ESPN takes over US TV rights for F1

Formula 1 will air on ESPN and ABC in the United States from 2018.

Under the new multi-year linear and digital partnership, all 21 races will air live on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. More than 125 hours of Formula 1 programming, including all practice sessions, qualifying and races, will be shown live and in replay across ESPN platforms in 2018.

An ESPN spokesperson told RACER the network will continue to utilize Formula 1's current broadcast feed, as current host NBC has done.

Burke Magnus, ESPN Executive Vice President of Programming & Scheduling said: "ESPN has had a long commitment to motorsports, and Formula 1 is a crown jewel in the sport. There are passionate Formula 1 fans everywhere and we look forward to bring the pageantry, spectacle and excitement to our viewers."

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Sean Bratches, Managing Director, Commercial Operations at Formula 1, described the move as a return to America's F1 broadcasting roots.

"We are excited about the return of the world's foremost motor racing platform to the ABC and ESPN platforms," he said.

"ABC's Wide World of Sports first started airing live Grands Prix in the early 1960's and this linear and digital partnership with ESPN represents a significant step forward in achieving Formula 1's aim of broadening the sport's appeal.

"The U.S. market is a very important growth opportunity for Formula 1 and we are looking forward to working with ESPN to ignite the growing fan interest."

NBC has held the American broadcast rights for F1 since 2013.

“Although we take great pride in having grown Formula 1’s visibility and viewership since we became its exclusive U.S. media rights holder in 2013, this will be our last season with the series," NBC Sports said in a statement. "In this case, we chose not to enter into a new agreement in which the rights holder itself competes with us and our distribution partners. We wish the new owners of F1 well.”