APPLE AGREES 5-YEAR DEAL TO BE BROADCASTER OF F1 IN U S.

Formula 1 has announced a five-year partnership with Apple to become the sport's exclusive U.S. broadcast partner from 2026.

Formula 1 is announcing an exciting and innovative five-year partnership with Apple to become the sport's exclusive U.S. broadcast partner from 2026. The new partnership brings together two global brands with a shared passion for innovation, excellence, and entertainment. The new partnership brings together two global brands with a shared passion for innovation, excellence, and entertainment.

The news follows the hugely successful F1® The Movie, the Apple Original Film, which was released internationally in cinemas and IMAX venues in June and will make its global streaming debut on Apple TV on Friday 12 December 2025. Apple invested significantly in the project and worked with the Formula 1 community in an unprecedented collaboration over three years to deliver a truly authentic and immersive racing movie for new and established F1 fans. Critically acclaimed worldwide, F1® The Movie has grossed nearly $630 million globally to date, making it the most successful sports movie in history.

Importantly, as demonstrated by F1® The Movie, Apple's ability to reach a diverse range of consumers across its powerful ecosystem presents a groundbreaking opportunity to engage new fans. The 2025 Global F1 Fan Survey found that 47% of new U.S. Formula 1 fans, who have been following the sport for five years or less, are aged 18-24 and over half are female, underlining the partnership's huge potential to expand the sport's younger and more diverse audience.

In addition to showing Formula 1 on Apple TV, Apple will amplify the sport across Apple News, Apple Maps, Apple Music, Apple Sports, and Apple Fitness+.

This new broadcast agreement will see Apple TV host all practice, qualifying, Sprint sessions, and Grands Prix. Select races, and all practice sessions throughout the season will also be available to watch for free in the Apple TV app. F1 TV Premium, F1's own premier content offering, will continue to be available in the U.S. via an Apple TV subscription only and will be free for those who subscribe.

Additional information, including production and product details, and all the ways fans will be able to enjoy F1 content across their favourite Apple products and services, will be announced in the coming months.

"This is an incredibly exciting partnership for both Formula 1 and Apple that will ensure we can continue to maximise our growth potential in the U.S. with the right content and innovative distribution channels," said Stefano Domenicali. "We are no strangers to each other, having spent the past three years working together to create F1® The Movie, which has already proven to be a huge hit around the world.

"We have a shared vision to bring this amazing sport to our fans in the U.S. and entice new fans through live broadcasts, engaging content, and a year-round approach to keep them hooked. I want to thank Tim Cook, Eddy Cue, and the entire Apple team for their vision, enthusiasm and passionate approach to delivering this partnership, and we are looking forward to the next five years together."

"We're thrilled to expand our relationship with Formula 1 and offer Apple TV subscribers in the U.S. front row access to one of the most exciting and fastest-growing sports on the planet," added Eddy Cue, Apple's Senior Vice President of Services. "2026 marks a transformative new era for Formula 1 from new teams to new regulations and cars with the best drivers in the world, and we look forward to delivering premium and innovative fan-first coverage to our customers in a way that only Apple can."

- Pitpass.com

BILL WALTON, NBA HALL OF FAMER AND FREE SPIRIT, DIED AT 71

Reuters 

 Bill Walton, a two-time NBA champion and member of the basketball Hall of Fame, whose brilliant but injury-riddled career led to a second act as a free-spirited broadcaster who waxed philosophical on the air, died on Monday at the age of 71, the National Basketball Association announced.

Walton, who had a prolonged battle with cancer, was surrounded by his family when he died, the National Basketball Association said.

"Bill Walton was truly one of a kind," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement that recalled his many accomplishments on the court and his "insightful and colorful commentary" as a broadcaster. "But what I will remember most about him was his zest for life."

Walton, a 6-foot-11 (211-cm) center who moved gracefully despite his height, rose to stardom in college where he was part of the University of California, Los Angeles, dynasty under Coach John Wooden, winning National Collegiate Athletic Association championships in 1972 and 1973.

The first overall pick of the 1974 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, Walton established himself as a force early in his professional career, leading Portland to the championship in the 1976-77 season, and he was named Most Valuable Player the following year.

But with brittle bones in his feet, Walton missed three of the next four seasons, mostly as a member of the San Diego Clippers, and later came back as a bench player for the Boston Celtics, helping them win the NBA championship in 1985-86.

In the years following his NBA career, Walton turned to sports broadcasting and was involved with multiple charitable and philanthropic organizations, clinics and camps. He served as both a studio analyst and a color commentator.

'TREMENDOUS IMPACT'

Multiple injuries, including from a bicycle accident, continued to afflict him after his playing days, interrupting his career as a whimsical broadcaster who could intersperse criticism of the officiating of a game with riffs on human consciousness.

He was also known as an avid fan of the Grateful Dead, going on the road with the psychedelic band, often wearing a tie-dye T-shirt common with the group's fan base.

Walton suffered from myriad injuries throughout his life, requiring 38 orthopedic surgeries, according to an interview with the Advanced Medical Technology Association.

In his 2016 autobiography "Back from the Dead," Walton begins in the summer of 2009 when he was in so much pain from his injuries that he was forced to live on the floor of his San Diego home for most of the previous 2-1/2 years. He wrote, "If I had a gun, I would use it."

But with time, as well as inspiration from thinkers as diverse as Coach Wooden, George Bernard Shaw and the Grateful Dead, he was able to convalesce from spine surgery and resume broadcasting, Walton wrote.

While at UCLA, Walton broke multiple school records and stands atop the school's career rebounding list while also ranking among the top 10 leaders in program history in multiple statistical categories.

"It's very hard to put into words what he has meant to UCLA's program, as well as his tremendous impact on college basketball," UCLA's men's head basketball coach Mick Cronin said in a statement.

"Beyond his remarkable accomplishments as a player, it's his relentless energy, enthusiasm for the game and unwavering candor that have been the hallmarks of his larger than life personality."

- Daniel Trotta