystem, which includes upcoming collaborations with IMAX for simulcasts and Fox’s Tubi for alternative “alt‑casts,” though the specifics of those arrangements remain unclear.

Industry observers see the Apple‑Netflix pact as a bellwether for how traditional broadcasters and streaming platforms may co‑exist in the high‑stakes world of premium sports rights. The Hollywood Reporter points out that ESPN’s parent Disney continues to work with F1 on ancillary products such as consumer merchandise and online comics, suggesting that a fragmented rights landscape is emerging, with multiple players carving out niche roles rather than a single dominant broadcaster. For Apple, the partnership offers a low‑risk test of how far its sports ambitions can stretch without alienating existing fans or overextending its content budget. For Netflix, the live‑race component adds a real‑time draw to a service increasingly defined by on‑demand binge‑watching, potentially boosting subscriber retention during a period when live‑event viewership remains a key metric for advertisers.

Overall, the Apple‑Netflix collaboration reflects a pragmatic shift from exclusive ownership toward strategic sharing of premium content. By aligning a live‑race simulcast with a flagship documentary series, both companies aim to capture distinct audience segments while reinforcing each other’s brand narratives. As the Canadian Grand Prix approaches, the true impact of the deal will be measured by viewership numbers, subscriber churn, and the degree to which Apple can translate race‑related engagement into broader ecosystem usage—a set of metrics that will likely inform future sports‑rights negotiations across the streaming industry.