Eleven Sports, the international subscription broadcaster, has reclaimed rights to motor racing’s iconic Formula 1 (F1) series in Poland from next year.
The network announced via social media earlier this week that it will cover F1’s 2025 season, taking over as the series’ Polish partner from the Viaplay service that will be retreating from Poland as part of a wider effort to consolidate in its core Nordic and Baltic markets instead.
Viaplay has aired F1 to Polish fans for the 2023 and 2024 seasons (with GlobalData Sports estimating that deal as worth $15 million per season), with Eleven Sports having held rights before that, across the 2016-22 cycle.
Viaplay’s original F1 deal was originally scheduled to include the 2025 campaign before the broadcaster was forced to reconsider the future of its non-core markets.
In addition to Eleven Sports covering all 24 F1 races next season, free-to-air network Polsat will also show six Grand Prix races.
This news comes following Eleven having unveiled a similar deal - in terms of taking over rights currently held by Viaplay - in July when it was revealed that it would be showing German soccer’s top-tier Bundesliga from 2025-26 under a long-term deal.
Viaplay faced severe financial difficulties in 2023 and has, as a consequence, stopped operating in several markets including the UK, US, and Canada, to concentrate moving forward on its key territories of the Nordic countries and the Netherlands. Indeed, Poland will end up being Viaplay’s last non-core business until it exits that market in mid-2025.
Aside from the live races, Eleven Sports will broadcast the practice sessions, qualifying, and F1 Sprint events. across all 24 F1 weekends next season.
Krzysztof Świergiel, Eleven Sports’ chief executive in Poland, has said: “This is a big production challenge, but we already promise the highest quality of coverage and the best content. We are fully aware of the enormous importance of F1 for Polish fans, which is why we guarantee that we will make every effort to show the competition of the fastest racing drivers on our channels in the best possible way.”
Ian Holmes, director of media rights and content creation at Formula 1, added: “Eleven Sports’ commitment to producing the highest quality broadcasts aligns perfectly with Formula 1’s vision to engage fans and provide them with the premium racing coverage they deserve.”
The ongoing 2024 Formula 1 season has four races remaining, with the Brazilian Grand Prix coming up next on November 3.
Eleven Sports’ Polish portfolio, meanwhile, also includes soccer leagues such as Italy’s Serie A, Spain’s LaLiga, and France’s Ligue 1 (the latter property, courtesy of a deal unveiled late last month).
