Formula One, owned by Liberty Media, announced on Wednesday that it has signed five-year extensions to its broadcasting agreements with Sky television in Britain, Ireland, and Italy.
Under the renewed agreement, Sky’s broadcasting rights in the UK and Ireland will now continue through the 2034 Formula One season, while Sky Italia’s contract has been extended until 2032.
Although financial terms were not officially disclosed, sources suggested the UK and Ireland extension is worth around 200 million pounds ($271.96 million) annually, making the overall deal approximately 1 billion pounds.
Sky’s previous contract for the UK and Ireland was set to run until 2029, while its Italian agreement was due to expire in 2027.
In Germany, Sky Deutschland’s rights, which had originally been secured until 2027, were acquired by RTL last year.
Formula One also confirmed that live coverage of the British Grand Prix will continue to be available free-to-air in Britain, with the same arrangement remaining in place for the Italian Grand Prix in Italy.
According to Formula One, viewership in the UK and Ireland has risen significantly, with total audiences increasing by 90%. Female viewership has more than doubled, while the under-35 audience has grown by 120%.
Sky, which has held the broadcasting rights since 2019, stated that the 2025 Formula One season was its most-watched so far, generating 162 million viewer hours.
On the sporting side, McLaren’s British driver Lando Norris is the current world champion. Fellow Briton George Russell began the season as the title favourite for Mercedes, while seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is now racing for Ferrari.
Britain also has a strong presence on the Formula One grid, with rookie Arvid Lindblad driving for Racing Bulls, Oliver Bearman racing for Haas, and London-born Alex Albon, competing under a Thai licence, representing Williams. All but three of the sport’s 11 teams are based in England.
In Italy, Formula One said Sky has recorded a 25% increase in audience figures so far this year. Italian driver Kimi Antonelli has won three of the first four races for Mercedes and, at just 19 years old, has become the youngest championship leader in Formula One history.
Sky’s Formula One coverage, shown on a dedicated channel in Britain, is also distributed to international broadcast partners and reaches audiences in more than 100 markets worldwide.