Motor racing’s Formula 1 will continue to receive broad free-to-air (FTA) coverage in Austria after ORF, the country’s public-service broadcaster, agreed a new three-year sub-licensing deal with Red Bull-owned commercial network Servus TV.
The renewed agreement will run through the 2026 season and see the two broadcasters continue to share FTA coverage of races, with grands prix alternating between the two channels.
However, only one broadcaster will show the Austrian Grand Prix each season. This season, the race was shown only on ORF for the first time.
Servus TV will air the home race in 2024 and 2026, while ORF will show the grand prix in Spielberg in 2025.
In 2021 and 2022, the race was shown simultaneously by both channels.
The two parties opted for the new format “in the interests of efficiency and cost-effectiveness.”
For the 2024 season, as well as the Austria race ServusTV will show the grands prix in Bahrain, Australia, China, Italy (Imola), Canada, Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Azerbaijan, US (Austin), Brazil, and Qatar.
Meanwhile, ORF will broadcast the grands prix in Saudi Arabia, Japan, the US (Miami and Las Vegas), Monaco, Spain, the UK, Hungary, Italy (Monza), Singapore, Mexico, and Abu Dhabi.
In addition to the live rights, the sub-license agreement includes highlights, and online and digital rights.
Servus TV remains the primary F1 rightsholder in Austria having extended its deal with Liberty Media, the series’ owner.
ORF, meanwhile, has had a sub-licensing deal with Servus TV for the past three seasons from 2021 to 2023.
ORF had previously been the long-time FTA home of F1 in Austria until its deal expired at the end of the 2020 campaign.
Sky Deutschland previously held pay-TV rights in Austria as part of a deal also covering Germany and Switzerland until 2022. Sky continues to hold rights in Germany.
Red Bull, meanwhile, has considerable involvement in Formula 1 already, operating two teams, Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri, and being the naming rights sponsor for Austria's Red Bull Ring circuit in Spielberg, where the annual grand prix takes place.
Red Bull has dominated F1 in recent years, with Dutch driver Max Verstappen claiming the Drivers’ Championship for a third consecutive year and the team winning their sixth Constructors' Championship title, the second in succession.
The 2023 F1 campaign concluded on Sunday (November 26) in Abu Dhabi.
