Apple’s advertising business is getting a measurable lift from Formula 1, and the company is using the sport as a concentrated test of premium live sports ads.
Todd Teresi, VP of Apple Ads, told The Hollywood Reporter that brand-lift studies commissioned by Apple and its advertisers found F1 sponsors increased brand familiarity, brand favorability and purchase intent, beating overall U.S. CTV benchmarks.
Apple’s wider ad business has two layers: intent-driven search ads in the App Store and Apple Maps, and video and media ads in Apple News and Apple TV. Unlike Netflix or Hulu, Apple TV does not carry general ad breaks, so its video inventory is limited mainly to live sports such as F1 and MLS. That makes the F1 result a small but important proof point.
“It’s not just about simply putting ads in. We want to be really thoughtful in how we integrate advertising into our products,” Teresi said.
Who is buying in
American Express and Ford signed on for the first season, and both expressed enthusiasm as Apple begins selling a second. Ford’s Will Ford framed the deal around Ford Racing’s return to F1 and reaching new audiences; American Express’s Jill Hamilton pointed to fan connection and showcasing AmEx Membership.
Apple also worked within the sport’s existing sponsor ecosystem, pursuing brands already on cars and uniforms rather than dropping in mismatched advertisers. Teresi said the goal is to have sponsors that are genuine fans of the sport and committed to growing it.
Why the benchmark matters
- Brand lift: F1 sponsors beat U.S. CTV benchmarks on familiarity, favorability and purchase intent.
- Viewership: up double digits versus ESPN’s final season, which averaged 1.3 million viewers.
- Audience: younger, wealthier and higher median income than NFL or NBA fans, Apple says.
Those numbers are still modest next to the NFL, but the audience quality supports what Teresi called industry-leading CPMs. He said F1 monetizes well precisely because advertisers want that high-premium consumer, even though reach is smaller and U.S.-only.
What this means for planners
For media planners, Apple’s F1 inventory is a brand-lift play rather than a reach buy. Buyers should use lift studies to justify the premium, design creative that fits into the race without interrupting it, and avoid planning against NFL-scale delivery.
Apple’s stated goal is not to grow advertising at all costs, but to balance customer experience with advertiser value. If it repeats the season-one result, it strengthens the case that scarce, well-integrated live sports inventory can drive brand outcomes without turning Apple TV into an ad-heavy streamer.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
