The most lucrative European Formula 1 broadcast partnership has just been locked in for another decade. Sky and F1 confirmed a five-year extension to their UK and Ireland deal on Tuesday, taking the pay-TV agreement from a previous expiry of 2029 through to 2034, with Sky Italia's contract pushed out by three years to 2032.
Reuters and AOL both reported the deal value at approximately £1 billion, although neither party publicly confirmed the figure. What both parties did publicly confirm is the strategic logic.
F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali leaned heavily on personal language in his statement, name-checking Sky Group chief executive Dana Strong directly.
"Sky has always been a dedicated, trusted, and passionate partner since we began our relationship many years ago," Domenicali said. "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."
Domenicali continued: "I want to thank Dana 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."
Strong responded by tying the deal directly to the on-track narrative.
"We're proud of the role we've played in supporting the sport's growth through world-class storytelling, innovation and long-term investment," she said. "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."
The announcement comes against a backdrop of months of speculation. Apple TV had been linked with a potential US-led international rights bid earlier in the year, but the new Sky deal makes clear that the live UK package is staying with the incumbent. Free-to-air highlights and the British Grand Prix continue to be carried by Channel 4 through the end of the 2026 season under existing arrangements.
Sky's relationship with F1 dates back to 2012, when it first won live UK rights from the BBC. The new contract takes that partnership beyond two decades. Sky will retain access to every grand prix, sprint, qualifying and practice session, plus on-track commentary and full studio production rights, until the end of the 2034 season in the UK and Ireland.
For F1, the timing is conspicuous. Antonelli has won three of the four opening rounds of 2026, McLaren's all-British driver pairing of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri are providing the story counterweight, and a new ground-up regulations package has produced the tightest qualifying spread in years. Securing a long-term broadcast partner at peak audience growth removes the most obvious commercial risk hanging over Liberty Media's most important English-language market.
The deal also lands at a moment when Liberty's wider F1 holding has just been named as a top US sports investment pick by Morgan Stanley, and as F1 prepares to absorb a new American manufacturer entry in Cadillac, refresh several existing race deals, and stage events at venues that did not exist on the calendar a decade ago.
For Sky, the message is simpler. The next world champion will be made — at least in British and Italian living rooms — on its platform. And it intends to be there to broadcast the moment it happens.
