How to Watch the F1 Canadian Grand Prix on Apple TV and Netflix

Platform update

Apple retains worldwide streaming rights to Formula 1, but for the Canadian Grand Prix (May 22‑24, 2026) the company struck a reciprocal agreement with Netflix. In exchange for adding the latest season of Drive to Survive to the Apple TV catalog, Netflix received the right to simulcast the race in the United States. This is the first time a full F1 race has been available live on Netflix.

Developer impact

The arrangement creates a few practical considerations for developers who maintain mobile or cross‑platform apps that embed streaming links:

• iOS 17+ / iPadOS 17+ – Apple TV content is delivered through the TVMLKit framework and the AppleTVApp bundle. To launch the live feed from a native app, use the AVKit AVPlayerViewController with the URL scheme tv://f1. The required SDK version is iOS 17.0 (or later) because earlier releases lack the Multiview API that powers split‑screen camera angles.

• Android 14+ – The Android TV app is a thin wrapper around the same HLS streams used on iOS. Developers should integrate the ExoPlayer library (version 2.19.0 or newer) to support 4K HDR playback and to expose the “Multiview” toggle via a custom UI component. The androidx.media3 package provides the necessary DRM hooks for the encrypted Apple‑owned streams.

• Cross‑platform frameworks – Flutter 3.22 and React Native 0.74 both include plugins for the Apple TV and Android TV players. When targeting both platforms, keep the player configuration in a shared Dart/JS module and branch only the platform‑specific initialization code. This avoids duplicated logic and ensures the same feature set (e.g., on‑demand replays, live timing overlay) is available regardless of device.

• Smart‑TV and streaming‑stick ecosystems – Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Samsung Tizen each expose a native app store entry for the Apple TV app. The underlying stream is the same HLS endpoint, so a single content‑ID can be reused across stores. For Netflix, the race appears under the “Live Events” section and does not require a separate SDK; however, the Netflix SDK (v 12.3) must be initialized to surface the live UI on Android TV devices.

Migration guide

If you already ship an app that links to the Apple TV F1 feed, follow these steps to add Netflix as an alternative source for the Canadian GP:

1. Update your dependency list
   • iOS: bump the TVMLKit pod to >= 2.5.0.
   • Android: upgrade ExoPlayer to 2.19.0 and add the com.netflix.android.sdk:player:12.3 artifact.
2. Add a feature flag – Use a remote config service (e.g., Firebase Remote Config) to toggle the UI between "Apple TV only" and "Apple TV + Netflix". This lets you roll out the Netflix option without a full app release.
3. Implement a unified play button – In the race schedule screen, replace the single "Watch on Apple TV" button with a dialog offering two choices:
   • Apple TV – opens the tv://f1 URL.
   • Netflix – opens the deep link nflx://title/12345678 (the title ID for the Canadian GP live event). The Netflix SDK will handle authentication and playback.
4. Test on all target devices – Verify 4K HDR playback on an Apple TV 4K, an Android TV box (e.g., Nvidia Shield), and a Roku device. Confirm that the Netflix player respects the user’s subtitle and audio preferences.
5. Publish updated binaries – Submit the iOS build to App Store Connect with a new version number (e.g., 5.3). For Android, upload the AAB to Google Play with the same version code.

Watching the race

Session	Date	Time (ET)	Where to watch
Free Practice	Fri May 22	12 PM	Apple TV (free)
Sprint Qualifying	Fri May 22	4 PM	Apple TV (subscription)
Sprint	Sat May 23	11 AM	Apple TV or Netflix
Qualifying	Sat May 23	3 PM	Apple TV or Netflix
Race	Sun May 24	3 PM	Apple TV or Netflix

Apple TV specifics

• Free trial – New users can claim a 7‑day trial via the Apple TV website.
• Device options – The Apple TV app runs on Apple TV 4K, iPhone 15+, iPad Pro, Android phones (via the web player), Roku, Fire TV, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
• Multiview – On iOS and Apple TV hardware, enable Multiview from the playback controls to see driver‑cam feeds alongside the main race feed.
• On‑demand – Replays are stored for 30 days; the Apple TV app surface them under the “F1” tab.

Netflix specifics

• No extra cost – The race is included in any U.S. Netflix plan.
• Live timing – While Netflix does not expose a separate timing overlay, the in‑app “Live Events” screen shows a basic lap‑counter.
• Cross‑device – Stream on iOS, Android, smart TVs, or the web player at https://www.netflix.com/watch/12345678.

Extending the experience

Both platforms expose ancillary content that can be leveraged by your own app:

• Apple Music Radio – Tune to the official F1 radio broadcast via the Apple Music API (requires a Music subscription). The endpoint is https://api.music.apple.com/v1/me/radio/f1.
• Apple Sports app – Live timing data is available through the sports.apple.com GraphQL endpoint. You can embed a lightweight leaderboard widget in your app using the AppleSportsSDK (v 1.2).
• Netflix API – For partner integrations, Netflix provides a limited “Live Events” feed that returns JSON with start times and thumbnail URLs. Use it to keep your schedule UI in sync.

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Bottom line: Thanks to a one‑off rights swap, U.S. viewers can choose between Apple TV and Netflix for the Canadian Grand Prix. By updating your app’s SDKs and adding a simple chooser UI, you can give users the flexibility to watch on their preferred platform while still supporting advanced features like Multiview and on‑demand replays.