Apple TV's F1 viewership collapsed after May launch
Source: AppleInsider News
Apple's exclusive Formula 1 streaming deal—a marquee content bet to drive Apple TV+ subscriptions—has hit a wall within weeks, with analytics showing steep viewership declines that contradict the company's bullish pitch. Exclusivity doesn't automatically convert casual fans into paying subscribers, especially when it displaces the cultural ritual of cable access. This matters for the broader SVOD model, which increasingly depends on tentpole content to justify higher tiers but faces the hard limit that passionate niche audiences won't sustain subscriber bases alone.