Apple TV F1 viewership appears to have declined significantly, with new analytics pointing to a sharp fall from May 2026 onwards. Hopes were high for the Apple TV and F1 streaming partnership in early 2026, yet the latest figures suggest interest tailed off, with viewership reportedly down by double digits in the months that followed.
The numbers offer an early indication of how the deal has performed, though they come with important caveats. Measuring streaming audiences accurately is a complex task, particularly when it comes to figures tied to Apple platforms, which are notoriously difficult to track through conventional methods.
Where the data comes from
The analysis draws on information gathered by Samba, an analytics firm that collects viewing data through software embedded directly in smart TV systems. This data is frequently obtained without the user’s explicit awareness, giving the company a broad view of what audiences are watching on their televisions.
That method, however, has clear limitations when applied to Apple’s ecosystem. Apple offers both the Apple TV set-top box and the Apple TV app, neither of which includes Samba’s tracking technology. As a result, any viewing that takes place through Apple’s own hardware or software falls outside the scope of the figures.
Why the numbers may not tell the full story
Because a substantial portion of Apple TV usage happens on devices and apps that Samba cannot monitor, the reported decline may not reflect the complete picture of how many people are watching F1 content through the service. Audiences accessing the coverage via the Apple TV box or the dedicated app would not register in the smart TV analytics at all.
This gap means the data provides only a partial view of the partnership’s reach. While the smart TV figures suggest a downturn following May, they cannot account for viewership occurring across Apple’s proprietary platforms, which sit entirely outside the measurement system.
The report highlights the ongoing difficulty of assessing streaming performance on Apple services, where standard third-party analytics tools are unable to capture activity on the company’s own devices and applications.
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Image: appleinsider.com
