American Formula One viewers will gain access to the Sky Sports F1 coverage for every race in 2018 through ESPN and ABC. The deal will assist Sky in expanding to the international market, while providing American viewers excellent F1 coverage at a cheaper cost to ESPN.
ESPN, a Walt Disney Company, took over American F1 broadcasting rights after NBC decided not to renew their rights for 2018. NBC’s lack of interest in the sport was heavily impacted by the sport’s plans to offer a global online streaming service in the near future. The deal for ESPN to take over F1 broadcasting in the US was finalized in October 2017.
It has recently been confirmed that ESPN and Sky have formed a partnership, bringing Sky Sports F1 to the TV screens of many Americans. The deal means that the Sky Sports F1 coverage for all 21 races in 2018 will be aired on ESPN.
The deal in October also suggested that ABC, which is also owned by Disney, could also air some of the live races. This is likely to consist of the Canadian GP, Mexican GP, United States GP and Brazilian GP, as well as any other events that line up well with the North American time zones. Unlike ESPN which is a cable TV channel, ABC is a free-to-air which means that there would be no cost for many regions to view the live broadcast through ABC.
The 2018 Indianapolis 500 clashes with the 2018 Monaco Grand Prix. Since ABC broadcasts the Indianapolis 500, it may be likely that the Monaco Grand Prix will appear on ABC.
The Sky Sports F1 team will still consist of Martin Brundle, Damon Hill, Johnny Herbert, Paul di Resta, Anthony Davidson, Simon Lazenby, Ted Kravitz, David Croft, Rachel Brookes and Natalie Pinkham. ESPN will also work closely with Sky to produce some localized American content to be broadcast on ESPN.
